Two ways to overcome your fears.

“I’m going to be brutally honest.” Mary said in our recent Zoom meeting.

She cleared her throat. “Are Christians lying? Or are some of them faking or covering up the real truth? Even though we’re believers, how can we not feel fear, have moments of doubt, and feel like screaming, ‘God, this is enough!’”

No one in the group answered. Could it be because we agreed with her?

Silently, we hide those same emotions deep inside. We managed to cover them under the notion of “I have enough faith.”

A survey involving 2,400 churchgoers revealed that 80% experienced moderate to significant levels of fear, with only 20% reporting occasional fear.

Who could blame us? We’re humans and although we’re believers in Christ, we’re afraid to open up and admit that yes, sometimes we wake up and wonder, what will be next? Will my loved one heal? Will I make ends meet? Will my marriage heal?

Other times we can’t even internalize God’s Word to help us face a chaotic world. That’s when we battle between sinking in fear or standing in faith.

Peter experienced the same dilemma when the storm came.

He should have believed Jesus would protect him and kick fear to the side. But instead, he expressed fear and worry, contagious enough to spread to the other disciples.

We’re all in that same boat, buffeted by that same storm of uncertainty. And while holding on tight hoping we won’t crash; we must choose the group to which we belong. The one that will sink in the deep waters of anxiety, swallowed by fear? Or the group who looks to God for His wisdom and has the audacity to look beyond the circumstances and dare to trust, truly trust, in God?

Even in the middle of the fiesta of fear, we have to choose joy.

Sounds unrealistic? Not so if we possess the boldness to avoid these two traps:

1. Avoid following your feelings.

 “I feel so out of control,” my neighbor said, “like I’m just floating along and not accomplishing anything. I feel frustrated and anxious too. This has to end soon.”

She’s walking into the danger zone. If she feels strongly enough that she’s out of control, Her fear will win and she will indeed end up out of control.

So where do those feelings come from? They begin in the mind. Thoughts are like the ingredients for a cake. Blend them all together and put them in the oven of your mind. After a while, you’ll be serving the results. Thoughts of fear feed fear. Thoughts of gloom produce discouragement. Conversely, thoughts that align with God’s Word result in encouragement, hope, and reassurance which all cancel fear.

• If Abigail had entertained thoughts of fear when her people were threatened, feeling like a victim would have ruled her heart. (1 Samuel 25:14-20)
• If Joseph allowed thoughts of fear while in prison, weakness would have put him in an emotional prison. (Genesis 39:19-21)
• Had David shaken with fear and placed his focus and thoughts on the size of Goliath, his feelings of inadequacy would have brought defeat instead of victory. (1 Samuel 17:45-46)

We’re all facing a giant today. Each is unique to our circumstance. To come out victorious, we must first overcome fear and "take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." (2 Corinthians 10:5)

2. Refuse to remain in fear.

Fear knocks at every door, nothing wrong with that. It’s when we invite it to come in, offer a seat in our heart, and feed it more negative information from news or social media that it becomes a well-fed monster.

But we can defeat it and rise up victorious when we reject Satan’s gift of fear, because “God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7)

It’s that sound mind that reassures us that in that heartache, God is watching each detail. He’s at work to bring the outcome. And He’s pouring His grace that helps us endure, become strong, and rise up triumphantly. 

Let’s pray

Father, I confess to the fear that kept me awake last night. But today I shall trust in You, look beyond the circumstance, and with my lips I shall praise and thank You for your gift of love, power, and sound mind.

In Jesus’ name.

What thoughts fuel your fear? How will you overcome them?

Bonus article on today’s topic.

Janet

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