Faith Heels Fear's Knees

F O R W A R D
n this book “Faith Heels or Fear's Knees”, Faith Akpovwa
systematically demystifies fear and revelationaly exposes faith
Ias the only panacea for living in a world that opens and shut
everydaywithfearsanduncertainty.
These eight chapters of this book, from the prelude to the conclusion
will impact your life permanently. I encourage you not to just read this
God inspired lessons but study it again and again to harvest the
wonderful insights and practical lessons from her life's journey so far,
forGoddoesnotwasteexperiences.
As you journey with the author of this book, you will see scriptures
turning into pictures (evidence of things not seen). These are priceless
truthsthatcanturnafear-slavetoafaith-walkChristian.
My prayer is that the body of Christ will use this book to develop
necessary perspective, conviction, character and courage needed for

theChristianrace.
Pastor Ernest Idahosa
Church of God Mission Int'l
Peniel Chapel
2 | Forward

I dedicate this book to God Almighty, He has been my source of
strength, and inspiration. By His sufficient Grace, I made it
through, I owe my life to you Father. There is no true success
other than that which you breathe into.
I also dedicate this book to my dad, Barr. Godwin Akpovwa
whom I profoundly pray for will be blessed by this book.
D E D I C A T I O N

aith is our gaze fully on God's abilities, not ours. The
moment that gaze is shifted to ourselves and our
Fsituations, not God, fear begins to have a way. We lose
our identity through fear. We all have an identity in Christ which
is the fullness of God and fear is aimed at robbing us of the
knowledge of this. Wonder why scriptures say “my people perish
for lack of knowledge”? We are only trampled upon by fear when
we forget or choose not to recognize that our true identity and
fullnessisfoundinChrist.
Being tormented by fear for some years and in that span of time
and still learning, I would say that I forgot or didn't take into
cognizance the essence of my name, hence, my identity. The
situations I was faced with around my life birthed so much fear on
the inside of me, and fear was future for me if God had not
I N T R O D U C T I O N

intervened.
I knew Hebrews 11 so well, I knew the faith definition as well and
felt very proud when I heard my name “faith” included in
sermons topics but I never had a revelation of the name I was
called. What an irony. A girl called Faith with fearful thoughts,
mindsets,andhabits.
This became a great lesson to me when a word dropped into my
spirit asking me “what is your name”? And this is the issue. We
have a name, an identity in Christ, which is His fullness, His
strength, and abilities but we often don't believe in it because of
situationsandhappeningsaroundus,andsometimesignorance.
We sometimes just possess head knowledge of who we are but
not fully understanding whose we are, so we lose our hold on the
identity we have in Christ. Now, due to the weight of fear or how
big the issue or challenge we face seem to be, we forget who we
areinChristandwhatGodhasplacedinsideofus.
I realized that we lose your identity each time we forget that there
isaGodinsideofuswhosecharacteristicswealsopossess!
I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but
8 | Introduction

Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by
faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Gal2:20.
Being on fear's knees is a state of being subject to, being
controlled by or ruled by fear, while being on faith heels is the
confident and bold disposition to face fear which is what God
wantsustohave.
Thelight
The light casts out fear, that light is the word of God; the light is
the truth, not the situation. It lays bare the weakness of fear in the
presence of faith. For so many years, I tried to overcome fear
through so many means but all efforts were futile and the truth
that I have found out is that there is no successful battle against
fear except with the word of God. Company may fail you, quick
fixes will do same but the word of God slices fear into pieces by
itspower.
The word is light and it illuminates all dark areas of fear in our
lives. I pray that through this book, every kind of fear standing
bold or subtle in your life shall be shut down and replaced with
Faith Heels or Fear’s Knees | 9

faith.
Scripture says, “If thou has faith as little as a mustard seed, thou
shall say unto this mountain be thou thrown into the sea and it will
be done”. Only faith changes things, fear doesn't, instead, it births
it. When you begin to activate your faith, fear begins to give way
and vice versa. But faith is got through the word of God; See why
the enemy sends all manner of distractions to keep us away from
theword?
TheFaithshield
Why faith at all? You may ask. These are the times where we will
hear of wars and rumors of wars, we will see danger, heart breaks,
happenings intending to keep us afraid and so God has given us
the faith shield to withstand these. Above all, our faith will be
tried individually. If there were no happenings intending to keep
us afraid, God wouldn't have bothered to give us His word of
faith.Thebiblesays;
In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you
canextinguishalltheflamingdartsoftheevilone;
10 | Introduction

Ephesians6:16
Theologians have confirmed the 365 “fear not's” in the bible, and we
conclude that each one of them is for each day of the year. This shows
God's concern and his heart in making us know that He wants us to live a
lifedevoidoffear.
I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the
world you shall have tribulation. But be of good cheer; I have overcome
theworld."John 16:33(KJV)
This scripture did not use the word “might”, but “shall”. But take note,
Jesus Christ encouraged His disciples even before breaking the news of
“sure”trouble,hesaid...
Ihavesaidthesethingstoyou,thatinmeyoumayhavepeace.
In other words, peace does not come from material satisfaction,
possessions or earthly defenses, barb wires or high gates. Peace comes
from God. There is no other hope we have for peace in the midst of
troubleorturmoilotherthaninChristJesus.
I once by the spirit of God encouraged my mother when she was going
through a pretty difficult time at her work place, I said “if you have no
opposition, no interference and the work of God in your life just goes

very smooth, then check it, there is a high probability that you're not
working for God”, and we giggled about it. But i further illustrated that
it is hard, quite rare to see people who have fully given their lives to the
devil going through one problem, trouble or turmoil.This is because the
devil knows their destructive end. When we have our momentary
tribulations or troubles as Christians, it doesn't mean that the lord has
failed us or hasn't fulfilled his promises but it also validates our status as
Christians by declaring that you are Christ's, you have 'officially'
become a threat to the kingdom of darkness and what they do is try to
attack and we as Christians often chicken out forgetting who we really
are.Thethingsweareafraidofare afraidofus.Faithiskey.often
12 | Introduction

The Prelude to Fear
C H A P T E R
01
For indeed we have had the glad tidings [Gospel of God] proclaimed
to us just as truly as they [the Israelites of old did when the good
news of deliverance from bondage came to them]; but the message
they heard did not benefit them, because it was not mixed with
FAITH (with the leaning of the entire personality on God in absolute
trust and confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness) by those
who heard it; neither were they united in FAITH with the ones
[Joshua and Caleb] who heard (did believe).
- Hebrews 4:2(AMP)
o have faith is as important as having life itself. One can't
really access God's benefits of life without faith. God has
Tgiven us so much, he has enriched us with his promises,
but just as we use currencies/Money to purchase things, Faith is the
currency for which we obtain God's promises. It's no magic, faith is an

action word which when put into action both in words and in deeds
withoutdoubt,willyieldaharvestofblessings.
Hebrews 4:2 says,
For indeed we have had the glad tidings [Gospel of God] proclaimed
to us just as truly as they [the Israelites of old did when the good
news of deliverance from bondage came to them]; -
Sometimes, people believe that the time of the old was better than now
in terms of God speaking, and some others believe that despite the
clarity in which God had spoken to his chosen ones in the old, like
Moses, Elijah, Daniel, David and the rest prophets, they would prefer
the time and dispensation of the Holy spirit(today). But, whether the old
or new testament method of communication, God's clear voice through
Moses was as clear to God's people (the Israelites when they heard the
news of their deliverance from bondage from Egypt) as it is now when
we hear the Holy Spirit remind us of God's promises for us through
God's word.
Did you know?
Despite the clarity, surety and display of God's majestic powers to the
Israelites, the word they received was not of benefit to them because
they did not mix it with faith?As simple as that may sound, that caused
14 | The Prelude to Fear

the lives of all the Israelites except two (Joshua and Caleb). That's why
faithisasimportantaslifeitself.
"But the message they heard did not benefit them, because it was not
mixed with faith (with the leaning of the entire personality on God in
absolute trust and confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness)
by those who heard it".
Heb 4:2
We have been blessed with so much, blessed with abundance of grace,
protection, provision, supply, good health and the very best of life, but
most times, we overlook them and reduce them to just a word and not
THE word from God and THE word of Truth. But this was the SAME
word that came to the Israelites but it profited them nothing because of
their unbelief. One may say “no, it's not the same”, but let's see again
whatHebrews4:2says,
For indeed we have had the glad tidings [Gospel of God] proclaimed to
usJUSTASTRULYasthey(theIsraelites)did.
As the group of people who believe the Old Testament method of
communication (God to His people) was clearer, to their advantage,
yes, the word the Israelites got for their deliverance was clear enough

just like the ones we see in God's word today like.
“If God be for us, who can be against us” Romans 8:31,
“by his stripes you are healed" (Isaiah 53:5), and like
“Christ in me, the hope of Glory”(Col 1:17)
"The lord shall supply all your needs according to His riches in
glory" (Philippians 4:19) and, “None shall want her mate” Isaiah
34:16 "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me
(Philippians 4:13),
And all the numerous promises we have in the word today.
Some of us have heard God speak to us directly about his promises but
the promise does us no good because we lack faith or have little faith in
the face of our huge battles. There comes a point where little faith
amounts to nothing, so, we increase it and the key to increasing our faith
is in the study, revelation and believe on the word of God. The word of
God, the bible, has scriptures that contain dozes to increase our faith
andridusofourfears.
There was a time I asked God diligently in prayers about an issue, after I
prayed, my prayers were answered, I had it come easy but I encountered
some real time struggles concerning it along the way but I overcame.

So, due to the stress and struggles I saw people go through because of
this , I just got thankful to God and whispered to myself “ thank God He
made it easy for me” and behold, just like a conversation, I heard God's
Spirit say immediately “it could have been easier if you had more
faith”.ThenIbegantothinkaboutit.
I came to understand that the measure of your faith determines the kind
ofresultyouget.
The Word's effectiveness
The word of God is described later in that chapter as Alive and Full
of power.
"For the Word that God speaks is alive and full of power [making it
active, operative, energizing, and effective]; it is sharper than any
two-edged sword, penetrating to the dividing line of the breath of life
(soul) and [the immortal] spirit, and of joints and marrow [of the
deepest parts of our nature], exposing and sifting and analyzing and
judging the very thoughts and purposes of the heart"
-Hebrews 4:12)
Based on the word of God and through some experiences, I've come to

understand that fear can be felt by indeed anyone, irrespective of
position or experience. The reasons for fear could differ from person to
person, just as our faces differ. Fear could be reverential or dread
(terror). we seeAbraham in the bible whose position with God was that
of a friend, still, he had the fear of God when God told him to lay the life
of his only son (sought for years) as a sacrifice. In fact, the bible
recorded in Genesis 22:12 " now I know that you fear the Lord for you
havenotwithheldyoursonfromme,youronlyson".
It is a clear that this kind of fear that Abraham possessed only revealed
his faith in God. Knowing that God who had been merciful through his
entire life would have a good reason for taking his son, and Abraham
had absolute reliance on God's word knowing that it will at the end work
for good. To reveal our lack of faith in God's word, sometimes we hold
back mediocre things of less worth for the fear that God may not give us
betterones.ThatisasignoflackoffaithinGod.
I believe a handful of us will bind that "evil spirit" that will speak such
instruction and then deny we recognize God's voice but Abraham did
not do that, he had the fear of God, this is called the reverential fear. It
has to do with profound awe, honor or respect to someone superior.

Reverential fear is fear that we all should possess as followers of Christ,
the word says, "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom; but the
foolishdespisewisdomandinstruction''(Proverbs1:7).
Reverential fear is one kind of fear. On the other hand, the fear we are
dealing with in this book is that of terror, fright, uneasiness, trepidation,
disquietude and so on. Just as the needs/cares of life increase, so the
tendency to fear increases, however, it is expedient to increase our faith
tofaceeverychallenge,battleorneed.
When fear takes hold of a person, it brings one down on fears knees
which is a state of being subject to, controlled by or ruled by fear but
standing on the heels of faith is the confident and bold disposition to
facefearatanygiventimeandthisisthestandGodwantsusalltohave.
Receivedthought
When I look back at some of the occurrences I once went through, I
often think that I would have done better if I knew better. I would have
had it easier if I had more faith. I have both experienced and seen in the
lives of others how fear takes hold of a person even before the evil or
tragedytheyevenexpecthappens.

Fear just needs a little prelude to manifest, and I call this a “received
thought” The biblical Job's dreadful experience confirms that when he
said;
“What I always feared has come upon me; what I dreaded has happened
tome”.Job3:25.
Thoughts are like balloons, when thrown at you and you don't pick it up,
it falls down, bursts or the wind blows it away but when the “thought”
balloon is caught by an individual, and he does not only pick it but fills it
with more air, then, he has received that thought. Fearful thoughts may
blow as winds daily but cultivate the habit of refusing them. Do not
catch them and nurse them. Have you thought about what could have
beendifferentifJob's fearfulthoughtwasrefused?Job3:25
Fear puts in varied thoughts in a person that if one subscribes to, will
make one too weak to confront the situation. There are numerous
dangers of fear including the very important fact that we will live less of
God's promises if we keep being afraid.The Bible says in Hebrews 6:12
that "we do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who
throughfaithandpatienceinheritwhathasbeenpromised”
Rather than magnifying fear, we should magnify faith instead. Fear

only has a place to reside in the mind, heart and thought of the ignorant.
People who do not know and do not bother to know the power lying
inside of them to resist fear when it comes, but praise God, we are no
longerboundby fearortheignorancethatcausesfear.Thebiblesays,
“The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those
livinginthelandofdeepdarknessalighthasdawned.Isaiah9:2.
There is a light that has shone to drive out the fears that have hidden in
us for so long and that light is the word. That word spoken about in John
1:1 which was referred to as “God” is the light I speak about. So, from
nowonwatchasyougainafootholdon“faithheels”throughthisword.
Myexperience.
th
28 November2008
It was a Friday morning and Biology was the first course we had on
High School grade 5 time table from 7:20am-8:00am. Biology was
taught by Mr. Lagan who was always very prompt to class and also
scholarly in his field, this made his classes somewhat exciting for us.
Our hopes were dashed on this Friday morning when the highly
anticipated class seemed like it was taking a decade to commence. We

had waited for almost an hour but he wasn't forthcoming, with anxiety
and dissatisfaction in most faces, we sought to find out what was going
on. I mean, the atmosphere was dreary, gloomy faces, unsure winks all
aroundjustlikewehaveitattimesofcrisesanddisasters.
To comfortably sit our doubts, not many teachers resumed work that
morning. The time for breakfast was hurried, the bell rang! “Ok, there's
got to be so much more about these abnormalities”, we thought.Then as
I always do and everyone who knew how to “check peace” did, I
checkedtheskiestoseeifitwassmokyanditwas!
Since I grew in the north of Nigeria (Kaduna state) and schooled for a
good number of years in Jos, plateau State, also in the north, my
childhood and growing up was somewhat characterized by fear of
death, killings, burnings, and crises. I had a template as a ready guard to
flee at the appearance of any worrying outlook. Well, that was not
unwise but wise as a matter of fact. But it built fear inside of me. My
heart will skip at any loud sound then, it will race so fast when I see
smokeanywhereandtheseshapedmeinentirety.
So, we were worried and thinking, as we proceeded to the dining hall,
we noticed that the whistles blown usually by the school prefects to

alert the students for school activities were not blown. Suddenly, we
saw traders, university students (the university close by) and the
villagers running in one direction. The thread of smoke around now
gave us a clearer understanding of what was going on. From house to
house, the smokes climbed and now reached towards us. I was a boarder
and my home was many miles away from school, my sister had just left
the boarding school barely a year before this so I knew I was all alone.
Seeing the sights of human butchers and heard stories, everyone's mind
waseitherracingornotatpeace
Well, we got to the dining hall, it was bread, egg and tea we had in the
boarding house on Friday mornings but my heart raced too fast to think
of eating any meal. We all peered from the windows and through the
fence to see what was going on outside, the crowd running just outside
the gate and the sight of the growing tenseness of the panic made us seek
escape to save our lives and just when the students were about to run
out, our Principal barged into the old dining hall door and said these
words “fear not! Because God is on the throne” and to comfort
ourselves, we started singing. He lead in two songs (2) Christian power
songs, which were “oh Lord come down and manifest your power” and

theoldChristiansong“nomatterwhatthedevilsays,Ishall
stand” and you know in such overwrought situations, the words of the
songs jump right out the mouth before the supposed line is sang and you
really don't know if you are tearful, joyful or fearful, all you do is shake
yourheadandsing.
Fear, uncertainty, and panic like a flood in most hearts looking through
the window and planning the run out just in case what one feared
happens. We were then told to go back to our dormitories and lock the
dormitory doors and our room doors. When we went in, it was pin drop
silence, like a grave yard.The prefects did not need to come round to tell
us to be quiet as they did usually; we were our own prefects, keeping
silent on our own. We lived those days in fear, sounds of gunshots woke
us up when we tried to sleep, and we would say stories to ourselves to
easethefeartillmorning.
News upon news, panic upon panic and the school sheltered some
people who had lost their homes due to the destruction of their houses
by the rioters and we shared our meals with them.These meals that were
normally really little was now shared; most of us starved a lot through
that period because aside the already halved food, our seniors came

earliertoeatthefoodonourtables.
All the while we were locked up in school; we seldom knew that there
was 24 hours curfew imposed by the government in the state after a day
or two of the crises.Those who had “faith”, had it through and thrived to
keep it strong but those who did not, feared the days through but
assuredly those who had faith wouldn't have amounted to 3% of the
population in school then. Well, the curfew was relapsed and we were
told to call our parents to pick us from school. Mine was a different case,
my mates got the news as a happy one, but mine was a sad one. There
was no way my parents could come and pick me because I stayed miles
away from where I schooled. So, sadly I concluded that I will stay in
the empty school after the only friend I hoped will let me stay at her
house told me that she also did not know where she was going to,
though she left anyway. Just when I gave up, a classmate asked me to
follow her home; that was a great relief to me. I got there and stayed
withhertillthestatewasrelativelypeaceful,andthenIleftforhome.
Adocumented experience though not in full details of one of the events
where I didn't only dine with fear but was an embodiment of fear and
fearwasfutureformeifitwasn'tchecked.

Fearissimplyatrapitisnotasstrongasitposestobe
For so many years, I tried to overcome fear through many means but all
efforts I tried were futile. The founded truth is that there's no successful
battle against fear less of the word of God. I have concluded this way
because what we hold dear to fight fear often lets us down. Friends will
fail, relationships will do same, self-pity will make it worse, and
thoughts will feed it, except those that have a foundation on the word of
God. The bible says in Exodus 20:2-3 “I am the Lord your God who
brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no
othergodbefore me.”
The more we try to seek help from other places, the more they fail
because the Lord will not permit us to have any god before Him.
Everything we ask God for has already been provided for through the
cross of Jesus. If we need anything at any point in time in our lives, we
havetolookbacktothecrosstogainit.
Furthermore, Exodus 20:2-3 as indicated earlier, makes us understand
that God has 'brought us' not 'He is bringing us' but He has brought us
out of slavery such as fear and if we need any help handling fear, we
should look to the Lord God who has brought us out of such slavery and

nottoanyothergod.
OtherthanthewordofGod,nothing.
There is no successful maneuver of the word of God to fight fear.
Praying definitely casts out fear but have you tried praying and fear still
stands bold and stares at you and it's almost like fear is saying
“LOL”(laugh out loud)?And you say, “am I not praying?”, “What am I
doing wrong?” But how to face fear is not by praying in fear but it is to
speak the word of God to God and to the situation while the enemy is
listening. I have realized that the kind of prayer we pray reveals either
ourleveloffaith orfear.Let'sgobyanillustration;
Faith
Fear

Which of these kinds of prayer do you think will be more effective? Oh
yes, I hear you say “the prayer of faith”. Why the faith prayers will
always work is the substance that comes with the word of God, and that
is life. That life brings life to dead situations, that life is God himself
through His word, it calleth things that be not as though they were
(Romans4:16-17).
The difference is that God is being reminded of his word (not that he
Faithprayer
Father, I believe in your word
that says, if you delivered my
soul from death, you will
deliver my feet from falling(Ps
56:13)
Lord, I believe in your word that
says, The Lord shall teach thee
the way he shall choose. (Ps
32:8) Be it unto me according to
yourword.
Fearprayer
Father, please do not let me
fallbythewayside.
Lord, I don't want to make
mistakes,pleasehelpme.

forgot but he wants to see your level of faith, believe in the word and
trustinhim),yourspiritfindspeaceandthedevilisbeingdefeated.
I did not know such a great weapon of warfare against fear that I had and
hadn't used until I was in desperate need for a solution in the heat of
someexperiencesIhadtoface.
When you use a word of God directly to counter fear in faith (strong and
steadfast believe that the word works), it will neutralize every fear
concerning that issue.You will absolutely feel like turning back time to
give a lash or two on all the fears that made you shrink in torment from
yourpast.
What is fear?
Fear is torment. Fear is slavery. Fear is the anticipated feeling of bad
experiences. It may be injustice, harm, damage, sin and more. Fear is an
unpleasant often strong emotion caused by anticipation or awareness of
danger. Fear can be likened to trepidation, anxiety, dread, panic and so
on. I call these more subtle ways to describe fear but all are still forms of
fear.
Fear is a limit point. This obviously contradicts one of God's nature

which is 'limitless', and another called 'untamable'. Nothing limits like
fear. There is a whole world of ability and potentials invested in and on
each and every one of God's people, but fear hampers the ability to
maximize these potentials inside of us. Yet, God has given us this same
ability to be limitless in what we do, “we are like Him”, we possess also
hisattributesbutfearlimitsusandoftentimesseeks
toboxourdreams,purposeandabilities.
Fear is an illegal entity that often finds its way through the entrance
point of our hearts. If housed or accommodated, creates thoughts of
inadequacy,disability,weakness,failure,deficiencyandinsufficiency.
Guard your heart with all diligence for out of this comes the issues of
life. Proverbs4:23
The only gateway for things to happen or not to happen is in our heart. If
the entrance point of our heart has a weak guard that is not strong
enough to fight or resist thoughts of fear, the chances are that we will
house fear. An imaginary picture of this will be a mansion with
valuable, exceptional, and priceless treasures with no form of security,
no barb wires, no dogs, no security men and at most just a gate with a
sleepingguardman.

In the same light, God has given us valuable, exceptional and priceless
treasures for our lives and God so good has also entrusted us with the
responsibility to guard these valuable, exceptional and priceless
treasures and if you or me, the guard man is always asleep, fear will gain
a pass into our heart of treasures. But if we are always alert with the
word of God both in our mouth and in our spirit, we will guard our
heartsfromallformsoffear.
What is faith?
Faith is the assurance that what you will declare or have declared will
break every thought of fear or limits caused by fear and give you what
you hope for. Faith is the ability to go against the tide of fear using the
word of God. It is the currency to obtain God's promises. The bible
defines faith as the confidence in what we hope for and assurance about
what we do not see and the amplified bible puts it thus; “leaning on the
entire personality on God in Christ in absolute trust and confidence in
Hispower,wisdom,andgoodness.”
It has been said that faith is not necessarily the absence of fear at any
given time of our lives, but it is the presence of courage to confront and

face fear. This means that situations will come to try to make us afraid
but we will be victorious if we stand bold as strong guard men to our
hearts and declare God's word to those situations and fear will be
defeated.
Thekeytoourrest
There is rest from our worries, troubles, and fears on earth and the key
thatopensthisrestplaceisfaith.
THEREFORE,WHILE thepromise ofenteringHis reststillholds and is
offered [today], let us be afraid [to distrust it], lest any of you should
think he has come too late and has come short of [reaching] it. Heb
4:1(amplifiedbible)
The word in Hebrews 4:1 is actually a warning to us all that we should
not be afraid and then distrust this promise of rest for if we do, just like
the Israelites, the word of promise, knowledge we have received will be
ofnobenefittous(chapter4)
To straighten this up, faith and believe are two different things. Faith
does not “try to get” or “believes to get.” Faith takes hold of what in
actualhasnotbeenseenorfelt,asthoughitisseenorfelt.

Whatdoyouexpect?
Both definitions of faith and fear have something in common which is
the word “expectation”. It is used in the definition of fear as
“anticipation”, while in faith; it is the word “hope”. Faith is a product of
what you believe in, while fear is the product of what you anticipate.
Bothareexpectantofsomething.Whatdoyou expect? Faithorfear?
Prayer: “Father, increase in me the zeal to study your word, open my
eyes to behold revelations that will crumble every fear in my life.” In
Jesusname.Amen

CHAPTER ONE
FAITH HEELS POINTS
v When you use a word of God directly to counter fear in faith (strong
and steadfast believe that the word works), it will neutralize every fear
concerning that issue you just encountered.
v God has given us valuable, exceptional and priceless treasures for our
lives and God so good has also entrusted us with the responsibility to
guard these treasures, are you a strong guard or a sleeping guard?
v Nothing limits like fear. There is a whole world of abilities and
potentials invested in and on each and every one of God's people but
fear hampers the ability to maximize the potential inside of us.

How Did Fear Get In?
C H A P T E R
02
For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine
power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty
opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought
captive to obey Christ
2 Cor 10:4-5
y this passage we can also identify 4 (four) things the
devil uses to deposit fear in us. They are strongholds,
Barguments, opinions and thoughts.
1. Strongholds
The word stronghold has diverse definitions but what applies here is
thatwhichsaysastrongholdisanareawheremostpeoplehavethesame
belief system, values, and expectations. The word that comes to mind

when I hear the word stronghold is the word “norm” which is a standard
pattern of behavior that is considered as normal. They are also past
happenings or events that recur, they are things that have happened and
keep happening and they have a way of shaping a person's belief and
soonbecomestrongholds.
Someexamplesofstatementsthatsuggestastrongholdare;
Ÿ 50percentofmarriagesarelikelytoendupindivorce”,
Ÿ They have said “cancer killed my grandparents and the generations
beforethemdiedofit”,amIfarfromthat?
Ÿ “one has to compromise just a little to the standard of the world to
belovedandbeaccepted”,
Ÿ “mycousinsallgotpregnantoutofwedlock,I'mnotfarfromthat”,
Ÿ “my family members dropped out of school and are all living in
abjectpoverty,I certainlywillnotescapethat”,
Ÿ “I might just end up like my father, living other people's dreams and
nevermine”andthelistgoesonandon.
Strongholds have a way of grouping thoughts in patterns that suddenly,
one just gets afraid of some certain things and then allows opportunities
36 | How Did Fear Get In?

to pass by because of the fore-thought that he/she will end up just the
way others did. Something I realized about strongholds is that they
might not be so bold in a person's thoughts, they could be so subtle that
you hardly realize that they are there, you just for no reason exempt
yourself from some activities or have “natural” fear for some things, not
trying at all or being complacent in handling some issues for fear of
what has happened in the past. This is very rampant in the issue of
marriage.
A refuge!
Another point we should note about a stronghold is thatit is like a refuge
place. This might seem positive but it is not, using this context. Refuge
is like a covering for rest and one does not want to get out of this rest so,
he or she “rests” in the stories or beliefs that has been told from the past.
People who have these strongholds shrink into shells and boxes that
thesestrongholdshavecreated,thereforeagreeswiththenorm.
Strongholds make people stay back and hold back what they have
because they do not believe that what they have is good enough. Words
like this are always heard from people, who have preferred to stay in
thiskindof'refuge',

Ÿ “Iratherresthereandnottryatall,whatifIfail?”
Ÿ “What if what they said happened to those who went ahead of me
happenstome?”Iratherstaysafeinmycomfortzone.
Ÿ “What if my bad experiences of the past recur?” it is sure safe not to
eventry.
Meanwhile the word of God says “the weapons are divine power to cast
down any stronghold that raises itself above the knowledge of God”.
Strongholds are to be cast down especially when they do not correlate
withthewordoftruth.
2 Corinthians 10:5(NASB) says, “We are destroying speculations and
every lofty thing risen against the knowledge of God, and we are taking
everythoughtcaptivetotheobedienceofChrist.”
I struggled with strongholds at some points in my life. At a time, it was
the stronghold of which I thought that if I hadn't as much as others; I
shouldn't even venture trying to think I was somebody or anybody at all.
This was because I saw that the people who were accepted had material
things I didn't have, so, I looked down on myself. Then, I did not know
exactly how those ideas got into me, I just felt I needed to be somebody

else to gain acceptance or have the things people have to gain little
confidence. I thought that I had to act some way, dress someway and
speak in some certain ways that was totally not me just to be accepted
andloved.
Later on, I got to understand that it was due to my 'earthly' background
that I thought that way, and certainly not my heavenly father's because
rather, the word of truth says I am now a joint heir with Christ, cut off
fromevery'earthly'backgroundornurturingtoChrist's.Thebiblesays,
Hearken, my beloved children, did not God choose them that are poor
as to the world to be rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he
promisedtothemthatlovehim?James2:5
I did not know this and everything I felt like fear, inferiority complex,
non-acceptance, I blamed to my background. Such a background that
did not give us so much exposure, inferiority complex caused by lack of
some material things which others had and we hadn't, a childhood of
non-acceptance because of how much I weighed and looked and a war-
likeenvironment.
This is totally an ungodly conception I had, because the bible clearly
states in 1 Peter 2:9 that we are a chosen generation, a royal

priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar (special, God's special
possession, distinct, rare kind, inimitable) people; that ye should show
forth the praises of him who has called us out of darkness into his
marvelous light. Oh how ignorance makes a light condescend to
darknesstohave afellowshipwithit!
As I looked daily into the word of God, I began to see the reflection of
who I am in Christ. So I started working to change what was in me that I
needed to change. I had to take every thought captive to the obedience
of Christ day by day and little by little. Some character traits that were
not right were low self-esteem, looks, decency, and lack of knowledge
which was exchanged with knowledge and increased faith. I began to
know that I was to prosper in godliness, health, looks, and other spheres
oflife..
I did not know what I had inside, that I was royal, I did not know what
gifts God had put in me and I also did not know that I was God's own
special possession to be kept as though God were living in the inside of
me. Meanwhile, I went all around with the fear that I won't be accepted.
But since the light of the word of God shone to me, I became aware of
the bountiful riches of God's gifts bestowed on me. I appreciated myself

and knew I was royal, that I didn't have the best clothes did not mean I
was not rich with inexplicable blessings, I knew that I was defined by
whatwasinsideofmeandbeautifulbecauseIamcreatedinhisimage.
v
What you have or don't have does not define you, what defines you
is the knowledge of who you are in the word of God
v
I had a challenge while growing because I was really fat in primary
school and for that, I had a very low self-esteem, I really didn't have
many friends, just those that also had the acceptance problem could
really hang out with me and few others. When my mates played games
and wanted to choose their players, I was often the last to be chosen and
I was among those who were selected to leave groups because of low
performance and maybe because 'I was not as smart and fast as the
others'.Iwasside-linedinnumerousthings.
All these shaped my thoughts in a particular way that made me feel
unaccepted and I unconsciously and gradually did not just like to get
involved in school activities. The few times I tried, I was bounced back,

the only thing I successfully joined the others to do was to go on one
French competition after so much plea. I was kicked out from the cadet
club, dance and sometimes, I was kept to perform at the back of my
matestoshowthatatleastIwasnotkickedouttotally.
This went on and on but little did I know that these occurrences
were forming strongholds in my mind that even when I got really
slim after boarding school, I still had a low self-esteem. This
illustration does not look like what Christ came to earth to die for;
He came that I should have life and live life abundantly, not living
less of the life He died for me to have. Strongholds are to be torn
down by the word of God.
v
Don't live less of the life Jesus Christ died for you to have because
of fear.
v
2. Arguments
This is a discussion in which people express different opinions about
something.What are your thoughts implying that are not in line with the

word of God? What are your dreams suggesting to you that do not
concur with the word of God? What are the situations around you
advocatingthatisdifferentfromtheword?
I remember a time I was searching through the scriptures and God gave
me a word which I was running with for a period of time. These
scriptures are in Isaiah 65 and 66 and I had the scriptures in my head so
well, though I did not know for what situations exactly I had them for, I
just declared them. Most times, God gives us some scriptures to face
some trials beforehand so that we can be victorious with the word. So,
all I did was to proclaim it and with time, the word sank into my spirit.
Little did I know that situations and trials will come soonest to argue out
thosescriptures.
Each of those scriptures were being tried one after the other by
arguments and it was as if God was trying me to know if I could stand
trials with those scriptures he had given me or let them go and give into
fear. Psalms 26:2 says, test me Lord and try me, examine my heart and
mymind.So,thiswasoneofthosetests.

v
Hold firm to the scriptures for they will keep you firm in the face of
fear.
v
On one bright afternoon, I was studying the word and suddenly a flash
came before my eyes of a scenario where my dad was dying slowly and
an instruction came to me that the particular scripture I was reading, I
was to speak it to my dad to fight the devil and he will live again. I
waved the thought, rejected it and just prayed that my dad won't die.
That same night, my dad fell very ill and even to the point of death, the
scene was a terrible one. I haven't experienced death of a family
member so it was terrific and I almost gave into what my eyes were
seeing, how my dad was slowly decreasing in strength and falling out of
hisgriponthecupheheld.
The Lord reminded me of the instruction he gave me that same
afternoonlikeaquickflashandIbegantodeclare;
“No more shall there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old
man who does not fill out his days, for the young man shall die a
hundredyearsold”

“For as the days of the tree, so will be the days of my people; my chosen
onewillenjoytheworksoftheirhand” Isaiah65:20,22(NIV)
And it seemed like a tussle between the sight of it and what the word of
God was saying and soon he got back strength and was taken to the
clinicthatnightandtodayheisrestoredtohealth.
Another trial on the word came when I had a dream and this was the
time when we lived in a place that was only safe because the word of
God said in the scriptures that “my people shall live in safety and
undisturbed places of rest” but in the 'actual', what the eyes could see
did not exactly depict safety because we had been robbed severally and
disturbed but this did not alter the promise but a training ground to
strengthenmyfaith.
I had a dream that some persons were shot dead in my neighborhood
and a family member of mine was one. There was turmoil and
confusion on our street. Then I woke up, the dream seemed real. I didn't
know if I was to call my mum to join me in prayers or stay put. I was so
troubled then I went to her and saw that she had just got done with her
prayers and was sleeping peacefully in the sitting room and I didn't want
to wake her up. This was a time God was teaching me how to fight

battles by the word of God and alone. So, I went back to my room and
that was when the bulb thought it was best to black out. Then I thought
to myself “today you just have to fight this”, and then I began praying
from past 2:00am at night, I took hold of the scriptures and that was one
forceful prayer I've ever had. I prayed using the word then I went back
to sleep and I had another dream. The dream had no choice but to
reverse itself. I dreamt the exact opposite of what I had dreamt of
before.
This is because by the leading of spirit of God to his word, I fought
with the thought I had from that dream that there will be death,
weeping and wailing but Isaiah 65:19-20
I will rejoice over Jerusalem and take delight in my people; the
sound of weeping and of crying will be heard in it no more. Never
again will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days or an old
man who does not live out his years and one who dies at a hundred
will be thought a mere child”
The devil had no choice than to reverse the dream and I had victory.
Yet another trial came and these where characterized by series of battles
we had to fight as a family, in health, security, finances and they were

just numerous. This was me who always told people “I can't remember
the last time I went to the hospital for any health issue or taken
injection” but all of a sudden, I fell very ill and had to be taken to the
hospital every day. I even had to stop writing this book. Truthfully, I
almost thought I was being played in my believe in God because these
situations came at once like a mighty flood, the pain every day, the
news, I had to battle with my health and I thought it was over.At a time I
started seeing all the negative things in our lives ever since I was born. I
had no idea of the good things anymore. I simply forgot them because I
was overwhelmed by the immediate situations. It is usually at this point
that the devil magnifies the trials of 3weeks to make you feel like it's
beenonfor30yearsjusttokillyourfaith.
v
The Devil magnifies a trial of 3 weeks to make you feel like it's
been on for 30 years just to make you lose faith
v
The devil makes a molehill seem like a mountain but God makes a
mountain a molehill. I was reproved by God for lacking faith in the
things I faced and soon enough, I started looking unto God and

suddenly, I began to remember the awesome things God had done for us
in the past and even started seeing the good in the present situation. God
has been so good to us and we as a family have for long been enjoying
good health and did not realize it. Just as Job said, shall we accept good
from God and not trouble? This gave me an understanding that we
shouldtrustGodinbothgoodandinbadtimes.
The Lord made me remember the scripture which this situation was
arguing, “Do I bring to the moment of birth and not give delivery? Says
the Lord. Do I close up the womb when I bring to delivery? Says our
God”
And I realized that the Lord will not forsake us in our pain and that in
due season there willbe manifestationand stepby step,day by day, little
bylittlewewouldcomeoutofourstruggles.
Through this scripture, I also know that Nigeria will manifest soon
because all the heart aches and pain are all birth pains and the Lord will
bringustodeliveryandmanifestation.
3. Opinions
An opinion is a view someone takes about an issue especially when it's

based on personal knowledge. It's a belief stronger than an impression
and less strong than positive knowledge. From the foregoing, we can
see that an opinion is merely a suggestion or perception and it is not
necessarilyafactorthetruthconcerninganissue. Andtheonlyfactthat
we believe in is God's report. It reminds me of the song, “Whose report
shallyoubelieve?WeshallbelievethereportoftheLord”.
Some people may call you names but whose report shall you believe?
Some may tie you to your past by tellingyou that you can't get any better
but whose report do you believe? I don't know about you, but I will
believe the report of the Lord and his report says that his blood has
washed my sins away, that I am a new creature , I am free from
condemnation, no more chains holding me, by his stripes I am healed!
No opinion can set itself higher than the word of God when you speak
andbelievethewordofGod.Thebiblesays;
“For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two
edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit,
and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and
intentsoftheheart”Hebrews4:12.Justspeaktheword.

4. Thoughts
Thoughts are powerful. They have the power to become, to “take form”
and they also have the power to destroy/scatter. For as a man thinketh in
his heart, so is he. What is in your heart corresponds with what you are,
what you see, what you will become and what you will see. You can
control only one thing in the world and that is the way you think,
however, when you take complete control of your thoughts, you take
control over all the other aspects of your life. This means that thoughts
canbecontrolledandshouldbecontrolled.
I once assumed that thoughts were just meant to be and as they come,
they were to be agreed with whether they were bad or good. But that is a
wrong mindset. Thoughts are to be controlled by destroying any one
that does not agree with the word of God. This is achieved when you
speakthewordofGod.
Controllingourthoughtsisaresponsibility
If one ever wants to control thoughts, then one needs to be disciplined. I
definedisciplineasaconsciouscontinuouscommitmenttobeginorend
something which could be in character, habits or anything that needs to

be changed. So we have to continuously and consciously manage and
control thoughts. Persons, who happen to be like I was, thinking
thoughts were free-born and should be let free, will have to control
thoughts committedly using the word of God to counter any thought
thatbringsfearordisagreeswiththewordofGod.
Knowledge of God
One day, a centurion decided that if it is so easy to get a job done by
commanding one of his soldiers, it will be much easier to get a miracle
just by a word from God. At this point, one may be wondering, “how do
I get this faith already”? But by this scripture, we know that faith comes
byknowing,believingandspeakingthewordofGod.
The perfect neutralizer to fear is the knowledge, believe and declaration
of the word of God. Just one word you hold on to can totally crush
arguments, opinions and thoughts. But ignorance (not knowing
scriptures and believing in it) can make fear dominate one's mind. How
many times do we sit and humble ourselves before God to seek his face
concerning certain issues that put fear in us? No matter how busy we get
if the time for business is taking away the time for the word of God, we

should try our best to find time because we are only defeated by fear
becausewedon'tknowthewordandbelieveit.
This isn't about going to church yet, there is a place for that but this is
about your personal study and fellowship with God.The church teaches
you how to study but the church cannot come to create time for us to
study; we have to figure our bible study lives ourselves. Most scriptures
I have used to fight the enemy, I found in my personal biblestudy even if
I was caught many times before that. In that same Isaiah that the Lord
used to fight my battles mentioned in the last chapter, the scripture that
struckmethemostisIsaiah66:2whichsays,
These are the ones I look on with favor; those who are humble and
contriteinspiritandtrembleatmyword.
Humility means submission. Some of us will simply not study because
we think the answer to our problem is common sense but most times
even with common sense, what we fear happens to us and we are
swallowed up by fear. Sometimes, we also think we have experienced a
lot so we will use the lessons learnt from past experiences to avert our
fearsbutthatalsodoesnotworkoutallthetime.
I made series of mistakes when came to relationships. I thought I had

experienced a lot and I knew what it took to have a better one. I kept
moving from one to the other, getting hurt, disrespected and even
dumped but until I submitted to word of God, I had no victory over my
fears. Even when I found God and submitted, I still thought that it was
logical to date in the church so I had another in the church and that
caused me more hurt and didn't also work out. That was when I realized
that total submission to be taught by God, instructed and directed by
him daily in humility is wise and beneficial not 'common sense' as we
callit.
Have you submittedto hearing the word of God? Do you have a contrite
spirit?Acontrite spirit has to do with a repentant spirit, a heart of a child.
ItisnotalsoallaboutsubmittingtoGodbutalsoobediencetohim.
You may sacrifice all you want, speak in tongues, be a hearty servant of
God but do you have a contrite spirit? I never knew I had a problem with
submission until I had to surrender all I had (that he gave me), all my
earthly wisdom (foolishness to God) and pleasures (time wasting) to
God. I pray that as I increase in knowledge daily through the word, I
mayalsoincreaseinsubmissiontoGod.Thebibleputsitlikethis,

"He who slaughters an ox is like one who kills a man; he who sacrifices
a lamb, like one who breaks a dog's neck; he who presents a grain
offering, like one who offers pig's blood; he who makes a memorial
offeringoffrankincense,likeonewhoblessesanidol.
These have chosen their own ways, and their soul delights in their
abominations; I also will choose harsh treatment for them and bring
their fears upon them, because when I called, no one answered, when I
spoke, they did not listen; but they did what was evil in my eyes and
chosethatinwhichIdidnotdelight."Isa66:3-4
This is simply why peoples fear will keep coming to them, and this is
not what God delights in, but it is a way to correct us and put us back in
the right direction. It is for our own good, what does God have to gain
punishing those he loves? If only we knew how powerful we are with
the word of God, we will thank him for the situations he makes us pass
through to drive us to the word of God. But we sometimes prefer our
own way, our timing, our own place, our choice, in our terms, wisdom
and this is what the Lord terms as offerings and sacrifices, our own
subtleandcleverwaysofbypassinghiswillforus.

For emphasis, I say this yet again because the devil knows how
powerful you and I will be proclaiming the word of God when he
throws fear at us, so he never lets us get a stress less hold of the word of
God. Isn't it funny when you are about to study, the red beep light on
your phone comes on? PING!!! MESSAGE-“Hey dear, I need advice;
my uncle just lost his wife. Do I travel to see him? And remember the
devil is subtle so he can't be detected as fast as one might think, and you
think to yourself “I'm doing God's work, let me quickly answer her and
get back. Before you know it, other messages come to your phone and
the adviser is advising and 9pm comes and you say “oh my God I did it
again,sosleepy,tomorrowI'llwakeearlyandyouknowtherest.
It is after a long while one realizes that things get at you, you get
overwhelmed by issues you ordinarily(with the word) will get past, you
get sad easily when things happen and you look back and remember that
your bible study life had a problem somewhere. Like I said, the devil is
subtle, I'm not saying that it is wrong to give an advice to someone who
needs it, but the time and nature is to be checked. You wouldn't have
seen those messages if your phone was on silent or if you have a fixed
time for bible study. The bible says be wise as serpents this is so we do

not get ensnared by the devil. We ought to have spiritual priorities to
knowwhatoughttocomefirst.
Prayer
Father, give me your Spirit of Wisdom and revelation to guide me
through life, to reveal to me the exact words to cast down any
stronghold, thoughts, argument, or opinion that exalts itself higher than
youinmylife.InJesusname.Amen

CHAPTER TWO
FAITH HEELS POINTS
v
suddenly, one just finds himself/herself afraid of some certain
things
v What you have or don't have does not define you, what defines
youistheknowledgeofwhoyouareinthewordofGod.
v Don't live less of the life Jesus Christ died for you to have because
offear.
v God gives us some scriptures to face some trials beforehand so
thatwecanbevictoriouswiththeword.
v The Devil magnifies a trial of 3 weeks to make you feel like it's
beenonfor30yearstomakeyoulosefaith
v Strongholds make people stay back and hold back what they have
becausetheydonotbelievethatwhattheyhaveisgoodenough.
Strongholds have a way of grouping thoughts in patterns that

My Experience, My Life
C H A P T E R
03
“No one can be too careful, no security can be 100 percent trusted
until you place your life and valuables in the hands of God”
he instant you magnify your courage whether in time past
or the present, you start to draw strength from the inside of
Tyou. But I'll share how I started the journey of learning
courageandfaith.Beforethefaithstories,I'llsharethefearsIoncehad.
Crises, bombs and uncertainty
The environment I grew up in wasn't exactly a tranquil one. If you live
in the northern part of Nigeria, you will assuredly understand the fear
that envelopes those that live here and the uncertainty that is all over the
air. Running helter-skelter during times of crises and war-like situations
ispartofmyexperiencetoo.

In the north, one is so vigilant trying to watch if the roads have as much
people driving by or walking pass as the other days, checking the skies
(the daily routine check) before one moves lest you meet a surprise on
thewaybecause thenewsmightnotpickupthecrisesupdatebeforeyou
do. I had an experience or two were we had to walk on the road seeing
dead bodies after crises and was hurried out of school for the same
reasonseverally.
The environment had a way of boxing us into a particular type of
lifestyle. The fear lifestyle and if one is not careful, one will have a
wholelifepatternedbyfear.
One was always on guard to take to the heels as soon as you hear “they
have started oo”, or “sharia ya zo” (in Hausa language which means
“the fight has started”). Sometimes it didn't even matter what the person
meant, as far as he/she said “they have started oo”, you'll take to your
heels.That'show“alert”weareinthenorth.
There were times we had to travel to the south and wait for the cool of
the state before we came back and we kept coming back. I know at this
point, people may ask, “what are they still doing there?” Southerners by
origin,livinginthenorth
60 | My Experience, My Life

At this point, I was young, about 6 years old or younger. I hadn't known
much of the word of God but my mum always told us to spread out our
five fingers and she'll say each finger represented I WILL NEVER
LEAVEYOU. I guess she got that from the scripture Deuteronomy31:8
whichsays,
It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave
youorforsakeyou.Donotfearorbedismayed.
She bought many spiritual books to train us up in the way of the Lord.
Mymumdidallshecouldtogrowusupinagodlyway.
Once,aftertakingrefugeinthesouthduringacrisesperiod,wegotback
to the north and we finally moved to a manageable place when the state
was building up its ruins. Then the need to further our education arose,
and Jos, Plateau state was the best option then because it was a peaceful
northernstate.
My dad, having this knowledge, including the fact that the school was a
Baptist High school (his Christian alma mater), decided to send my
sister and I to school there but after few years, crises started in the most
'peaceful' northern state. Panic arose yet again when I was almost done
with school. The little story at the beginning of this book was one of my

experiencesthatIdocumentedduringthecrisesintheyear2008.
Being worn out by the Series of crises and killings, my heart was fixed
on schooling somewhere in the south of Nigeria which did not have
such crises issues. So, gaining admission into the University that was in
the south of Nigeria, Benin City to be precise, was a breakthrough for
me because I no longer had to put up with the security issues in the
north.
Back in the north, there were still threats to bomb the places my parents
worked, offices and schools. I always wondered in my heart if we
weren't serving God good enough, or if we weren't in God's will but
these experiences taught me that we will have some stormy days as
Christians, no matter how far we choose to run but the joy we have is
thatoursafetyinalltheseisguaranteed.Thebiblesays
“Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivers him
out of them all.”
Ps 34:19
“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the
rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you
shallnotbeburned,andtheflameshallnotconsumeyou.”Isaiah43:2

This implies that someday, sometime troubles will come but they are
not to overwhelm us but to show that we indeed have a savior who is
mighty to save. Thus we learn the lesson of faith, absolute trust and
confidenceinGod.
Christianity is not an escape route from troubles. People have left the
faith because some teachings have made them believe that it's a taboo to
face trials and people who don't really know the word are made to
believe this and in little time they get frustrated and term Christianity as
bogus or false but we know that “For everyone who has been born of
God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the
world—evenourfaith”.1John5:4
v
Christianity is not an escape route from troubles. But the troubles
are not to overwhelm us, they are to make us stronger
v
Troublesarenottobefearedtheyaretostrengthenyourfaith.
Sharing the house with robbers
It took another level of faith to live where we stayed. Even though I

successfully “ran” from the north, I still had no choice but to get back
there after school because my parents still lived there. And my parents
successfully “ran” from the city area, far from the town where the
bombers found crowded locations to let the bombs off and crises started
from. Yet! And Yet!, the new house we stayed was another training
groundtodealwithfear.
We lived in a house joined with a neighbor whose house was filled with
cultists, drug addicts, thieves, smokers, and the street was filled with all
kinds of people. We were robbed several times and your guess is as
good as mine as to the group of people who do the robbery. It got so bad
that in a year, we were robbed twice and a third attempt. This taught me
that until we have learned the lessons and gotten a complete knowledge
ofwhatGodistrainingustosee,wewillkeepgoingthroughthetests.
And I still believe that trials are not there to kill you but are there to do
fivemajorthingstous;
1. Strengthenyourfaith.
2. Know that God is mighty to save in any situation and trust to him
knowingthis.
3. TodeepenourrelationshipwithGod.

4. Tohaveatestimonytohealothers.
5. To gain steadfastness i.e. when we see worst things; they are not
strongenoughtofailourfaith.
Jamessaidtothetwelvetribes,
“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,
for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.
And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and
complete, lacking in nothing.” James 1:2-4
Walkingonwater
Had I not faced this fears and trials, I wouldn't have known what it
meant to have faith in God and even discovered my purpose on a clear
platform. Remember the story of peter walking on water?And when he
looked at the waves of the sea and he began sinking? Matt 14:28-32. I
never knew I was also on water in the midst of these trials. I realized that
each time I sought God's face and waited on him concerning the
situation, I always had hope and I was joyful even in the midst.
Sometimes the word of God comes to me like water upon my heart and

I'llbeso peacefulinthemidstofitall,peoplethatknew justalittleabout
us often asked how I was hopeful through it all but it is simply God's
wordthatsustainedme.
I never felt like I had problems because God took them out of my mind
but when I looked at the situation (the water) and the sounds of the
neighbors screaming and injecting themselves with drugs and all, fear
often gripped my mind and thoughts of what if..? What if..? Kept
coming. We would creep in and out of the house when we going out and
stay quiet when we were in. We hid all electronics before we went out;
in short, we lived like prisoners in our house. We would stay indoors all
day and just hear the noises of birds and their rattling of sticks in the
trees and sometimes pay attention to what is being done in the next
house or any noise that suggested advances just in case we needed to
raise an alarm. Well I'm sure you'll ask questions like why couldn't they
call the police? But it seems like the police knew them more than we did
andnothingcameoutoftheirresearchessowejustletitbe.
These situations made me stronger because I got to know how to pray,
how to energize my faith. But when I looked at the waves of the sea, I
sank. There was a time I almost sank in faith because I fixed my gaze on

the problems and not on God, and there was also a time I actually sank (I
gave up). The first time, the Lord by his mercies taught me how to
encourage myself through the scriptures and look beyond what I was
seeing and when I sought Gods face he gave me some scriptures like
Isaiah12,especiallyverse2..
"Behold,Godismysalvation;Iwilltrust,andwillnotbeafraid;
for the Lord God is my strength and my defense, and he has become my
salvation."Isaiah12:2
This scripture caused a major breakthrough in my life. I now came to
the realization that God is my salvation, my safety, in him was my
security and I needed not be afraid. He has become my strength and
defense which is both my security man and the strength I needed. I
became conscious of this fact that I was no longer moved by sounds the
neighborsmadeorthreatstheyposed.
This is just like the example given in chapter one about a house that has
many valuables though has no security. The truth is that no one can be
too careful, no security can be 100 percent trusted until you entrust your
life and valuables in the hands of God. I did this and trusted God to be

my defense and not the earthly security measures we had put up and I
begantohavepeace.
Soon enough, God allowed a greater trial to know if I really understood
the previous message he gave me but sadly, I did but not deep enough to
stand in the midst of the new situation. The second time I looked at the
waves of the sea, I sank. The bible says, Search me, God and know my
heart, test me and know my anxious thoughts. Psalms 139:23. I just
thought that the issues became worse than the previous and got
overwhelmed by it. Meanwhile, God sought to make me know that this
word was not limitedonly to my security but also relatingto allthe other
issues of my life including health, finances, destiny and every other
thing.
God so wise tested me in a way I seldom expected. Aside the security
issues, I began to get angry and agitated that my family and I had to go
through all those situations even when we have served God, why we
had to live in a house that was constantly under attack. I thought and
thought why we hadn't the resources to move out and why we all had to
sleep with one eye open and why we had to live like prisoners. I got
overwhelmed and I just felt tired of it all, I struggled to have my

devotions, I was weak in my spirit and was not strong enough to resist.
And this is exactly the point where the devil always seeks to find us. He
is looking for just one moment when you will just be weak in faith; fear
isallthepermissionheneeds.
I started entertaining all kinds of thoughts and instead of casting them
away, I nursed them. I had thoughts that after the 3 times of robbery that
something bad will happen to me or my sister who stayed home all day,
I mean hearing the sounds of these boys in the next house and knowing
whattheydidinside,everysoundplacedafearfulthoughtinmymind..
After these thoughts I tried to 'console' myself with some other thoughts
because I knew I was entertaining fear so I got rid of them with others
that really didn't please God.These new thoughts were not bad thoughts
as such but they were what I was made to understand later through the
wordofGodas“anxiousthoughts”.
NOTE
We often times do not realize salient commands in the bible and we
sometimes focus on the big laws but when we read with understanding,
we will get to realize that the “put to death”, “put on” are commands as

wellandaremeanttobeobeyedalso.
v
He is looking for just one moment when you will just be weak; fear is
justthepermissionheneedstomanifest.
v
I didn't stop reading the bible and praying though study and prayer time
was occupied by thoughts of the future, how I would work to ease my
parents from their struggles, get a better place to stay, how I'll work in a
company. I had literarily applied for all the scholarships in my mind and
in my thoughts, though I hadn't any valid certificates, I had gone for
interviews and rejected jobs that offered to pay me less than some
amounts and these were all in my thoughts which I used to console
myself. There were other thoughts I entertained all day that in reality I
wasfarfrom.
The devil does not come bad, if he comes in that way, we'll be able to
detecthim.Sohe'sposesasanangeloflight.
I had some accidentswhile walking in the house becauseI was thinking.
Things slipped out my hands and if you asked me then what I was doing,
I'll tell you I was 'planning' and since everyone knew me as a serious

one,theyneverquestionedmyunseriousthoughts.Theydidn'tknow.
v
No thought of consolation is reality, only thoughts from the word
of God is.
v
These thoughts went on and on and as the days went by, I became more
and more frustrated because I couldn't get the things I thought of all day.
Then another bomb dropped off and killed quite a number in the town
which made us panic again and then state government pronounced a
24hour curfew in the state and trust our brothers and sisters in the south
who always call to ask us if we are not tired of the north yet and make
statements like “won't you come back home?”, or they will say parables
like “if a side of a river does not produce fishes, fish on the other side”
andthesestatementalwaysgotusdadthinking.
Irememberedtheword
While trying to have faith, praying and also my eyes on the situation, I
stumbled upon my watch word for the season. Before I share the word,
letmequicklyaddthis,

Guard your heart with all diligence for out of this comes the issues of
life. Proverbs 4:23.
Do away with those words, those films, those books, the news, those
blogs, those friends and all that bring fear to your heart because you will
be amazed to know how madly the devil runs after that one word that
will avert you from fear or error. He uses all these means to get into us.
The moment you give him a little chance through sin, being faint in faith
and in spirit, you'll be amazed that you can't remember such a popular
scriptureasJohn3:16.
The bible spoke about the seeds which fell on the thorns and Jesus said
thewordswerechockedbytheworriesoflife.
Other seeds fell among thorns which grew and chocked the plants.
Matthew 13:7
AndourLordJesusinterpretsitinchapter32as
The seeds that fell among the thorns represent those who hear God's
word, but all too quickly, the message is crowded out by the worries of
lifeandthelureofwealthsonofruitisproduced.Matt13:32(NLT).
So, I forgot the watch word that was even once the lock screen message
on my phone. I once read this every day to myself but looking at the

situation, watching the news and having some wrong thoughts chocked
thewordoutofme.ThiswordisfoundinPsalms;
I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go and I will
counselyouwithmylovingeyesuponyou.Psalms32:8
I totally forgot this message and started making plans for myself and
daydreaming about them.When I found this word, I started proclaiming
it all over again and I began to have a burden in my heart. I knew I was
supposed to be doing something but I didn't know what exactly it was.
Following a wise counsel, I waited on the Lord and hung on the word
for He said He will guide me and He did and that was the birth of this
book. I was instructed to write what I've been through and this book will
heal a lot of people. This book started by healing me first because I felt
joy when I saw things happening and I'll say “I will include that in the
book”insteadofbeingfearfulaboutthem.
Anxious thoughts
I was reminded of a scripture during a bible study “Do not be anxious
about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with
thanksgivingletyourrequestsbemadeknownto God.Philippians4:6

I finally saw where I had faltered, I realized that I had been having
anxious thoughts, going ahead of God's timing, getting frustrated
almost blaming my parents for all we've been through, thereby
displeasing God because I saw my strength, (which is obviously
nothing)notGod's.
Many times the devil wanted to keep me on my knees to make me feel
like I had done the worst thing by letting myself give in to the situations,
(that's what he specializes in doing, he gives you a thought or action and
later accuses you of thinking about it or doing it) and so, I condemned
myself but it's not about how many times we fall, it's about picking our
pieces to start with God again. He will make it all better again because
that's what he specializes in. I urge you, do not hold back, let go of that
guilt, it's the devil's trick. Get back to God and let him give you peace
likeasoothingrelief.
v
Never subscribe to any thought or action the devil lures you to
have, because, he will later accuse you of it.
v
Lately, I have come to love the newness of starting again, I'm sure the

devil has gotten weary over trying to use falling to hold me down
because I know that God has made everything beautiful in its time and
this knowledge gives me so much joy and my heart is opened to receive
much more than I've ever had before. The latter is much greater than the
former. Not to say we should take pleasure in falling but if we fall, we
should have confidence that God will accept us and we'll be higher
soonestthanweusedtobebothinknowledgeanddeeds.
v
It is not about how many times you fall, but it's about picking the
pieces to start with God again
v
Stay and learn
Nothing in this world is to be feared. It is only to be understood.This is a
great saying by Marie Curie. From this viewpoint, we can say that if we
only understood what God's will for us is par time, we will not fear the
terror or problems we see. We will know that God does not intend to
bring us evil but to bring us to an expected end. But how do we know we
are in his will? People are so anxious to know what God's will is and

God is even more concerned to show us but most times we search all the
wrongplacestofindit.
There is not a knowing of where you ought to be and your purpose aside
from He who made you. I was told of an experience of a pastor who had
gone to pray for a particular lady and her husband, and during the
meeting, the lady continuously and persuasively asked the pastor to tell
her what God had told him concerning her , the pastor ignored.After so
much persuasion, she said again that there is surely a word from God for
her, the pastor told her, “honestly ma, I have no word from God for you,
I just came to pray for you”. That is what some of us do, we just want to
know, at any cost and this leads some to false prophets, sweet talkers
thatmakeonefeelgoodaboutsomethingthatmayneverhappen.
This pastor could simply have said something that he thought or
through perception or psychology uttered something that was
seemingly true but in actual sense, would be false. This may cause
unnecessary expectations, hopelessness, or engaging in the pursuit of
somethingunreal.
If you want to know Gods will, who you are and where you ought to be,
you look in the word of God and stay there. Many of us are so desperate

seeking people and making guesses of where we ought to be because we
have refused to humble ourselves to study. It seems pretty cumbersome
to study the word of God especially at the beginning but we all have to
start one day at a time to get an understanding of where we ought to be.
Most importantly, we need the help of the Holy Spirit. A routine is
necessary to keep one in check. Laziness is a trap and should be
corrected with discipline in other to study His word and be in fellowship
withHim.
Get a bible plan or draw one for yourself with discipline (continuous,
conscious effort), try to go by it and don't treat yourself too harshly
when you miss any day just try to pick it up quickly. Even a chapter a
day is okay as far as understanding and the Holy Spirit's leading is
involved. Don't be too anxious to reach the pace of someone else who
studies4hoursnon-stop.Takeastepatatime.
There was a time when I had some concerns. When I had an awesome
prayer time or bible study time, one subtle concern comes to my mind
“what if this good time you've spent with God does not continue
tomorrow”?And then I'll get worried. Then one day, it came like a flash
in my mind “the Lord's prayer”, the part of “give us this day our daily

bread” and the Lord began to ask me questions that made me realize that
it is not my making that I have a quality time in his presence and that He
is responsible to give me what I desire only if I abandon myself in his
armsandtakeadayatatime.
v
You will have the quality time you desire in your fellowship with God
onlyifyoutakeadayatatimeandabandonyourselfinhisarmsdaily.
v
You may have some challenges in bible study but master how to
overcome them in the unique way God deals with you and get used to it
because the word of God is the only place where you can find out who
you are and who you ought to be.The word of God is a reflection of who
weare.James1:23-25
23. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man
who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. 24. For he looks at
himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 25 But the
one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres,
being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in
hisdoing.

After praying, and doing all God wants us to do and situations don't
change, we should have the attitude of staying and learning. This is
goingthroughtheprocesswithGod.
Not every thorny path means one is not in God plan. This is because
when we know that we are in God's will, we are sure of his covering, we
knowhisintenttowardsusisgoodandnotofevil.
There were times I felt like running away from the house we lived. I
would try to press my dad and mum to leave the location because of the
robbery but somehow, there wasn't the provision to leave. There was a
time when the situation got worse, mum went almost through the town
to search for a house but it was either the rent was too high to afford, too
smalltocontainus,ortooexposedtocriseseffectsandbadsecurity.
I realized that it was simply Gods way of saying “stay and learn” I used
to get frustrated in the past saying “WHEN WILL THINGS
CHANGE”? But when people come with bigger situations for me to
counsel them, what comes out from my mouth borne from the spirit of
God, often amazes me and them as well. This is because in every
situation, when you seek the Lord, he heals you with a word and
reserves the experience for you to heal others. Often times, when you

speak, you never know how it got in your heart but it is through your
experiencesitcame.
I got a word
I came across a word in Jeremiah 30:10 and from chapter 17 through 24;
I was amazed at the word. The word indicated that God has promised
that “no one will make us afraid”. There was in me a witness that I had
found the answers I have been looking for and I have been on fears
kneesjustbecauseIdidnotknowtheword.
Jacob will again have peace and security and no one will make him
afraid,10
*I will restore the fortunes of Jacobs's tents and have compassion on his
dwelling
The city will be rebuilt on her ruins and the palace will stand in its
properplace”18
In my heart I knew that I had a word in my spirit and I knew that nothing
will ever take this word from me because the devil is so crafty that he
first of all, he breaks down your defense by stealing the word of God
from you, then he sends fear but this was more than what the devil could

take,itwasdivine.
I did not even bother to get back to regain the word that I knew and had
in my storage for times like this, all I knew was that I had a new word
giving to me personally and it is stuck in my spirit. Sometimes
situations will come but how much word in your spirit determines how
firmyouwillstand,beingconfidentofwhatGodhaspromisedyou.
Our pastors will shout all they can to get the word in your spirit but
sometimes experiences must birth the word that can never be taken
from you. Nevertheless be on guard with the word to antidote the fear of
theenemywhichisintendedtocrippleyourfaith.
v
Situations will come but how much word in your spirit determines
howfirmyouwillstand,beingconfidentofGodhaspromisedtoyou
v
Soon, the neighbors paraded round and their noises at night that
ordinarily got me worried and fearful couldn't even move me an inch. I
could see them on the road when they give me that stern look but I'll
look and be confident that God was with me and no one could make me
afraid. Meanwhile, this will get me down on fear's knees prior to this,

but I knew I had something that was rich and real and as far as I was
concerned, I now had a new revelation that the word of God which is
God had stepped into my spirit and as I moved, He moved. This word
went so far in me that the news of bombs did not shake me anymore, I
was made so steadfast, not moving or shaking at the sight and sound of
evil.
I declared seriously this scriptures, just one day of fervent prayers and
believe in this scripture “Jacob will again have peace and security and
no one will make him afraid,”. I prayed as though I was a violent man.
This day, I was left alone in the house and the lack of some needed
things at home got me praying like Hannah and in less than a week all
the boys in that house evacuated and we never heard of them again even
to the extent that I started worrying about them. No robbery, no
screams, we weed smell, no boys, their house became empty till date
and till now the house is habited by their uncle. Hallelujah!! What the
wordofGodcando.
My parents Tried for so many years to leave this city or move to a
better residential area but God did not let it, if we have moved, I'm
sure I won't be writing this book and maybe I wouldn't have known

God much . That's why I hold on to this scripture “For I know the
plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for good and not for
evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11
If you know God's will par time for your life, you won't be struggling to
leave a situation or a place God wants you to be because you are
conscious of the fact that he wants to train you right there, where you
are. He will not take you to a place that he has not prepared you for. I
believe God has taken me through these experiences to build and
strengthen my faith and also you reading this book that is either living in
fear or uncertainty of various situations. This is to make you know that
thewordworkswondersifyoujusttakeholdofit.
When I started this book, some of those circumstances that were
illustrated were on including the theft but before I started writing, in
pain one day I asked God that before I finish this book, I wanted to have
a change in those situations and this particular victory over the
neighbors is the first testimony and there is more to come. The next
edition, the experiences will be continued. I thank Jesus Christ our
saviorwhoisindeedmightytosave.

CHAPTER THREE
FAITH HEELS POINTS
v
troubles are not to overwhelm us, they are to make us stronger
v Troublesarenottobefearedtheyaretostrengthenyourfaith
v No one can be too careful, no security can be 100 percent trusted
untilyouplaceyourlifeandvaluablesinthehandsofGod
v He is looking for just one moment when you will just be weak;
fearisjustthepermissionheneeds.
v Salient commands in the bible are to be obeyed also the “put to
death”, “put on” are commands as well and are meant to be obeyed
also.
v No thought of consolation is reality, only thoughts from the word
ofGodis.
Christianity is not an escape route from troubles. But the

v
avertyoufromfearorerrors.Guardyourheart
v Never subscribe to any thought or action the devil lures you to
have,because,hewilllateraccuseyouofit.
v There is not a knowing of where you ought to be and our purpose
asidefromHewhomadeyou.
v You will have the quality time you desire in your fellowship with
God only if you take a day at a time and abandon yourself in his
armsdaily.
v Sometimes situations will come but how much word in your spirit
determines how firm you will stand, being confident of what God
haspromisedtoyou.
v Fearisallthepermissiontheenemyneeds.
The devil runs tirelessly and madly after that one word that will

What Went In? - The 5 Points of Access
C H A P T E R
04
hen I was little, I can remember how I absolutely
wasn't afraid of the dark, in fact my elder ones never
Wstroke a match stick so they would always pass the
match stick to me because they thought I was the bold one. I would do
some unimaginable things that children of my age were thoroughly
afraid to do and I took pride in that. I had big dreams that one won't
imagine, as I imagined them, I wanted to become them. There were no
limits, but overtime as I got exposed to knowledge of certain things, got
exposedtofearfulsituations,Ichanged.
I became scared of things, I got exposed to discouragement which made
me think that I couldn't become everything I dreamed of, I became
scared of the dark, I chickened out over things I formerly would have
been so bold to face. My mum always expressed her disappointment
when she said “what happened to you?” and with my head down I'll

answer sadly 'I don't know'. This was a child that had no iota of fear
inside of her. Something had happened that changed me. What
happened to me? What changed? The answer to that is SOMETHING
WENTIN.
I was told of things, saw things, felt things. I was told of stories of
strange happenings of the dark, saw death and the perils of the aftermath
of crises and understood what this harm could do. I withdrew quietly
because I was sidelined at some points and agreed that other people
werebetterthanme.
Fear became the order of the day, for a girl whose name is Faith,
ironically.
This brings us to the 5 points of access. To break this down just a little
bit more, in primary school most children are taught about the five
senses which are the eye, ear, nose, mouth and skin. We can use that to
illustrateis the though they are not exactlysame but in
this context, the nose will be likened to perception and the skin to
emotions.
These are access points or passages to things that will either cause fear
or build faith and the choice is ours to choose which we will consent to
5 points of access
88 | What Went In? - The 5 Points of Access

THE EYE MOVIES SITUATIONS
THE EAR MUSIC NEWS
THE
MOUTH DECLARATIONS TALK
OUR
EMOTIONS FEAR FEELINGS
OUR
PERCEPTION EXPERIENCES STRONGHOLDS

gainaccessintous.
Hereis agraphicalrepresentationof theeffectof thethingswe see,hear,
speak, our perceptions and our emotions on our faith. Each of these
access points have an effect on the acceptance and willingness to study
the word of God and believe in the word of God.The higher the effect of
theseonourfaith,thebiggerfearbecomes.
The dark series represent the effect of what we see, hear, speak, our
perception, emotions and believe on our faith.As we notice, the mouth,
i.e. what we speak has the highest effect on our faith as said in the bible,
the power of life and death lies in the mouth and those who love it will
eat it fruits. Proverbs 18:21. What we speak has that high effect on our
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
The eye The ear The mouth Our
perception
Our
emotions
The effect
The word
Your belief
The faith-fear effect graph

faith because when one speaks negative things, the manifestation of
God's word is trampled on in that life. The tongue is a fire, a world of
iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole
body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.
James 3:6.KJV. We cannot speak fear and expect faith, we cannot speak
unbeliefandthenexpecttobelieve.
We put to halt the manifestation of God's word in our lives when we
speakwordsthatarenotoffaith.
What we hear has the second highest effect on our faith. As we have
explained, the higher the effect of hearing negative things, the higher
the risk of exposure to fear. When one hears and accepts negative
things, the desire to read the word of God is low and so is believe in the
wordofGod.
WhatWeSee
This is why we should continuously shut our eyes to things that do not
give us hope and things that kill our faith. The effect of what we see on
our faith is also on the high side. Mathew 6:22-23 says, “The eye is the
lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of

light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be filled with
darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that
darkness?
This means that what we see either brings hope, believe, faith, to us or
brings hopelessness, darkness, doubt and fear to us. We should always
bemindfulofwhatwesee,whatweseecouldbuildfaithorbringfear.
When we see things that bring hopelessness, fear and doubt, our study
of the word of God reduces because of doubt. Sometimes, what one
hears brings fear and bible study is not really a hobby anymore for such
personandbelieveinthewordbecomeslow,verylow.
Our perception has also effect on our faith but not as much as what hear,
speak or see.The effect is not as much as the others because perceptions
can change easy when one hears the word of God. And Jesus said to
Simon “launch out into the deep and cast your net” but Simon who
through his past experience perceived that there will be no good
outcome from fishing again, complained saying “master, we have
toiled all day” but he still said “nevertheless at your word, I will cast the
net”. Luke 5:5. This means that our perception of things can change so
fast immediately we hear the word of God. So, as we perceive things

thatintendtoweakenourfaith,weshouldhastentotheword.
Using love as a good example of emotions, as humans will always seek
to find love or be loved, in this search, many have gotten hurt but there is
a word to build a defense to all such hurt. The bible says “nothing shall
by any means hurt me”. Emotions are good but exposure to the wrong
onesleadstofear
FEARISTHEBIRTHOFWHATGOESIN.
The eye sight
A good friend of mine always says “we learn to unlearn”. It is
sometimes startling to see what an “ordinary” eye sight at an awful
experience can do to a person's entire life, it can change them forever,
their thinking, some may abstain from particular activities, way of life
or people due to experiences. For example, I had a classmate in
secondaryschoolthathasseenhismotherdieofafishbonewhileeating
and I was told that he wouldn't eat fish because of that experience. I also
know of a lady who would give almost every man a slap that approaches
her because she has seen some experiences that made her hate men from
the past and that awful experience shaped her life, her thinking and her

attitude towards men. Some sights are good while some have to change
tobeabletounlearnwhathasbeenbirthinthemind.
The eye is a passage leading to the mind which is where thoughts are
conceived. Though I was bold when I was much younger and fearless,
but as I watched people fall into danger doing the things I was once bold
to do, seen movies that created fearful pictures in my mind and seen the
disaster crises had done to lives and properties, soon enough, fear began
to creep into me and I retreated from doing a lot. I can remember my
mum saying “what happened to you, you were not afraid of these
things?” and I'll ask myself “Faith, what is now wrong with you?” But
all these were results of what I had seen. Soon enough, as I grew older
and became more knowledgeable with the things of God, I realized that
guarding what I see, heard, spoke, perceived and exposure to emotions
should be a conscious effort and it is my duty to permit or bounce
anythingthatdoesnotagreewiththewordoftruth.
I came to the understanding that even if I could not completely stop my
eye from seeing all things, I could limit them by the films I watched, by
theplacesIgotoandbystoriesIheardfromfriends.
Though it was quite difficult at first but I preferred to live without fear

and without the scary dreams than to engage in those conversations or
watch films that deposited fear in me. This made the process of
dropping fearful thoughts faster. Most times, we have to make a choice
andgoforwhatwereallywantandleteveryotherthinggo.
I began to control what I watched until I was considered “weird”
when I told people that I hadn't watched any movie in a year because
it seemed like almost all had a scene or two that passively dropped
something I got bothered about. I later got an alternative which were
comedies (clean ones though). One habit that was quite difficult to
drop was hearing “gist” and this is what God has to deliver we ladies
from. But thank God I overcame by the grace to excuse myself when
the subject being discussed was an enemy to faith.
Hallelujah, God by his grace assisted me to limit to the barest minimum
every negative thing that sought to use my eye sight as an access point
for fear. Things that brought fear through my sight were dealt with, I no
longer watched movies that brought fear, could excuse myself when
anything that wasn't building my faith was being discussed but all those
efforts would have gotten me a perfect result if I replaced the empty

spaces.
Replace the spaces you create
I did not replace those spaces I had just created with faith teachings,
with the word of God. I became idle, I really didn't know I was, I just
took pride in my 'latest' accomplishments and if I were asked, “won't
you join us to watch this”?, with pride I'll reply “oh no. I don't do
movies”. Yet I was empty. The bible says that 'when an impure spirit
comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does
not find it. Then it will say, I will return to the house I left. When it
arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order.
Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself,
they go in and live there. And the final condition of the person is worse
thanthefirst.That is how itwillbewiththiswickedgeneration. Matt12:
43-45
I had cleaned myself and carefully guarded my eyesight but I had
nothing in my mind to replace the information I had carried in me for
long. I was empty, I had no sermons audio or video, I only read my
bible once in a while, hardly went to church and if I went, I was with my

phone all the time or looking at the choir performance or being
distractedbysomethingelse.
v
When you're done limiting what you see, hear and think, don't stop
there.Replaceitwithfaithteaching.
v
So I would sit idle as people watched films and be alone in the hostel
when people went out and then some other worse things took over my
mind.This is where some of us make mistakes, we abstain and not refill.
If the devil does not have access in one part, he will try another; the
word of God says “so that Satan will not outwit us... we are not unaware
of his schemes.” 2 Corinthians 2:11. In the light of this, as we put to
death by God's power sin or any vice that stands in the way of our faith
in God or His word, we should also begin to fill our hearts with the word
of God and as the Apostle Paul wrote to the Colossians “Let the word
richly dwell in you” this is so we can be able to withstand the devil's
schemes. An idle man is the devils workshop. We must replace the old
wayswithnewways.

Live by faith and not by sight
Time went by and I got to start church well again and joined the choir
which was a solid ground, we had fellowship, we encouraged each
other and I had a solid foundation through the choir. In three years there
was a miraculous change in me, everyone could testify that it was a
wholenewmebeingtransformedmoreintothelikenessofChrist.
As I was able to limit what I saw and I thought I was through with that
phase, bigger challenges arose and God was beginning to work on me
concerning a greater level of controlling my eyesight and this is when it
came to situations that seemed to put fear in me. Some issues arose and
God taught me how to shift my attention from the situation and turn to
God. For the bible says we live by faith and not by sight. He taught me
step by step that whatever I go through, I shouldn't see the situation but
lookthroughfaith'seyethengethopefromGod.
The second access point
The ear and hearing
“Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of
life.”. Proverbs 4:18.

Faith Heels Fear's Knees

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