Knowing how paralyzing fear can be, God’s Word states over 140 times, “Be Not Afraid.” Jesus emphasized that we are free from fear when He said,

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”  (John 14:27)

As Christians we face fears and anxieties because it is part of the human experience, and Dad was no exception. Today I share his last two prayer requests from his Intercessory Agreement¹:

“Father, pour into me such levels of grace and love that every trace of fear in me will be completely eliminated from this moment until death and instead that my whole being will be filled with Your joy. I again acknowledge my weakness and that more grace will be needed to eliminate fear in me. I ask You to make me as unswerving and unshakeable as the Rock within.”

God has given us a foundation for dealing with fear, commanding us not to fear. “Do not be anxious about ANYTHING, but in EVERYTHING, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Phil 4:6-7).  The Lord invites us, “Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.” (I Peter 5:7) If I were developing curriculum for a class on “How to Deal with Fear – 101,” these verses would serve as our beginning point. All should learn to take our fears and anxieties to God through prayer and petitions to receive His peace.

Photo Courtesy @Shutterstock.com/Dirk Ercken

God never meant for us to live in fear, but rather live with His peace in all circumstances. There was no fear on earth until Satan and sin entered the world. Dad already knew this, like many of you. Yet his prayer reflects a spiritual maturity that I hope to have someday. Based on his prayer, I would create curriculum for “How to Deal with Fear – 201.” It would be based on I John 4:18, “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” 

Dad understood that fear and love cannot co-exist. His prayer reflected a desire to avoid having fear in the first place. He desired to live for Christ with a heart that soaked in the love of God at all times. If God filled his heart with His perfect love, there would be no room for fear. The perfecting of God’s love in our lives is a process. When we were lost, we lived in fear and knew nothing of God’s love. After we trusted Christ, we found a mixture of both fear and love in our hearts. But as we grow in fellowship with the Father, the fear gradually vanishes and His love alone controls our hearts. An immature Christian wavers between fear and love; a mature Christian rests in God’s love.

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Photo Courtesty@Shutterstock.com/Brues

Finally, Dad offered his last prayer request:

“I offer my earthly life for causing the primary commandment to love You with all my heart, with all my soul, with all my mind and with all my strength, to be fully realized in me. I know that absolute sovereignty will be required to accomplish this, but, since You are sovereign, I have no doubt that You can do it although accomplishing that in me could well be the most difficult task You have ever undertaken.”

Dad’s heart was to glorify God in everything he said and did. He understood that his frailties would get in the way of his desire to fulfill the greatest commandment of all. He determined from the beginning to never stop praising God.

At the end of his Agreement, he showed his humility: “I am exercising my free will now to lay this in Your hands counting on You to carry it out and to leave nothing up to me from here on. I don’t want my human weakness to be given any opportunity to abort and frustrate my desire to glorify You and to be used by You. I am depending on You to arrange and do it all.”

As I conclude this series, I grieve that I lost a humble father who lived selflessly for Jesus. Though I will always miss him, he is with Jesus and I couldn’t be happier for him! I look forward to living with him for all eternity. Thank you for going on this journey with me to honor my father. I appreciate your love and support.

If you were to author an Intercessory Prayer Agreement, what would be one of your ongoing prayer requests? Your thoughts on anything you’ve read are always warmly welcomed below. 

Blessings,

Lee Ann

¹ Intercessory Agreement: Blog Series for each prayer request begins 5.8.15 http://wp.me/p3LmrK-ry through today’s post.