Art & Soul post #33 by Elana Brownfield
Anxiety, worry, stress, and panic are all things I have experienced over the course of my life. The source of all of these emotional states can be summed up in one word– FEAR. The first time I felt gripping fear was when I was six years old. I was in my bedroom and overheard my mom and soon-to-be stepdad talking right outside my door. I figured out from their conversation that he had been drinking, had a gun, and was threatening to kill her if she didn’t marry him. My heart was beating out of my chest, and I stood there frozen on the other side of the door in panic and fear, not knowing what to do. I don’t remember how much time went by, but it felt like an eternity until my mom was able to diffuse the situation and convince him to put the gun down.
Four years ago, I was overcome by intense fear again. A change in my birth control pills resulted in an allergic reaction which caused my mind to race, and this led to a traumatic medical situation. My brain couldn’t shut down at night, and so I went for several days with very little sleep. This lack of sleep led to an atypical manic episode and to me spending four days in recovery at a mental health facility. I had never experienced mental health problems in my life before this, so my world was completely turned upside down. It felt like my mental wall of protection had come down, and I heard the voice of the enemy telling me to kill myself. It was completely unnatural for me to ever think such a thing, but, not being in a clear mental state, I actually tried to think how I could do it. The details of this time in my life can be read in my Art & Soul post, “He Called Me Out.”
Soon after the enemy had tried to convince me to kill myself, God showed up in major ways to bring clarity and to walk me through the high waters of this medical storm. While I was in the mental health facility, I experienced communication with God in ways I never had before. One of these ways was that He spoke to me in a mentally loud, almost audible voice. The first word I heard Him say was “TRUST.” The following day, when my mind was rested and more clear, He gave me a vision for the first time in my life… I saw what looked like fast-moving slides of scenes and people from the Bible. I heard Him say, “The Bible is 100% true…God is good all the time…the problems have come from misinterpretations…we have to get back to the source.” He then brought to my memory a verse that He had hidden in my heart…
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” 2 Timothy 1:7 (NKJV)
When I came home after being released from the mental health facility, it took me weeks to process everything that had happened. It felt like a faith paradigm shift was starting to take place in my heart and mind. The things God had told me and the fact that He spoke to me in such a mentally loud and clear way began to completely change my perspective about my spiritual life and how much God loves not just me, but all of us. I began to understand how much God so desires direct communication with all of His children.
Before this episode, I had wanted God to be first in my life, and I actually thought He was. I knew that Jesus had said to the church of Laodicea in Revelation 3:15-16 (NIV)… “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm–neither hot nor cold–I am about to spit you out of my mouth!” I had never considered myself a “lukewarm” Christian because I was doing a lot of things for Him. But now, looking back and examining how I was spending my time, I can definitely say that I was “lukewarm” when it came to the amount of time I spent in His presence and reading His Word. I realized that our relationship was not my first priority. I have come to learn that God’s greatest desire is not what we DO for Him, but simply the time we spend WITH Him. As a result of this realization, my priorities changed. I started spending quantity AND quality time with God every morning, and I made the decision to totally and completely SURRENDER my life to Jesus. I decided to go ALL IN FOR HIM, and now I have found so much FREEDOM and PURPOSE! I feel so different now despite having been a Christian my whole life. I now understand how the apostle Paul could say, “Count it all as joy,” in James 1:2 when referring to trials that test our faith. If I had a choice, I would choose to go through my medical trial again because of what it taught me and how my faith has grown. The best way I can describe the transformation I have undergone is that it is like that of a caterpillar who emerges from the cocoon in complete shock because it never even realized there was a butterfly stage in its future!
I had always thought, “If God so desires a personal relationship with us, why does it feel like one-way communication when I pray?” Then, when God showed up and spoke to me in such a dramatic way during my episode, I realized that reciprocal communication with God was truly possible, even for an average person like me! This realization led me to pray and seek two-way communication with God on a daily basis. I told God that, if His Word is 100% true as He had told me, then as His beloved daughter I claimed His promise in Matthew 7:7-8 for myself:
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” (NIV)
My deepest desire was to draw close to Him and be able to communicate with Him as I do with my closest family and friends, perceiving what He is saying back to me moment by moment. I began to ask Him for this reciprocal communication, and He has been faithful to answer my prayer!
Unfortunately, the enemy hasn’t given up trying to use fear to derail my life’s purpose and my calling. Over the past four years, he has attempted to cause panic through nightmares as well as worry, stress, and anxiety concerning finances, my health, Covid 19, and relationships. I even physically felt one of his demons try to scare me by squeezing me from behind while I was lying in bed. Whenever he has attacked me, I have fought back by calling on the name of Jesus, the NAME ABOVE ALL NAMES, and He has faithfully DELIVERED ME from the enemy’s grip of fear! GOD IS LOVE and HIS PERFECT LOVE CASTS OUT FEAR. (1 John 4:18) Unhealthy negative feelings caused by fear are NOT from God but from the devil and his demons. When we come into agreement with fear, we give the enemy legal rights to torment us and wreak all kinds of havoc rooted in fear such as worry, anxiety, stress, and panic.
As a result of everything I have experienced, I have come to a new understanding of the connection between TRUST and FEAR. Trust is the exact opposite of fear. When we have complete trust in God, there is no room for fear. We know we can trust God because Jesus has taught us that God the Father is GOOD ALL THE TIME. Jesus said He only does what He sees His Father doing. (John 5:19) So, if we truly come to know Jesus, we will trust God’s goodness and no longer fear the future. Like the Psalmist, we will be able to say, “I trust in you, Lord, I say ‘You are my God!’ My times are in your hands.” (Psalm 31:14-15, NIV)
A critical component in defeating the enemy’s attacks on our lives is being in God’s Word on a daily basis. Having been directly told by God that the Bible is 100% true, I now read it with a totally different perspective. Not only do I have a deeper hunger for His Word, but I affirm and declare every word in the Bible as COMPLETE TRUTH, and I claim EVERY ONE OF HIS PROMISES I read for myself. As I read, the Holy Spirit is constantly revealing new revelations to me. I have come to understand what God meant when He said to me, “We have to get back to the source.” JESUS is the SOURCE– the source of life and all creation– and JESUS is THE WORD– God’s written truth…
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” John 1:1-5 (NIV)
As THE SOURCE and THE WORD, JESUS is the POWER and LIGHT that DISPELS the DARKNESS!
In Ephesians 1:19-20 (NLT) Paul says, “I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms.” As God’s children, we have an inheritance with access to this same POWER through PRAYER and THE WORD OF GOD when we put our TRUST and FAITH in JESUS!
As I was praying about the artwork I would create for an upcoming Artisans Against Domestic Violence Art Exhibit, I was reminded of Art & Soul guest artist Tracey White’s description of prophetic art in her post, “His Beloved.” In this post, she explains that prophetic art is an expression of love from the Lord; that it can bring healing, be a form of worship, be a method of spiritual warfare, or bring prophetic declarations; and that the artist must COMPLETELY surrender the content and process to what God wants to create and what He wants to express to the viewer. I made the decision to make this piece my first real attempt at “prophetic art” by partnering with Holy Spirit throughout the entire creation process! As I continued to pray, Holy Spirit brought to my mind how I have learned to live in victory over fear through the power of Jesus Christ. He told me to call the artwork I would be creating Freedom from Fear. Next, He reminded me of the power of the Word of God and that God’s Word is the Sword of the Holy Spirit, the believers’ only offensive weapon mentioned in our spiritual armor in the sixth chapter of Ephesians. The power in this Sword comes from the combination of God’s Word AND the Holy Spirit, as BOTH must be working in our life!
The Word is ALIVE and ACTIVE; SHARPER than any TWO-EDGED SWORD; having the ability to PIERCE and DIVIDE soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and to DISCERN the thoughts and intentions of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12)
I also recalled being inspired by Art & Soul guest artist Christina Connor’s method of literally using God’s Word to create the images in her artwork. With all these thoughts brought to my mind, Holy Spirit led me to visualize a digital painting with a cross that transitions into a sword as the central focus with many scriptures incorporated throughout the painting. Over the next four weeks, He continued to “download” into my mind many more ideas and scriptures along with where to place them in the images.
Freedom from Fear, shown above, was created in Adobe Photoshop using more than 120 layers. A total of 33 different scripture passages are included in the background, in the foreground, within the images, and even within the WORDS of the largest scripture, exemplifying the knowledge God had directly shared with me that His Word has POWER and is the SOURCE OF ALL TRUTH.
In the painting, the sky is filled with the entire chapter of Psalm 91 scanned from my New King James Bible. This is a key scripture passage that promises God’s safety and protection. I personalize and decree this passage out loud every morning over myself, my family, and anyone else Holy Spirit puts on my mind that day. Superimposed over Psalm 91 and framing the top of the cross is the biggest and boldest scripture – 2 Timothy 1:7– the scripture that God had hidden in my heart and brought to my remembrance to dispel the intense fear I experienced when I was in the mental health facility. If you look closely, you will also find scriptures on the sun; the mountains; the shackles; the crown of thorns; the cross that transitions into the Sword of the Holy Spirit; and the piercing light of Christ, Holy Spirit, and God’s Word that shatters the chains and padlock representing satan and his lies at the tip of the sword. When printed full scale, some scriptures are so small that they require a magnifying glass to read!
I hope it is evident when this artwork is viewed that it is full of POWER–not just because of the images, but primarily because of the WORDS it contains. I cannot stress enough how much GOD’S WORD has the ability to CHANGE your life–not only by making you think differently, but by its POWER to literally SHIFT the atmosphere of the spiritual realm that in turn will cause demonic strongholds to BREAK and peace, love, and joy to MANIFEST in the physical realm! There are so many scriptures, truths, and symbols throughout this artwork that I could write a book trying to explain the meaning of them all; however, I know God wants the viewers to examine the images, meditate on the scriptures, and discover the deep truth found in this artwork for themselves. He has asked me to create a FREE mini eGuidebook that includes an 8×10 image of Freedom from Fear that you may print out and frame along with links to helpful videos and articles, an audio prayer with a decree to help SET YOU FREE FROM THE FEAR in your life, information on how to continue to live without fear, and all of the Freedom from Fear scriptures and their locations within the artwork. The eGuidebook can be found directly below my mini bio at the end of this message.
There are three scripture passages that God continued to impress on my mind throughout the time I was working on this artwork that I feel led to share with you here. I am not exactly sure why God kept bringing up these scriptures, but I do know that FAITH CAN MOVE MOUNTAINS and GOD IS NOT LIMITED BY TIME, SPACE, OR IN WHAT HE CAN DO! The three scripture passages are:
“Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.”
-Isaiah 43:19 (ESV)
“Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, saying, ‘Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented.’
And Jesus said to him, ‘I will come and heal him.’
The centurion answered and said, ‘Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, “Go,” and he goes; and to another, “Come,” and he comes; and to my servant, “Do this,” and he does it.’
When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel! And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ Then Jesus said to the centurion, ‘Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you.’ And his servant was healed that same hour.”
-Matthew 8:5-13 (NKJV)
“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”
-Ephesians 3:20-21 (NKJV)
I find it amazing that God was talking to me about these three scripture passages at the same time He was giving very similar prophetic words to Heather Pell that she shared in her August 14th post, “Answering His Call.” Like Heather, I also feel God’s clarion call for Christian artists and the entire church to RISE UP and take territory back for HIS GLORY and HIS KINGDOM, and I sense His urgency at this time in making this call!
I would like to leave you with a song that God brought to my attention the morning that I was planning to put the finishing touches on this artwork. The night before, I was feeling a restless stirring in the spirit realm concerning God’s plan for this artwork and myself. God told me to turn on my Amazon playlist of Christian worship music to listen to as I was falling asleep, which is not something I normally do. When I woke up I heard the words, “FEAR HAS TO LEAVE NOW.” I then realized my playlist had finished, and I was listening to the lyrics of a song that had been “randomly” chosen. I didn’t remember ever hearing this song before. The chorus came on again saying…
…Here now,
Your presence here now
We are set free now
Hands lifted high in worship
Here now,
Fear has to leave now
Your kingdom’s here now
Yours is the power and the glory…
You may think it was just a coincidence that I would hear these lyrics while finishing my artwork whose subject was defeating fear, but I know it was ALL GOD! When I looked at my phone, I saw that the song was titled “The Battle is the Lord’s” by Rebecca St. James. God was reminding me that breaking all strongholds, including fear, is HIS BATTLE TO FIGHT, and all we need to do is TRUST HIM by living in complete surrender and obedience to His plan for our life. Another thing I believe He wants to stress is the POWER OF PRAISE AND WORSHIP to disrupt and defeat the devil’s plans for our lives. Take a few minutes to listen to this song, meditate on its words, and let your praise and worship reach the throne room of heaven!
Friend, as a true believer in Jesus Christ and His saving grace, you are filled with His Holy Spirit. Through the Holy Spirit and The Word, you have FULL AUTHORITY and POWER over fear and any other obstacle Satan and his demons try to throw at you! Embrace your true identity in Christ and your inheritance as a BELOVED SON or DAUGHTER in His Kingdom! He LOVES YOU SO MUCH, and He wants you to walk in the TOTAL FREEDOM that can ONLY be found through HIM!
In His Love,
Elana
Here is your FREE Discover How You Can Be Free From Fear eGuidebook that includes a FREE 8×10 Freedom From Fear digital image along with an audio prayer and decree to BREAK THE CHAINS OF FEAR!
To advance the page, use the scroll bar in the upper right corner of the title page.
100% of all profits from sales of Freedom From Fear framed canvas wraps and notebooks from the Art for Charity Store will be given to the Redeemer’s Heart current featured charity.
A .20¢ 8×10 digital download of Freedom From Fear along with larger inexpensive sizes that you can print yourself are available in Elana’s Etsy Store: ArtMindandSoulbyEB
Artisans Against Domestic Violence Art Exhibit
These photos were taken at the 7th Annual Artisans Against Domestic Violence Art Exhibit on August 27, 2022. The East Palestine Country Club sponsored the exhibit, and it was funded and organized by Ozer Ministries, Inc. and CCDJFS.
4 thoughts on “Freedom From Fear”
God is using you, Elana, for doing His work! This post is is one that I will read over and over. The message is so clear! How to become a child of God and how to grow in knowledge and wisdom. So much to love about this post! May God bless you Elana!
Thank you! ❤️ All praises to God…nothing I do could be done without Him!
Words from a song we sing at the Salvation Army Cwmbran Corps.
Without You, i’d be nothing, my resources are small. Without You, i’d do nothing, i’d be no use at all. Let the world wish for wisdom, let the world work for wealth. For i’m asking for nothing but some more of yourself. By the power of your Spirit something more, something more, something more, something more of yourself.
Please see below words from a song we sing at the Salvation Army Cwmbran Corps.
I shall not fear though darkened clouds may gather ’round me, the God I serve is one who cares and understands. Although the storms I face would threaten to confound me. Of this I am assured. I’m in His hands.
I’m in His hands, I’m in His hands, whate’er the future holds, i’m in His hands. The days I can not see have all been planned for me, His way is best, you see, i’m in His hands.
What though I cannot know the way that lies before me I still can trust and freely follow His commands. My faith is firm since it is He that watches o’er me. Of this i’m confident, i’m in His hands.
I’m in His hands, I’m in His hands, whate’er the future holds, i’m in His hands. The days I can not see have all been planned for me, His way is best, you see, i’m in His hands.
In days gone by my Lord has always proved sufficient when I have yielded to the law of love’s demands. Why should I doubt that He would evermore be present to make His will my own, i’m in His hands.
I’m in His hands, I’m in His hands, whate’er the future holds, i’m in His hands. The days I can not see have all been planned for me, His way is best, you see, i’m in His hands.