Take Off the Robe of Fear
An excerpt from Moving in Faith:Taking off the Robes by Jennifer Kostyal
Week 1, Day 1 — You Are Accepted in the Beloved
My dear sisters in Christ, welcome to a deep and exciting study of the Word of God. I have found in my own personal life that when God causes me to study His Word, I am being transformed into the image of His Son, Jesus Christ. You will find yourself facing much needed truths as we venture into the undressing room of the Most High God. As one who has already been stripped of ugly robes, do not run away when you feel as though things are getting tough. When you are finished with this study, you will be amazed at how beautiful you look as you walk down the aisle with your gorgeous robe of righteousness to truly see Jesus in a new light.
Stay with me as we travel on a journey that will transform you into the Bride of Christ you have always dreamed of becoming. I cannot help but think of one of my favorite Bible verses that served to change my life: “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Matthew 6:33).
What is your definition of “fear”?
What do you fear the most? (You may have more than one fear.) This is a robe that you need to face and remove.
Holman’s Bible Dictionary defines “fear” as follows:
A broad range of emotions that embrace both the secular and the religious worlds. Secular fear is the natural feeling of alarm caused by the expectation of imminent danger, pain, or disaster. Religious fear appears as the result of awe and reverence toward a supreme power.
Something happened recently as I was leaving my son David’s ball game that literally made me run to the computer the next morning to ask the Holy Spirit to anoint me as I continued to write this study.
My husband Dave, my daughter Rebekah, David, and I were leaving David’s minor league ball game. As we walked to the parking lot, a woman of about thirty-five years of age approached Dave and me and asked Dave for a tissue. Dave looked at me so she turned and asked me the same question. When I looked into her eyes, I saw sorrow and pain. I walked up very close to her and said, “Are you all right?”
This woman started pouring out how her mom had died and her brother, who had been diagnosed with Down’s syndrome at a young age, was now in a nursing home. I noticed immediately the smell of alcohol on her breath, but I did not blink or back off. You see, I used to hide my pains in a bottle of beer, and I’m sure many people smelled my breath as I did this woman’s.
I hugged her close and told her I loved her and so did Jesus. She apologized for the smell of alcohol and I told her that I used to wear that same robe to hide my pain. She cried and we said a prayer right in the middle of that parking lot, surrounded by smiling people leaving the game with their children in tow.
This woman’s last comment to me made me shudder. She asked me not to tell anyone about the alcohol because of her husband’s business associations in the neighboring town. Her robe was becoming more noticeable, and I believe I gave it a tug with a simple prayer and a hug.
Many times we look at women and think they have everything under control when they are actually barely making it underneath their robes of country club membership, church membership, academic success, addictions, fake smiles, overprotective mothering, gossip, beautiful clothing and accessories, and many more.
Let’s turn to the book of Exodus and examine the life of an Old Testament woman whom we do not hear much about. However, we see entire books of the Bible that her son wrote. The woman is Jochebed.
Read Exodus 1:8-2:9.
What strikes you about how the midwives reacted to Pharaoh’s command? Use Exodus 1:21 to help you answer.
Whom, other than God, do you fear at home, at work, in your friendships? (Note: Your “fear of God” is a reverential fear.)
Are you being submissive to God’s Word or to man’s?
What do you think the Scriptures mean in Exodus 2:2 where it was said that Moses was beautiful?
End today’s lesson by reading Malachi 3:16. You will experience this message when you meet in your small groups. God Almighty is listening to you discuss His power and love toward you. Be real in these small groups and let your sisters help you remove your robes.
The fear of God is a beautiful feeling of security and love. Many of us do not have those fond childhood memories of a daddy loving and accepting us. You do not have to fear, because you are accepted by your Daddy in heaven.
Take a moment and thank God for loving you no matter what you have done wrong. His love will not change. He will not leave you or forsake you. (Deuteronomy 31:6.) Rest in His arms and weep as you face the truth: You have fear and you want it taken off during the next four days of this Bible study.
Hang in there with me and you will make it to the end and get your bottle of perfume.
Meditate on this verse the rest of the day:
“Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you” (Deuteronomy 31:6).
Week 1, Day 4 — Beyond Your Wildest Dreams
As we are being delivered from the robe of fear, I want us to take a moment and dream a little. Would it not be great to live a life knowing your God will handle every situation that arises in your life beyond your wildest dreams? First, do not forget you have to be like Jochebed, totally devoted to Jesus.
Within our churches today, I see many people wanting all of the promises of God with great authority, but are not willing to pay the price to receive these promises. My sisters, “Do not receive condemnation with this statement.”
Write out Romans 8:1.
You are always supposed to see the love of Christ, and conviction makes one get back in line with the Word of God. Condemnation makes one run and hide and feel unworthy to receive from God. When you are convicted, run to Jesus and ask, “What do I need to be doing now?” When He shows you where you can change or how you have sinned, live according to First John 1:9.
Write out 1 John 1:9.
Get clean and get back on the journey with the Lord of lords and the King of kings. He never left you. He just paused while you took a breather.
Okay, let’s dream a little bit right here and remember that we serve a God for whom nothing is impossible! (Luke 1:37.) Bow your head and say out loud, “Father, in Jesus’ name, show me a dream I have stopped dreaming due to fear. I received the dreams You placed within me as a little child. Let me dream again.”
Write down your dream of dreams. Do not hold back. You are being delivered from fear.
Jochebed represents a woman who stood with unwavering faith and knew God Almighty could deliver her son. She was a believer and did not care what decree had been declared or what had happened to her neighbor’s child. She placed Moses in the Nile and waited to see what God was going to do. Miriam stood back to see what was going to happen. Jochebed had trained her daughter in the things of the Lord. Scripture does not speak of either one as moving in fear or worry about Moses.
Suddenly, as the little ark floated among the bulrushes, the Pharaoh’s daughter noticed it and sent one of her maids to retrieve it. Can’t you just see Miriam waiting for this daughter of the most powerful man in the world to open the ark and see her beautiful baby brother? If Miriam had been afraid, she would have run home at this point. However, she stood by and waited to hear the response of the princess of Egypt. I’m sure she smiled to herself and thought, Okay, brother, you are getting ready to go to the palace and Momma will be so proud.
We see one of the most wonderful things happen as the princess of Egypt opened that little ark. She had compassion for the child. Miriam noticed this and asked if she needed a nurse to breast feed the baby. The princess was so overcome with love for this child that she told Miriam to go and find a nurse and she would gladly pay wages.
Read Exodus 2:9. When I read this passage, I wanted to jump up and down and scream, “God, You are awesome! The seed of the destroyer, Pharaoh, is paying your girl Jochebed to raise and nurse her own son.”
My sisters, we have God in such a box with our puny prayers. Jochebed is our example. Step into the River Nile of your life and be willing to give it all up for Jesus. When He gives it back, you will be amazed.
What have you held on to and not handed over to God? Trust Him to even resurrect things you never thought possible. Move in faith and write down what you have been afraid to let go.
When I think of Jochebed rocking Baby Moses and nursing him, I know she made every minute count. We live in a society that does not embrace breast feeding as was practiced in biblical times. In the Old Testament, most mothers nursed their children until around age three. During this time, I know Jochebed told Moses how God saved his life and how he was marked for God’s purposes.
My sisters, I feel just as convicted as I write about Jochebed teaching Moses. Many of us mothers do not have time with our children, so when we consider how busy our lives are, we should treasure every moment we can spend with them and tell them they are marked for God and that He has great plans for them.
Let us be like Jochebed with our mothering, marriages, single lives, and in our relations with other people in the world. Allow the Holy Spirit to show you whom you should be Jochebed to. Single women, there are so many children who are forgotten and need someone to believe in them. Mothers, do not take for granted those precious gifts God has given you. Take time to hug your children and impart to them the incredible teachings of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Do not fret over your mistakes. We serve a God who can restore to you anything the enemy has stolen.
Write out Joel 2:25.
The enemy is a liar when he throws up in your face the awful mistakes you have made. Our God can take a mistake and make it into a miracle! I do not care what you have done. God can make it beautiful.
Relax and remember, it is not about you. Jesus is the glue that holds your life together. Personally, I know women who made so many mistakes they were placed in prison. They thought life was not worth living. However, when these women moved in faith, God gave them back their lives of freedom and restored their relationships. God’s restoration is awesome! Move in faith for things you used to be afraid to believe.
Jesus loves you and is right now interceding at the right hand of God for your freedom from all fears. Give Him those nagging fears and know you can experience freedom beyond your wildest dreams.
Meditate all day on Ephesians 3:20:
“Now to Him Who, by (in consequence of) the [action of His] power that is at work within us, is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly, far over and above all that we [dare] ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams].”
Excerpted from Moving In Faith: Taking off the Robes (Christian Publishing Services) by Jennifer Kostyal © 2005.
-Outreach magazine, "Web Exclusives," November/December 2006
©2006 Outreach Publishing. All rights Reserved. Usage and reprint permissions.
