Fear is a natural emotion we feel when faced with apparent threat of danger, pain or harm. In many ways it is a good thing that we are capable of feeling fear. If we couldn’t feel afraid, then we would not be held back from jumping over a guard rail unprotected or from grabbing a hot object that has hurt us in previous times. This fear however should not control us to the extent of negatively affecting our thoughts and actions.
Many times, fear keeps Christians from living to their full potentials. Fear of anticipated problems in the future has brought many Christians to a place of anxiety and continuous worry and deny themselves of the blessings God has in store for us. Fear could prevent us from adopting a task that God wants to bless or make us to disobey God rather than suffer a dreaded situation.
365 times in scripture God reminds us to “fear not”. This implies that for every day in the year you can have a unique passage encourage you to discard your fears and trust God. Many times in scriptures God also recommends faith showing us what is expected from us in order to overcome fear.
Replacing Fear with Faith
After about 40 days of wandering in the wilderness God was about to usher the children of Israel into the Promised Land. He asked 12 representatives from the different tribes of Israel to go into Canaan as spies of the Promised Land. 10 of the spies saw through the lenses of fear and came back with negative news for the children of Israel.
Joshua and Caleb however saw through the lenses of faith and came back with positive assurances. As long as the 10 spies were afraid, they could not appreciate the blessings God had expected them to notice. They could not praise God for the rich bounties in the land of Canaan. In the same way, as long as Joshua and Caleb were full of faith and trust in God, they could not be intimidated by the Giants of Canaan
Fear is the exact opposite of faith. Fear magnifies the difficulties before us and causes us to shiver in anxiety while faith magnifies the power of God to bring us through difficult times and cause us to be positive and anticipate God coming through for us. Therefore, in other to overcome fear, we need to deliberately exercise faith.
Faith comes by hearing the word. In the face of apparent difficulties, threat by an employee, announcement of the spread of an infectious disease, a frightening announcement by the family physician, or whatever the case may be, let us take a moment to remind ourselves of God’s promises to care for us and come through for us when we need it the most.
It may appear as though we are at a dead end but let us keep in mind that God can make a way through the worst of circumstances and should he decide to keep the doors shut, we can trust that He knows best and all things will certainly work for our good.
Bible Promises to Encourage us When we Are Afraid
I recommend that you memorize a few verses to recite when you feel afraid. These four verses are among my personal favorites
“Be still, and know that I am God!” (Psalm 46:10);
“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)
“Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7).
“All things work together for Good for those who love God and are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28)