All the kings on the west side of the Jordan heard about this, including those in the highlands, the lowlands, and along the entire coast of the Mediterranean Sea toward Lebanon. They were Hittites and Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. They formed an alliance to fight Joshua and Israel.
Joshua 9:1-2 (CEB)
When the kings on the west side of Jordan heard about Israel’s successful defeat of Jericho and Ai, they formed an alliance to fight Joshua and Israel.
The Lord knew that this would happen which is why before they entered into the Promised Land, He instructed the Children of Israel to destroy the seven nations that were before them:
“When the Lord your God brings you into the land which you go to possess, and has cast out many nations before you, the Hittites and the Girgashites and the Amorites and the Canaanites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than you
Deuteronomy 7:1 (NKJV)
There is something in this that applies to all followers of Jesus Christ. When you surrender your life to Jesus Christ, there are evil spiritual forces that will try to fight against you, and you too must be able to overcome them before you can enter into your spiritual inheritance.
For the next few weeks, we will be looking at each one of these seven spiritual forces to see how we can overcome them.
The Hittites – spirit of fear
The first group of people who Joshua and the Children of Israel encountered and had to defeat as they entered into the Promised Land were the Hittites. The Hittites were descendants of Heth, whose name means “terror” or “fear”.
Whenever God calls you to do something, the first type of emotion that will try to creep in is fear; and fear can manifest itself in many different forms. It could be the fear of the unknown, fear of failure, fear of being ridiculed, fear of people, fear of public speaking, fear of the dark, fear of death etc.
God knew that fear will try to grip you and that if you allow it, it will stop you from entering into your spiritual inheritance which is why God encouraged us many times in the Bible to “fear not”:
Fear not, for I am with you;
Be not dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you,
Yes, I will help you,
I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’
Isaiah 41:10 (NKJV)
Why should you overcome fear?
Overcoming fear is essential because Jesus tells us that the fearful shall not inherit the Kingdom of God (Revelation 21:8).
How do you overcome fear?
In order to be able to overcome fear, you have to realise that fear is a spirit, this is why the Bible says God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, of love and of a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7). The Bible also tells us that the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. Below is a list of some of those weapons we can use to overcome fear:
- Call on the name of Jesus
The Bible says that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved or delivered (Joel 2:32, Romans 10:13). We know that Jesus is the name of the Lord because we are told that there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved but the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth (Acts 4:10-12). Therefore if you are afraid please call on Jesus to deliver you from the spirit of fear;
- Stand on the truth of God’s Word
You can stand on the truth of God’s word and command the spirit of fear to leave you in Jesus name because the Bible says that God has not given you the spirit of fear. Then ask the Lord to give you His Spirit of power, of love and of a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7);
- By the blood of Jesus
Revelation 12:11 assures us that as believers we can overcome Satan by the blood of the Lamb and we know the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all unrighteousness, therefore ask the Lord to cleanse you from the spirit of fear with the blood of Jesus Christ;
- By the anointing of the Holy Spirit
The spirit of fear will not go away by your own power or by your might but by the Spirit of The Lord (Zechariah 4:6). Therefore ask The Lord to fill you with His Holy Spirit and remove the burden and break the yoke of fear from your life by the anointing of the Holy Spirit (Isaiah 10:27);
- Be filled with the love of God
John tells us that there is no fear in love; but perfect love drives out fear: because fear has torment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love (1 John 4:18). Pray and ask The Lord to make you perfect in His love and that the love of Christ should dwell in your heart;
- Fasting
Jesus said that certain kinds of spirits can only come out through prayer and fasting (Mark 9:29, Matthew 17:21). In situations where fear has become entrenched and a stronghold in your life, sometimes commanding it to go alone will not do, you will need to fast as well. The kind of fasting that God wants is one that lets the oppressed go free, and remove the chains that bind people such as fear (Isaiah 58:6);
- Obedience to God
When King Saul disobeyed God and His Holy Spirit departed from him, an evil spirit entered into him to torment him (1 Samuel 16:14). It is very important as Children of God that we follow and obey Him at all times because obedience is better than sacrifice (1 Samuel 15:22). However if we do fall, we should quickly confess our sins, because God is faithful to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).
Prayer:
Dear Father, Your Word says that perfect love drives out fear. Please drive away the spirit of fear from me and fill me with the love of Christ in Jesus name, amen.
For more information about the Hittite spirit and how to overcome them, please visit http://shamah-elim.info/hittite.htm
Listen to the Message
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGSx7ovqbro
How to Discover Your Life’s Purpose Through Dreams
Do you know God’s purpose for your life? If not, please listen to the audio version of: How to Discover Your Life’s Purpose Through Dreams
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