Don't Fear Deadly Diseases - Psalm 91

Read Cathy's testimony first if you missed it.      

For Cathy, it was unusual that as a toddler she feared a heart attack when most children that age haven’t heard of such a thing. It is very good when someone cares enough about you to speak truth into your life. When something that is not God’s word runs down a generational line it is easy for it to become normal—even though it made Cathy anything but normal. It wasn’t until Cathy had a family of her own that she realized she was missing out by living in constant anxiety. It was controlling her life and she decided to do something about it.  

Cathy realized that trust had no fear attached to it and began to see fear for what it was. It was a moment of realization when Cathy saw the specialized traps Satan had been using for years to keep her bound to fear.

Once she got out on her own, Cathy could see that not everyone else around her fought these same kinds of fears. Her fears didn’t make any sense. Why would she continually think about getting diseases? She began to realize that this was an irrational way of thinking. People don’t catch life threatening diseases every day of the week—which makes you wonder, why is this the trap that the devil used with her?  
Cathy was a worrier so let’s use worry as an illustration:

What makes you keep holding on to the bait? Is it pride that you worry so much? You never think about worry being a form of pride, yet it can be. Worry is a trap. Therefore when you worry, you can tell yourself it means you care more than most.

Is it that you feel if you don’t have enough worry, you will let something bad into your life? What makes you hang onto fear? Anxiety? Worry? Worry gives you a false sense of security.

Many people have made the observation that they feel if they don’t intensely worry over those they love then it means they don’t care. At some point, they need to start on the road to freedom and realize these are specialized trap from which they can be set free when they understand that perfect love casts out fear (1 John 4:18).

This is the same question you have to ask yourself…for what purpose is the devil using a particular trap, snare, or specialized bait and why does it work on you? Please stop what you are doing now and ask yourself this question. Get someone to help you if you need it.

No matter what area you struggle with, you can be free from what has always been a trap for you in the past. When Satan tempts you to sin—even that temptation can become a trap used to ensnare you. You must learn to be aware of God’s warnings about hidden traps that are laying in wait for you. Remember that these are individualized traps—baited with the thing that would most likely tempt you. If you fall for the temptation and sin, it is like getting caught in the trap, and bad things happen.

It is worth noting now in the margin of your Bible that Psalm 91:3 has two distinct parts and mentions that he rescues us from deadly pestilence (disease). Think for a moment of the many diseases that are tormenting our world today—Alzheimer's, cancer, heart disease, diabetes, leukemia, and anything else you can think of. Is there a certain disease you fear? The world may laugh at you for believing God, but He promises to protect you from those things.

Saying NO

Satan can be so clever with his traps. He uses individualized bait—bait that appeals to you. Temptation sets you up—it doesn’t act like random chance. It makes sure to leave something you want unguarded so that no one will see you take it. The illusion is that you won’t have to pay for what you do wrong; a world with no consequences. The enemy loves to give us chances to steal, lie, cheat, or fall into whatever sin is most tempting to us individually, just to see if we’ll take the bait. The world is full of traps, and this is why God built freedom from snares into His promise of protection. It takes courage to do it right, but God will give you the strength to say NO every time you are tempted. That strength, that power in saying NO is one of the ways He promises to protect us, but He won’t make the call on your behalf. You have to reach for that strength and decide for yourself. When you fall, it is a lack of spiritual muscle. You must build your muscles so you don’t stay a weakling…
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If having the strength to say NO is an area of weakness in your life, try writing this scripture on a small card: “I can do all things because of Christ who strengthens me”. Philippians 4:13