"I'm Uprooting Insecurity and Fear in My People" by Bill Yount - The Elijah List

"I'm Uprooting Insecurity and Fear in My People"

by Bill Yount  Feb. 8, 2016  THE ELIJAH LIST

"Don't be intimidated in any way by your enemies. This will be a sign to them that they are going to be destroyed, but that you are going to be saved, even by God himself." Philippians1:28

Before getting up to minister recently, my wife sensed that I was battling intimidation. She leaned over to me and whispered, "Your new name is 'Confidence!'" Immediately, a lion roared on the inside of me and an alarm went off in Hell. I rose up to minister and the Lion of the Tribe of Judah took over the meeting. The Lord is renaming you today also. Your new name is "Confidence!"

I will change your name
You shall no longer be called
Wounded, outcast, lonely or afraid
I will change your name
Your new name shall be
Confidence, joyfulness, overcoming one
Faithfulness, friend of God
One who seeks My face(Song "I Will Change Your Name" by D.J. Butler)

Laying Aside

I have found a key that unlocks the cage of that Lion who lives inside of us as Believers. "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily besets us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us" (Hebrews 12:1)

"Laying aside" is a powerful command that changes our perspective. When you lay something aside it is still there but you don't focus on it, for the next verse says, "Looking unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith." Now when intimidation attacks me, I have learned to lay it aside and do what God has called me to do.

The devil works overtime to steal our confidence to do the work of the Lord. But we are not alone. The Lord allows our insecurities and fears to be exposed to deal with the root of them. So be encouraged and don't stop. When you feel insecure or fearful, lay it aside and get up and let the Lion roar. God is faithful. "Faithful is He who has called you who will also do it" (1 Thessalonian 5:24).

I received an email recently from a dear sister who plays the piano for masses. She was fighting insecurity about performing perfectly at a special upcoming ceremony. I sensed the Lord giving me this word for her, "Lay aside your fear. Jesus will play the piano." Hours later she sent me this response:

PRAISE REPORT! I just finished a run through the music and Jesus did indeed play the piano! I had to keep reminding myself that He was doing it and I didn't need to stick my nose in. When I first saw my friend Rachel she asked me if I was ready. Very unlike me, I answered, "Yes!" PTL

The Root of All Fears

Most of our insecurity and fears are surface symptoms with a deep root. The Lord deals with our weaknesses to make us strong. I have battled insecurity and fear most of my life. It started the moment my head hit the road so hard that it caused a bone growth on my forehead. The bike wreck happened when I was five. The trauma of what followed with surgery and doctor check-ups for most of my younger years opened the door to a giant fear. A door that never got shut until recently.

I spoke at a conference recently in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. I was checking out hotel prices. They were so high I wouldn't have been able to sleep at night. I kept looking around for a reasonable priced one. I found it. 'The Cemetery Inn" near the battlefields. Arriving home after that weekend, greeting my wife, she said, "So and so called and he wants you to call him about those two cemetery plots he offered you a long time ago." I couldn't help but think.

I just came from The Cemetery Inn and now someone is offering me two cemetery plots at half price. The half price concerned me too. I said, "Lord, I don't like the timing of this. I just came from ministering for You all weekend. What is going on?" Two days later I was to meet the brother at the cemetery memorial park to sign the transfer papers. After I arrived I got tired of waiting in the office for him so I went outside.

When I walked outside all I could see were grave markers. As an eerie feeling came over me, the Lord spoke, "Son, this is the root of all your fears your whole life. Every doctor visit and the fear of every report of your physical exams. You are afraid to die. You battled it since the moment your head hit the road when you were five years old. When you were seven with a brain tumor death hounded you again. 

Then fourteen years ago with a blood clot in the artery of your heart with a fifty-fifty chance of survival it stampeded you again. Three days later with a heart catheterization your heart stopped on that table and they jumped it back to beat again. Have you noticed by now I have never let you die? I still hold the keys to Hell, death and the grave."

He continued, "What do you think about the Scripture that says, 'To be absent from the body is to be present with Me?' No pain, no doctors, no devil. Fully alive in My unspeakable presence forever and ever? What are your thoughts on this?"

For a moment I was speechless. He was right. I just faced my worst fear that had made me vulnerable to an endless list of others. And I failed to compare it to eternity. That day I found peace in a cemetery. As I left those grave markers, He spoke again, "By the way son, the same power that raised Jesus from the grave lives in you. Go live. Go live. Don't be afraid of living. Enjoy every minute of it."

What's your fear? Losing a loved one, a job, or your reputation? Maybe you are afraid to die and afraid to live. Drag your fears to Jesus today. Let His peace envelope you and His perfect love cast out all fear. Tell Him you are in this for the long haul no matter what.

God's Crazy Love Does It

In my worship time recently I heard the Lord whisper, "I'm crazy about you Bill. I'm absolutely crazy about you." I said, "What? Lord, why would You be crazy about me? I fall so short of Your glory." He said, "I know, but you trust Me. You still trust Me to do what you cannot do. That thrills Me. That's what makes Me crazy about you."

How about you? Do you know that you can thrill Him? Trust Him today and you will experience His crazy love for you and His peace that surpasses all understanding. 'Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus.' The Lord would rather have us trust Him than figure Him out.

Let these words redeem our time on earth:

I wanna live like there's no tomorrow
Love like I'm on borrowed time
It's good to be alive. (Song by Jason Gray)

Bill Yount

Blowing the Shofar Ministry
Email: theshofarhasblown@juno.com
Website: www.billyount.com

Bill Yount has been a member of Bridge of Life in Hagerstown, Maryland, for the past 36 years where he is now an elder and a home missionary. He is currently an advisor at large for Aglow International. Bill faithfully served in prison ministry at Mount Hope for 23 years and now travels full-time, both in the U.S. and internationally, ministering in churches and Aglow circles. "Humility and humor" characterize his ministry as he brings forth a fresh word that is "in season," proclaiming the Word of the Lord! 

The shofar (or ram's horn) is often used in his meetings, breaking the powers of darkness over regions, churches, and households. The shofar represents God's breath blowing into the nostrils of His people, reviving them and awakening the lost. Many of God's messages, which Bill ministers prophetically, come out of his everyday life with his family and friends.

How to Recognize Signs of Insecurity in Your Wife - B.J. FOSTER/ALL PRO DAD CHARISMA NEWS

How to Recognize Signs of Insecurity in Your Wife

11/13/2015 B.J. FOSTER/ALL PRO DAD  charisma news

In my first year of marriage, I remember lying down on the couch and turning on the television, ready to unplug and relax. That's when my wife came in with a form she needed to fill out.

She started asking me questions about it. Slightly annoyed, I shot back one-word answers. That's when she got upset and told me she needed help. Escalating things, I shot back, "It's a simple form. Why would you need my help?" She ran out of the room, crying.

I was left there wondering what had just happened. I thought, "It's not like I'm smarter or know that stuff more than you. You don't need me. You got it. I just want to relax."

I couldn't understand why she was so adamant about my help or why she got so upset. Immediately, it came to my mind that when she was a kid she struggled with dyslexia. She overcame it, but the experience of not grasping things that seemed to come easily to her classmates left her with a deep insecurity.

The story she was telling herself was vastly different than what I was saying. She heard, "It's a simple form. You're stupid if you can't fill that simple form out. And yourstupidity is annoying me."

The signs of insecurity were there, but I missed them. If I had taken a moment to stop and consider why she wanted my help, it would have changed the entire evening. Her childhood wound was looking for my reassurance.

I could have provided healing, empowerment and security. Instead, I produced the opposite. Understanding our wives' insecurities will help us build them up rather than validate the untrue stories they tell themselves. Here are some common insecurities of our wives.

1. Measuring Up 

The Enjoli perfume commercial from the 1980s says, "I can hang the wash on the line, feed the kids, get dressed, pass out the kisses and get to work by 9 to 5. I can bring home the bacon, fry it up in a pan and never let you forget you're a man."

Noted TED speaker Brene Brown while referencing that commercial said, "For women it's 'Do it all. Do it perfectly, and never let them see you sweat.'" She then went on to quip, "I don't know how much perfume that commercial sold, but I guarantee you it moved a lot of antidepressant and antianxiety meds." Women are mostly insecure about how they measure up, constantly comparing themselves with other women who they perceive as better. They feel as though they are never good enough. The following are different areas where this insecurity most prominently plays out.

"I'm not a good enough MOM." Many suffer from mom guilt. They feel like their kids got the short end of the stick because they are not good enough. The birthday party that isn't as good as their kid's friends', homemade Halloween costumes that aren't perfect, not knowing exactly what to say to make things OK, preparing meals, helping at school, being there and available to every need at all times are some of the things their brains obsess over. Comments and questions from us can feel like severe judgment.

"I'm not a good enough WIFE." The house is disorganized and messy. If they don't fulfill their husbands sexual desires, he will go elsewhere. They may see themselves as exceedingly needy, overly emotional or too (fill in the blank) to be married. Or they may feel as though they don't live up to your mother.

"I'm not beautiful enough." This one should come as no surprise. She feels like you fell in love with the way she looked when you met. When her looks or weight change, you will want to move on to someone else.

That story is deeply ingrained in many and may even cause them to dismiss compliments from their husbands to the contrary. That's why husbands even glancing at an attractive woman can set off fireworks. It's a subtle reinforcement in their minds that there is something better out there for their husband to chase.

"My opinion isn't valuable." Those who struggle with this one don't view themselves as smart as other people. It could stem from many sources, such as being shut down by people, particularly in childhood. They may have had controlling people around them in their life. Be mindful of cutting them off mid-sentence. Ask for their opinion and hear them out fully.

2. Worthiness of Love

Much of the insecurity I think is born out of this place. Many unfortunately think they are unworthy of love. They don't feel OK with who they are and live with the belief that when their husbands really come to know who they are, they won't want to be with them. This one creates an incredible amount of pain and brings with it a powerful defense mechanism. They may lash out and cut their husband off first to save themselves from rejection.

If your wife is being cold and distant, before assuming the worst, look for this one. She is probably protecting herself from some hurt. Maybe even from something that happened long before you even met.

B.J. Foster is the content manager for All Pro Dad and a married father of two. For the original article, visit allprodad.com.

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Did You Learn to Love? by Kari Browning

Did You Learn to Love? 

Kari Browning

The Identity Network

"So this is my prayer: that your love will flourish and that you will not only love much but well."  (Philippians 1:9, The Message)

Did you learn to love?

This was the question that Bob Jones was asked when he died and went to heaven on August 8, 1975.

If we want to learn to love, we must become emotionally mature. We must put away, or render inoperative, childish ways.  (1 Corinthians 13:11)

Many of us find ourselves "stuck" in behaviors that are rooted in fear, not love.  Like the apostle Paul, we find ourselves behaving in ways that we do not want to. (Romans 7:22-25)

Many believers, including leaders, are bound by rejection, jealousy, anger, insecurity, bitterness, pride, fear, and other toxic emotions. Many have become addicted to drugs, alcohol, sex, gambling, food, etc.
   

Oftentimes, these toxic emotions and addictions are rooted in emotional hurts or unmet love needs.

How Do We Become "Unstuck?" 

How do we release toxic emotions and come into a place of mature love? How do we get our love needs met in legitimate ways?

I believe we find the answers to these questions in both counseling and community. We need to get our love needs met in healthy community, and we also may need the help of someone skilled in healing the brokenhearted to help us identify and release toxic emotions and negative core beliefs and expectations.

When we experience an emotional hurt, we oftentimes form negative core beliefs and expectations. These beliefs and expectations usually are not conscious, but they are very powerful. They can even cause us to be drawn to people and situations that will reinforce these beliefs and expectations.

For instance, a woman who is raised by an abusive father may develop an expectation that "all men will abuse me" and may form a belief that she has no value.  She finds herself drawn to one abusive relationship after another, and that expectation becomes her reality. If she feels that she has no value, she will continue to allow people to abuse her.

Emotional Overreactions

When someone experiences emotional hurts and does not release the pain associated with them, they may find themselves in situations that "trigger" the painful repressed memories. When this happens, an emotional overreaction usually occurs.

When we find ourselves overreacting in situations, we need to discover the root issue causing this. We will need to release the pain that has been repressed in a healthy and productive way. If we don't, we often lash out at others, isolate, medicate ourselves, or go to food, drugs, sex, etc. for comfort.  

When we've been hurt, we often put up a wall of self-protection around our heart. This wall keeps us from giving or receiving love fully.

The early Church leaders understood the connection between the body and the soul. (3 John 1:2) They understood that toxic emotions are at the root of many physical illnesses. (Proverbs 17:22)

Healing in Spirit, Soul and Body

They used the "laying on of hands" and natural remedies to bring healing to both soul and body. When someone was sick, they called for the leaders of the Church to anoint them with oils.  Anoint means "to rub" or "massage."  (James 5:14-15)

I believe the early Church leaders were trained in what oils to use for particular emotions and sicknesses. There are over 1,000 references in the Bible to oils or the plants that they are derived from.

Those coming for prayer also confessed their sins and released guilt and shame. (James 5:16) Guilt can sometimes cause physical pain as people unconsciously seek to punish themselves for the wrongs they have done. I have seen physical pain instantly leave a body when guilt was released and forgiveness was received.

Jesus came to heal us spirit, soul, and body. (1 Thessalonians 5:23)

The ancient paths are being restored (Jeremiah 6:16) and we are learning how to love.

Kari Browning

New Renaissance Healing & Creativity Center

www.newrenaissance.us

kari@newrenaissance.us

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