I Proved You Can Be Free From Fear: Preparation for the Endtimes, #1

By John Corin

With the increase in world instability, the threat of terrorism, the stress of modern life, financial uncertainty and breakdown in law of order – multitudes look are looking for answers to anxiety, worry, and panic attacks. In this concise book (about 130 pages) detailing the solution found in the Bible, the author reveals the keys to his own success in getting free from fear. He believes all will need divine answers to the climate of fear on the horizon as the end of the age approaches and the 'distress of nations' comes, the time when 'men's hearts will fail them for fear' (Lk 21.26).With the increase in world instability, the threat of terrorism, the stress of modern life, financial uncertainty and breakdown in law of order – multitudes look are looking for answers to anxiety, worry, and panic attacks. In this concise book (about 130 pages) detailing the solution found in the Bible, the author reveals the keys to his own success in getting free from fear. He believes all will need divine answers to the climate of fear on the horizon as the end of the age approaches and the 'distress of nations' comes, the time when 'men's hearts will fail them for fear' (Lk 21.26).

• Language: English
• Publisher: John Corin
• Release date: Mar 27, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224680481

Book preview

PREFACE

Who has not felt afraid , even very afraid? It may be only butterflies in the stomach at the thought of giving a speech, restless sleep over an upcoming important event, or the sick feeling when faced with a fierce dog blocking the pathway. However, more and more sufferers are finding this disquieting emotion more than just unpleasant or occasional. Many now suffer from chronic anxiety, are incapacitated with tension headaches, or find their heart gripped by the icy fingers of a panic attack. Then there are the millions more seeking relief from nagging worry in comfort food, medications, cigarettes, alcohol, or illicit drugs.

If fear is your constant companion, something you can’t shake off, this book has answers to win your battle with it—viable solutions which allowed me to gain my freedom. Now, it may not have all the answers you seek but it will assist in a sizable way whether it be low-grade worry, unnerving anxiety, or even a phobia. The strategies detailed also will help solve any fear-induced dysfunctional behavior, and as a bonus, resolve health issues that have resulted, e.g., high blood pressure, stomach ulcers, asthma, eczema, and skin and gut problems.

Fear is undoubtedly impacting more and more people in this twenty-first century, an epidemic, in some ways, hard to understand. With all the ‘high tech’ security systems and other safety measures we have in place—including investments hedging against a financial downturn—why are we so afraid? Some will blame it on the threat of terrorism or another viral ‘pandemic’, while others will point the finger at the general degradation within society, especially the breakdown of its fundamental unit, the family. Activists will most likely ‘finger’ the environment, seeing toxic pollution and ‘climate change’ as the triggers. But whatever the cause, more and more people—including believers—are feeling anxious and fearful.

Indeed, as a believer, you may feel ashamed of how fear restricts your freedom to serve the Lord. Don’t be! I certainly don’t condemn you, nor will I tell you to have more faith, or rebuke you, saying worry is a sin. I have walked in your shoes and have only empathy for those battling this enemy of personal peace. My goal in this book, then, is to encourage and inspire with the hope of an answer; namely, the practical strategies I found to beat fear more than fifty years ago. As long as you are willing to pay the price of victory, what worked for me can work for you. What I share can help anyone find new freedom from the curse of fear.

Now, the basic answer to fear (as it is for sin, sickness, loneliness, etc.) is found in the salvation Jesus Christ purchased on Calvary. By laying claim to the work of atonement for sin on the Cross, we can reap its saving benefits. Every adverse outcome from humanity’s original fall into sin—fear is one—has its solution in this work of redemption. Hence, realizing what Christ redeemed you from is the first answer to freedom from fear. If God has done His part, it is up to you to appropriate the liberty in Christ you have from the ‘law of sin and death’ (Rom 8.2).

Any strategy to beat fear (be assured, it is an enemy) must have as its basis the redemption Christ paid for with His life. Freedom from fear is achieved by first claiming what the ‘blood of the Lamb’ (Rev 12.11) secured. However, further instructions are found in the ‘manual for living’ (the Bible) for waging war against this formidable foe, and in using the strategies found there, God will teach your ‘hands to wage war’. But He will not do what you have been asked to do, so it boils down to the question of, are you ready to do what is required to win the war. For though your success ultimately depends upon fighting with the leading and strength of God’s Spirit, the resolve to wage this war (it is key to winning) is up to you.

The psalmist said, ‘I sought the Lord and He heard me and delivered me from all my fears’. (Ps 34.4). Even though this verse gives us the hope this war is winnable, the psalmist didn’t say his deliverance was instantaneous. It normally takes time to win this war—victory is rarely by ‘a knockout in the first round’—and it will be the same for you. So don’t fret over the length of it; whether short or long, your freedom is assured as you win one encounter at a time until the final battle decides the war. If you are sick and tired of fear’s torment, then despair no longer; study the strategies I share and practice them until success is yours. Now, your effort to become free from fear will meet with resistance (counter-attacks); therefore, expect a fierce fight, even a ‘dirty one’; the main thing is don’t give up whatever happens. To gain understanding, meditate on the strategies and if you seek divine grace in applying them they will do for you what they did for me.

Before going further, I need to expose this enemy you are up against. Most are unaware of the real force behind fear so what I convey next is vital to your success. It is this: ‘fear’ (I have personified it) is not only a natural physiological response to a threat but also the outcome of dark forces at work. This means ‘fear’ is not your friend (except in a very limited way) but an enemy with malicious intent toward you and the church; a sober reality you must be convinced is true. When ‘fear’ prevents so many believers from witnessing to their faith, taking up the vocation of a missionary, or some other avenue of service for the Lord, by no stretch of the imagination is it a blessing. It is a curse God wants you liberated from, for His honor and so you enjoy a better quality of life. After reading my book, my prayer is that you too will ‘stand fast in the liberty by which Christ has made (you) free’. (Gal 5.1).

In an act of faith, then, why not begin now to proclaim your freedom; that is, speak to these spiritual powers fueling your ‘fear’ and announce a ‘declaration of independence’. Start your military campaign by saying you are determined to wage war against their tyranny and will fight on past disappointments and reversals until free from every tormenting thought and debilitating emotion. Don’t let ‘fear’ scare you with thoughts of repercussions for such a declaration. God is on your side and He will fight for you, so be brave and hesitate no longer. I do not promise you ‘glory without guts’, but any sacrifice and effort you make will be worth it. May the Lord bless you in the battle.

CHAPTER 1 

INTRODUCTION

Iwill never forget as a 10-year-old boy out looking for adventure on my push-bike the day I found a steeply descending hill; it was an opportunity for a thrill I couldn’t miss! Impulsively, I launched the bike down the slope and within fifty meters had gathered enough speed to race toward the bottom of the hill still hidden somewhat in morning shadow. With my fingers tightly gripping the handlebars, the wind stinging my face and my heart beating faster and faster, I couldn't ask for anything more. It was about halfway down the hill when I realized what had escaped my attention in those shadows. The road took an unexpected turn, much sharper than could be safely navigated at speed; disaster awaited if I did not immediately apply the brakes. The problem was, the time had long passed to do this safely, and besides, I never intended to use the brakes—they only spoiled an adventure!

It was the moment when terror dug its icy claws into my heart and in my imagination there took shape an awful scene of my fast-approaching future. In my mind’s eye, I saw a twisted broken bike spread over the road along with parts of my anatomy and copious amounts of blood—the imagery had to do with what  I stumbled upon when walking to school as a young child. It was a gruesome scene of a motorbike accident, and because it had just happened, there was blood spread all over the road. It was a scene that haunted me for years. The end of my adventure was not going to be pretty and undoubtedly painful.

Fortunately, the outcome was not the disaster imagined. Despite the panic and a mind frozen by ‘fear’, I managed by sheer willpower and physical force to make the bike lean in the direction of the bend in the road. Little by little it veered where it needed to go, so when I struck the raised curb with a jarring jolt it was more of a glancing blow. After wobbling for a few seconds, I toppled off the bike to sprawl on the road with only moderate force. The outcome was more a loss of face than skin or blood; in a few weeks, the gravel grazes and cuts to my arms and legs healed, even if my pride hadn’t.

Perhaps terror has not seized you like this, but for me, it was a traumatic experience, one I will never forget (although it no longer causes emotional distress). But if ‘fear’ has traumatized, then you know it to be a powerful, debilitating emotion, one able to torment the mind, distress the emotions, and exhaust the body. Possibly, nothing can affect us more than ‘fear’ does. True, it has the redeeming feature of galvanizing into action when faced with danger, but its harmful effects outweigh any benefit. It is a hostile enemy far more than a welcome friend.

Now, though the sheer panic of the described episode was new to me, ‘fear’ was not. It had been my companion from early infancy, a buffeting adversary never leaving me alone for long. Only when I became a ‘born again’ believer in Christ Jesus at seventeen years of age and discovered the solutions shared in this book did I find the relief craved. Praise God, from a life plagued with worry, nervousness, and anxiety, (over time) it changed to one of great peace and joy. Yes, the change was not all immediate, but ‘fear’ continued to