Overcoming Fear

Roslynn Bryant, Christian author of Maximize the Season and The Three Keys to our Relationship with God shares on overcoming fear.

The word “fear” in the Hebrew language means fright, dread, terror, or alarm. What are the things that the Bible says that we are not to fear? One, we are not to fear sudden terror. Proverbs 3:25 – 26 states, “Do not be afraid of sudden terror, nor of trouble from the wicked when it comes, for the LORD will be your confidence, and will keep your foot from being caught.” Two, we are not to fear evil.  Psalm 23:4 states, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for You are with me.” Three, we are not to fear wicked schemes or evildoers. Psalm 37:1 – 3 states, “Do not fret because of evildoers, nor be envious of the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass and wither as the green herb. Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.”

So how do we overcome fear? The antidote to fear is found in our relationship with God through the Lord Jesus Christ.  First, we have the love of God. 1 John 7:18 – 19 says, “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. We love Him because He first loved us.” God first showed His love for us by sending His Son, the Lord Jesus to be the offering for our sins.  All who accept the Lord Jesus’ sacrifice for their sins are saved from eternal condemnation and will have confidence in the Day of judgment. Moreover, all who receive the Son of God, the Father lovingly gives the Spirit of God to abide in us. Romans 5:5 states, “…the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us”. When we understand clearly the love that God has for us, it casts off fear.  Romans 8:38 says, “For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Therefore, to all who belong to the Lord Jesus, there is no need to fear anything in life nor fear death. We need not fear anything physical or spiritual because God’s love for us transcends all things in time and for all eternity.

Secondly, we have trusting in God.  Isaiah 26:3 – 4 states, “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You. Trust in the LORD forever, for in YAH, the LORD, is everlasting strength.” Trusting in God dispels fear. We are to trust that He loves us, that He cares about our lives, that He will work all things together for good, that even in death we win. Trust is rooted and developed in a relationship.  As we grow in our relationship with God, we will be able to trust Him. The more we trust Him, the less we will fear. Thirdly, we have the Presence of God. Isaiah 41:10 states, “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.” God promises to be with us to strengthen, help, and uphold us. God is with us through the Presence of the Holy Spirit. 2 Timothy 1:7 says, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” For every believer in the Lord Jesus, God has given us the Holy Spirit to abide in us. He is not a Spirit that brings fear but He bestows upon us power, love and a sound mind.  Fourthly, we have prayer and supplication. Philippians 4:6 – 7 says, “Be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God and the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” There are times when anxiety grips us because of various situations and circumstances. When this happens, our response is to be prayer and supplication [earnest fervent petitions].  At times, a single prayer will lead us to God’s peace then there are times when we need to labor earnestly and fervently in prayer until our hearts and minds become filled with the peace of God.

Finally, Romans 14:8 declares, “For if we live, we live to the Lord and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.” When we embrace this truth that we belong to God in life and in death, we will overcome fear.