Fear is a serious subject.
Some fears are rooted in previous experiences. We’ve been threatened, rejected, or hurt. Maybe you’ve experienced terrifying panic, heart-breaking disappointment, or mortifying embarrassment. And we fear it will happen again.
Other fears exist because we have a strong ability to imagine the worst. Fears of an uncertain future, fears of failure, or fears of loss fall in this category.
Whatever the source of fear, when we let it overpower us, it becomes toxic. And when fear becomes toxic, we can become paralyzed by all the what-ifs.
What if my spouse dies? What if I lose my job? What if something happens to one of my kids? What if we don’t have enough to retire? What if I never get married? What if we never have kids?
Now, for most of us, when we first experience fear, we think, “I can handle it. I can man-up, or I can woman-up. I can carry this.” But after a while, fear becomes a burden that just seems too heavy to bear any longer, and so, fear becomes paralyzing.
That is why Paul wrote these words in 2 Timothy 1:7 to a young pastor who was living in fear:
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.”
So, how can we be set free from the prison cell of fear? Let me outline three things that you can do to overcome fear.
1. Identify Your Fears
There are times when I’ve felt afraid, but I didn’t even know why. If you keep your fears inside, you allow your mind to control how you feel. We all know how that turns out!
In order to prevent this from happening, the first step is to identify what your fears are. Ask yourself, what makes me feel afraid? Then, instead of just thinking about these things, write them down. When you write down your fears on paper and actually question them, it forces you to analyze why you are afraid. Questions are designed to trigger your fears and bring them to the surface.
Is this going to be a comfortable process? Absolutely not. Deep inner work never is! However, if you continue to keep your feelings in the dark, the scarier they will be, and the more disempowered you will become.
Once you identify your fears, you’re ready for the next step.
2. Choose to Trust God with Your Fears
Now, if you are a control freak, this is going to be difficult for you. But if you are trying to manage your fears by trying to control all the possibilities/outcomes, you are only making the problem worse. Trust me when I say that this is a losing battle.
Fear results in controlling behavior, and when this behavior doesn’t give us the results we’re seeking (which is usually the case), it further intensifies our fears.
Control has no place on the path to learning how to overcome fear.
So, instead of controlling everything, choose to trust God with your fears. Say, “God, you know I struggle with this fear, but I choose to trust you anyway. I am going to invite you into my inner world and ask that you help me to feel peace.”
True freedom comes from fully releasing control and trusting God. When you are able to do this, fear will begin to lose its grip on you.
3. Seek God until He Takes Away Your Fears.
Seek Him by reading what he has to say through the Bible. Seek Him through prayer; seek Him through your LifeGroup by having people pray for you. Seek Him in other books written by Christians (see the resources below;, seek after God day and night until He takes away your fears.
King David said it this way in Psalm 34:4, “I sought the LORD, and He answered me; He delivered me from all my fears.”
Just think about that with your fear. One day you can wake up and say, "I am not afraid. I sought the Lord, and He answered me. He delivered me from all of my fears."
I love this quote from the devotional Jesus Calling.
“We often glance at God but gaze at our circ*mstances.” We have it backward. When we learn to constantly gaze at Jesus and only occasionally look at our problems, our fears will fade away.
Now, I may not know you, but I do know this about you. You will certainly go through some difficult times. But you do not have to be afraid of them. Because God has not given you a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
We can literally drive ourselves crazy with fear. Or we can break up with fear by identifying what it is that we are afraid of, choose to trust God with that fear, then seek Him until our fear subsides.
For more resources on dealing with fear, I would recommend:
Link to last week’s message - Fear https://youtu.be/xiYfPH56bhw
Get Out of Your Head: Stopping the Spiral of Toxic Thoughts by Jennie Allen
Bible studies on Faith over Fear: https://www.bible.com/search/plans?q=fear
