To be fearless doesn’t mean to not feel fear. I doubt it is possible for us to live without fear. However, fearlessness implies, choosing to depend on God despite the situation we are facing.
Here are a few words to meditate on.
You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day, nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.
Psalm 91:5–6
I love how Psalm 91 reminds us that we have round-the-clock protection. Whether it is at night or in the day. Whether it is in darkness or at noonday. Whether we are faced with a terror or confronted by arrows. Whether pestilences threaten or destruction looms. We do not have to be afraid because our God, who watches over us, neither slumbers nor sleeps (Ps. 121:3–4)!
The reality is, the world we live in seems to be engulfed in negative news and fear. We often hear reports of senseless terrorist attacks on innocent civilians, horrific accidents claiming multiple victims, or an epidemic affecting entire communities, leading to hundreds of babies being born with deformities. I know that many can’t help but dread that the same tragedies could befall them.
But beloved, I want you to know that in the midst of all that is happening in the world, you can be fearless, and this comes from knowing the Lord as the God of peace.
Why should we be fearless?
Romans chapter 15 ends with the apostle Paul saying, “Now the God of peacebe with you all” (Rom. 15:33, boldface mine). You might ask, Isn’t God with us all the time? Why then did Paul specifically say, “The God of peace be with you all”?
What Paul was speaking over the people was for God to manifest Himself as the God of peace in their lives. In other words, even though God is always with us, we may not always experience Him as the God of peace.
Do you know what happens when God manifests Himself as the God of peace in your life? Romans 16:20 (boldface mine) tells us this: “And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.”
Do you see what the God of peace will do in your life? He will crush every fear, every worry, and every anxiety!
Do you see grace in that verse as well? Grace—the undeserved, unearned, and unmerited favor of God—is the only thing against which the devil has no defense. That is why we put our faith in the blood of Jesus when we talk about protection. His sinless blood was shed to pay the price for the guilty one.
And because Jesus paid the price, we who are in Him have a right to walk in divine health and protection. Grace qualifies us for God’s all-encompassing protection. Amen!
I hope this devotional, from Pastor Joseph Prince, encouraged you as much as it did to me.
To deal with fear is not an emotional battle but a purposeful decision regardless of when we feel afraid.
One way is to read a book with practical examples, like this book “Do It Afraid” by Joyce Meyer.
Book introduction summary
Fear is an omnipresent force, touching every individual’s life. It has existed since time immemorial and will likely persist as long as our planet endures.
While fear wields influence over many, it need not maintain such dominion. Fear, often described as False Evidence Appearing Real, derives its power from the falsehoods instilled by negative forces. These deceptive notions take root within us, fostering trepidation in our hearts and minds.
Although fear’s complete eradication is improbable, its confrontation and conquest are achievable.
True courage doesn’t entail the absence of fear; rather, it entails forging ahead despite fear’s presence.
Those who exhibit courage heed the dictates of their hearts, regardless of their emotions or the doubts and anxieties clouding their thoughts.
A close observation of our responses to people and situations would astonish us with the frequency fear shapes our reactions.
This introspection would also unveil profound insights into our own nature. It’s possible for individuals to expend their entire lives reacting to circumstances in ways that hinder them from realizing their desired selves.
Often, they remain oblivious to the fact that their lives feel unfulfilled because they’ve permitted fear to steer their choices.
My review on how to deal with fear
Managing fear involves the ongoing, daily commitment to resist its control. Presented below is the book’s table of contents that I acquired in 2020. Certain chapters have become my recurrent companions, repeatedly perused.
On each occasion, they bestow upon me a renewed sense of empowerment, bolstering my resolve to confront the obstacles fear presents.
While my apprehensions have not been entirely vanquished, I’ve cultivated the assurance that I can consistently turn to this guide and the scriptures for solace.
This reading endeavor promises to be a profoundly enriching experience.
Chapters on how to deal with fear
The book is seperated in 3 parts with many chapters each.
Part 1: Understanding fear
Chapter 1: It’s time to make a choice
2:Do it afraid.
3: I will not fear
4: Fearful thoughts and words
5: l “feel” afraid
6: Why am l afraid?
7: The antidote for fear
8: Living boldly
How to deal with fear
Part 2: Confronting fear
9: Take one step at a time
10: Stand up to doubt and double-mindedness
11: Refuse to regret the past or dread the future.
12: Take courage and be strong.
13:Learn to be secure and confident.
Part 3: Mindsets for walking in freedom from fear
14: You can love fearlessly
Freedom from the fear of letting yourself love.
15: You can live in acceptance
Freedom from the fear of rejection.
16: You can be yourself
Freedom from the fear of what other people will think, say, or do
17: You can trade fear for fear
Freedom from the wrong kinds of fear.
18: You can stop worrying about money
Freedom from financial fears
19: You can believe good things are ahead
Freedom from fear of the future
20: You can trust God in every situation
Freedom from the fear that bad things will happen.
21: You can relax
Freedom from the fear of not doing enough.
22: You can build healthy relationships
Freedom from the fear of trusting God and others.
23: You can rest in the promise of eternity
Freedom from the fear of death
God loves you! He created you to be a special, unique, one-of – a kind individual, and He has a specific purpose and plans for your life. And through a personal relationship with your Creator-God- you can discover a way of life that will truly satisfy your soul.
No matter who you are, what you’ve done, or where you are in your life right now, God’s love and grace are greater than your sin-your mistakes. Jesus willingly gave His life, so you can receive forgiveness from God and have a new life in Him. He’s just waiting for you to invite Him to be your Savior and Lord.
How you deal with fear proves how much you trust God. Please comment on how this book was beneficial to you.
Who is Joyce Meyer
Joyce Meyer is one of the world’s leading practical Bible teachers. Her daily broadcast, Enjoying Everyday Life, airs on hundreds of television networks and radio stations worldwide.
Joyce has written nearly 100 inspirational books, Her bestsellers include a Power Thoughts: The Confident Woman; Look Great, Feel Great; Starting your day right; Ending your day right; Approval addiction; How to hear from God; Beauty for ashes; and Battlefield of the mind.
Meet Nini, a bright young girl who starts her mornings with cheerful greetings to her family. When she steps outside to feel the morning sun, she can’t help but smile and thank God for another day. However, she had secret fear feelings.
But this wasn’t always the case. Just two years ago, Nini was quite different. She used to be unhappy and easily upset over small things. Even mornings couldn’t bring her joy – she often felt sad and moody. If she made a mistake or didn’t do well on a test, she would carry that disappointment and guilt throughout the week.
Nini’s parents tried to make her happy by giving her gifts, but they didn’t seem to work. Despite their compliments and reminders of her value, she still felt unattractive and unsatisfied.
Even though she went on picnics with her family and friends, like to the beach or the park, she struggled to relax and enjoy the fun.
One Friday evening, Nini’s mom decided to talk with her about God’s words, delving deeper than their usual daily devotion. They discussed why Nini’s fear feelings were affecting her life so much.
Nini confessed her fear to her mom – fear of disappointing others and making mistakes in life. Her mom understood and shared words of comfort from the Bible. They read Isaiah 41:10 together: “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
They also read 2 Timothy 1:7: “For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” These verses helped Nini realize that she didn’t have to live in fear.
Nini, who had kept her fear feelings inside for years, finally opened up to her mom that day. She was ready to make a change in her life. They read Proverbs 3:5-6, which advised to trust in the Lord and not rely solely on one’s understanding. This brought a sense of peace to Nini as they prayed together.
From that moment on, Nini chose gratitude over worry. She decided to be thankful to God for everything and stopped being anxious about making mistakes in the future. She became a joyful girl, using the verses they had read to pray whenever she felt afraid.
Her transformation was evident, and her family was delighted to see the positive change in Nini. With newfound faith and strength, Nini faced life with a joyful heart, no longer held back by fear.
Lesson: Everyone has feelings, but we all need to control them.
There are more children’s stories with positive lessons here.
Fear is commonly initialed as False Evidence Appearing Real. This means something is superficial. According to some people, this false evidence is a true reality. How pathetic!. On the other hand, as Christians, we have to reject every piece of evidence as a reality not found in the Bible. Find out below how to fight fear whenever you feel it.
No one can claim that they have not experienced fear in one way or another. It is a spirit from the devil to torment everyone and prevent us from believing in God and acting in faith.
Everyone has felt it in one or more of the following ways:
Fear of failure
Fear of hardship and difficulty
Fear of poverty and lack
Fear of rejection and loneliness
Fear of uncertainty about the future
According to 2 Tim 1:7 “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind”.
To excel in our spiritual life by having complete faith and trust in God at all times, we need to acknowledge that it is not wrong to feel fear, but it becomes a problem when we harbor it and entertain it above the word of God.
Fear is inevitable in life. However, we can overcome it with the help of the Holy Spirit. God expects us to live faith-filled lives and not fearful lives.
We see in Luke 22:42 “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” Jesus weeps to God as he experiences the horror of being crucified.
We all need to learn from Jesus to deal with this monster at its earliest stage by submitting our wills to the will of God.
Can we pray to God to fight fear?
Also, in Verse 43, Jesus receives strengthening from an angel of God. We can receive sustenance for our purposes if we submit our fears to the will of God.
If Jesus could be afraid even for a short time, it says a lot about us too. Therefore, we should not count it strange and doubt our God when we feel the monster fear threatening us in any aspect.
Just remember, the solution for peace and empowerment only comes when we run back to God. Be honest about the feeling but refuse to let it control you.
For example, eight years ago before I applied for further studies abroad, I had many doubtful questions. Yes, I had had visions 5 years before this time so I was confident to travel. As a result of this assurance, I had saved money and made a passport. Internally, I still had many fearful questions.
Some of them were;
What if my application was denied?
Will I get admission with my grades?
How will I cope with the food and educational system of that country?
How will I survive staying so far from my family?
Those questions sound almost baseless for someone determined to start a new life. Right? I agree. When my admission application was denied in 2014, I became even more fearful and was unwilling to try again. The fear of another rejection made me condemn myself.
Long story short, my cousin encouraged me to reapply the next year and told me to forget the rejection of the previous year. It took a lot of internal mind searching. Finally, I reapplied with more faith and believing in God for success in 2015. The good news is I was admitted and have graduated.
Is it normal to feel and fight fear?
Job felt fear so badly that is why he said What I feared the most has come upon me, Job 3:25. Still, we have to choose not to give up.
Can we admit that most, if not all our failures are connected to fear? We can relate that sometimes the things we feared most are the things that have happened to us.
That goes with the saying when you give place to fear, you give place to the devil.
In all cases, whether we are aware of it or not, fear changes our focus and gives us a negative perspective about God and ourselves. We cannot deny that fear torments, traps our souls, and handcuffs us to misery and self-imprisonment.
It is not extreme to add that, fear has the power to paralyze our potential. And sometimes, it rules our lives and disturbs our sleeping hours too. I have remarked that every time I am restless and cannot find sleep, it is usually because I am worried and afraid of one decision I want to take.
To some people, yielding to fear has made them lose their sense of reasoning and has given them inferiority complexes. I cannot belabor the negative effects of allowing fear to control us. On the contrary, I will over-elaborate on the strategies to fight fear below.
A man stooping because he is afraid
1. Abide in the word of God
Jesus said in John 15:7, “ If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you”.
It is a condition and prerequisite for us to stay attached to God through his word at all times. The only way, we can receive faith is by sticking closer to the faith giver – God.
It is easiest to identify fear has crept into your life and thoughts when you start experiencing contrary feelings to the word of God. Thus, soak yourself with God’s word daily.
2. Abide in prayer
We cannot overemphasize the power of praying consistently and with devotion.
Verse 44 of Luke 22, adds “And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground”.
One of the great ways to deal with overwhelming fear about something is to study the Bible by reading scriptures related to fear and praying out those scriptures.
A woman saying fear is not from God
Sometimes, we could take an overview of the lives of all the fathers/ mothers of faith in scriptures (Abraham, Moses, Ruth, just to list a few) and pray with the lessons of how they dealt with it.
In summary, fear is not preventable but we can fight it. I admonish you to fight fear with God’s word and run to God for empowerment. Fear is real but faith in God will give us joy.
