Shut the Door on Doubt and Fear

A few days ago, a dear friend asked if I and another friend would meet with her regarding some serious health issues she was facing. She explained that she feels optimistic yet fear creeps in with “What if?” Immediately I spoke into her that when the enemy taunts her with his fear tactics to remember “The enemy comes to kill, steal and destroy, but Jesus came to give abundant life” (John 10:10). As we prayed with her, the words “Shut the front door” came to my mind. Those were words I knew God was telling me to share with her. We’ve all been there. In fact, as the ongoing election debacle ensues, we may need to take those “Shut the front door” words seriously ourselves. Shutting the door to the fears, doubt, unbelief, uncertainty about the future, and on and on. You may be glued right now to the election results and as you stare at the numbers, your faith gets more and more challenged. When those stressors come, we know who is behind them. And it isn’t our Father Who is our peacemaker and burden remover. Several scriptures came to me to give this young woman. This story came: “When Jesus came into the home of Jairus, the synagogue leader, and saw the flute players and the crowd in noisy disorder, He said, “Leave; for the girl has not died, but is asleep.” And they began laughing at Him. But when the crowd had been sent out (shut the door on them), He entered and took her by the hand, and the girl got up. And this news spread throughout that land. (Matthew 9:23-26) Jesus wasn’t about to let the naysayers and doubters stand in the way of a miracle. Then there is the story of Elisha when he was called upon because the son of the Shunammite woman had died. Scripture says: “Elisha entered the house and behold the boy was dead, laid on his bed. So, he entered and SHUT THE DOOR behind them both, and he prayed to the Lord. Then he got up on the bed and lay on the child, and put his mouth on his mouth, his eyes on his eyes, his hands on his hands, and he bent down on him; and the flesh of the child became warm. Then he returned and walked in the house back and forth and went up and bent down on him; and the boy sneezed seven times, then the boy opened his eyes. And he called Gehazi and said, “Call this Shunammite mother.” So, he called her. And when she came to him, he said, “Pick up your son.” Then she came in and fell at his feet and bowed down to the ground, and she picked up her son and left.” (2 Kings 4:32-37) And, then there is Jesus showing up after He had risen from the dead. “So when it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” (John 20:19) Outside those closed doors was fear lurking on every corner -- fear for their lives, and doubt and unbelief, but, inside those closed, locked doors, when Jesus arrived PEACE prevailed. Maybe you are paying way too much attention to social media, to doubts, fears and unbelief -- just like the mourners outside the doors of Jairus’ home, or like the Shunamite’s home or even the disciples bunkered inside because of their unbelief. BUT, when God the Father and Jesus Christ, the Son, show up – fears, doubts, concerns, worries MUST go. It’s time to SHUT THE DOOR to those voices. Proverbs 4:23 says “More than anything guard, protect your mind, for life flows from it.” This scripture tells us to guard and protect our minds. We control the doorway to what we’re going to allow in. We can dwell on every negative thing people AND the enemy of our souls have said, every derogatory comment, or we can shut and lock the door, and dwell on what God says. Let’s shut the front door, the back door and ALL doors that the enemy likes to sneak in and infiltrate his lies and keeps trying to take us down with his nasty words of defeat and fear. WE are WINNERS — he’s the LOSER!! Now SHUT THOSE DOORS!!