Challenging the Spirit of Fear with God
Johannes Adendorff, the author of A Different Plan, reflects on challenging fear through prayer, practice, and faith.
After my parents’ farm in South Africa was robbed, I was in a state of fear. The place where I had grown up, the place of safety in which I currently resided, was gone. The robbers hadn’t destroyed it physically, beyond stealing some personal property. But they had reached into the depths of my personal haven, my personal sense of security. Everything had been violated.
And now, I feared their return.
Countless times as the day passed, I asked myself, “What if the robbers come back to kill us?”
More than once, my own reflection or a flicker of movement in a darkened window scared me.
But as the night fell, I realized that God did not want me to fear. Fear was the enemy. I was supposed to let faith shield me from evil—not simple door locks or manmade walls.
That’s when I decided to test myself in the ultimate way. I would leave my door unlocked for the night.
This is stupid, the logical, human part of my brain said as I turned off all my lights for the night and left the door unlocked. While I would not recommend anyone to do this, I knew at that moment that God had given me this boldness to conquer the spirit of fear taking residence in my heart.
Lying in my bed, I wrapped the covers around me. A warmth spread across my skin, reaching into my bones. I knew the warmth wasn’t just from my blankets. The Holy Spirit had shrouded me in the armor of faith against the terrors, against the fear.
In the middle of the night, a loud bang woke me up from a deep sleep. It’s the robbers! I thought immediately, hardly daring to open my eyes. They’ve come back!
But armed with courage, I forced myself to open my eyes. The door had blown open in the night air. With a deep breath, I spoke into the blackness.
“Lord,” I said slowly, as if my words would draw an intruder’s attention, “I am going to stand up and close the door.”
I stood up with the weight of fear on my shoulders. But every step I took toward the door was a step away from my fear, a step filled with divine courage and strength.
When I reached the door, I grasped the doorframe and stuck my head out into the cold air. The dogs were sleeping peacefully. The night was quiet and cool.
And I had passed the test of fear.
A former military man and professional skydiver, Johannes Adendorff shares his experiences of overcoming adversity and fear in his memoir, A Different Plan. After years of life in the skies, Adendorff commits his time to spreading God’s message and encouraging others to live for Jesus Christ. You can contact Johannes here.