‘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
Today, the opportunities for spiritual, emotional and physical fear are plentiful. You can feel it in social media posts and hear it in the grocery store aisles and there is a temptation to wonder: Where is God in all of this? Does He know what is happening? I can tell you assuredly, He is very present and He knows what is happening. “Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’’ Isaiah 41:10 NKJV.
God has only ever wanted you to relate to Him out of love, not fear. His desire is for you to have a personal relationship with Him and trust His Word, knowing that you are loved and accepted. When you open yourself to the truth about God, you will experience His reassuring love, which removes all fear. God is love, and as your loving Father He will not break your heart or bring harm to you in any way. He will never give up on you, and He wants the best for you in every area of your life. His thoughts of you are positive and kind, and He won’t abandon you or let you down.
A major step to living a life free of fear is found in the steadfast character of God. “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.” I John 4:18 NKJV. With an understanding that God IS unconditional love, you can exalt the Word of God over any thoughts, fears, or imaginations assaulting you. God does not want you to live with fear but He provides you with His perfect love which “casts out” or displaces fear. Love and fear cannot live together and that means with a heart set on Him you can be free from fear.
Fear is a tactic of the enemy meant to stop you from fulfilling God’s purpose in your life. It brings worry, anxiety, and keeps you up at night imagining things that haven’t yet happened—and may never happen—to you. The following verse is one that has greatly helped me in this area:
“We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ” 2 Cor. 10:5 ESV.
At one time I thought that I needed to grab myself by the collar and bring my thoughts into the obedience of Christ, feeling as though I was in trouble with the principal. But God gave me a revelation one day as I was reading this verse. I realized that He isn’t scolding me, but He’s loving me and telling me to cast down that fearful thought because it’s crowding the knowledge of God out of my mind and heart. We have the tools in His Word to be free of fear and have the peace that passes all understanding to guard our hearts and minds.
This is how I process thoughts because I like logic. I need to see it in the Word then know how to apply it. Simply put:
Fear is from the enemy.
There is no truth in the enemy.
Therefore, there is no truth in fear.
Does this thought bring fear?
If so, it is not from the Lord.
Exchange that thought for a promise in God’s Word.
Agree with the Word, and turn away from fear.
What you agree with is what has power in your life.
In the world around us, there’s a vast amount of conflicting information, causing thoughts of fear, worry, uncertainty, and anxiety. Remember, God is good and brings peace. The enemy is bad and brings fear. God knew we would struggle with fear, so He gave us a way out. He addresses fear and puts it under our feet over and over throughout His Word. He did that for us. Fear is not only able to be defeated, it is already defeated.
Click here for a free download outlining steps to overcome fear.