Luke 22:44 – He prayed more fervently, and he was in such agony of spirit that his sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood. (NLT)

He had proudly denied the existence of God and spewed nothing but hate for Him, but that was before he lay on his death bed.

The movie, God's Not Dead, details the story of a battle between a college freshman and an atheist philosophy professor who challenges the young student to prove God's existence — a battle that the student wins when he asks the professor how he can hate someone who doesn't exist.

Having a change of mind, the professor hurries to a Newsboys concert, only to be hit by a car while crossing the road. Fortunately, a local pastor is nearby and rushes to his side. Fear washes over the professor's face as he now realizes that perhaps God is alive after all. Willing to take the risk, he professes his belief in Jesus Christ just before he inhales his last breath.

Fear also assaulted Jesus prior to His death as He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane — so much so that His sweat became like blood. Though God in the flesh, He was also very much human. He knew the agony involved in crucifixion, but He realized that His would be even more painful because He would be taking the sin of the world upon Himself.

God has created within the human body a flight-or-fight mechanism which serves me well. When I find myself unwillingly in a dangerous situation, God gives me healthy fear which leads me to run away. This mechanism can also give me adrenaline power that I don't normally have when I need to fight.

Satan, on the other hand, is the master of burdening me with unhealthy fear. This spirit debilitates and keeps me from fulfilling God's plan for my life. I'll make excuses instead of forging ahead. This fear can also keep me from healthy relationships by causing me to remember those that weren't. With this fear, Satan can steal, kill, and destroy God's intentions for my life.

Overcoming sweating-blood fear is as simple as acknowledging the fear, reminding myself that it isn't coming from God, and asking God to replace it with a sound mind that will trust Him to move me into His bright future for me.

2 Timothy 1:7 – For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. (NKJV)

Let each of us give our fears to God, and let Him replace them with a sound mind.

Prayer: Father, we place our fears in Your hands and ask for peace of mind, soul, and spirit. Amen.

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About the author:

Martin Wiles <mandmwiles@gmail.com>
Greenwood, South Carolina, USA
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