Fear can be paralyzing. Those who suffer from the effects of fear have difficulty accomplishing the purposes of God’s calling on their lives. They struggle with moving forward when the Spirit says “Go!” and they struggle with remaining in place when the Spirit says “Stay!” Satan always will have the fear option available for every believer who dares to step out in faith to do God’s will. However God hasn’t given His people a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and sound mind to do what would be impossible without Him. Use the acronym F.E.A.R.S to discover the 5 Biblical ways to gain victory over your fears.
#1) Face the Fear
“And, ‘But my righteous one will live by faith. And I take no pleasure in the one who shrinks back’ But we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved” (Hebrews 10:38-39).
When fear raises its ugly head to intimidate us, we must resist the urge to run and instead turn to face it. We can deal with it because the God who is within us is greater than the devil and anything that comes against us. In order to have the victory, our first response is to pray and ask the Lord for strength through the gift of the Holy Spirit. He will give courage to your soul and vision to your mind to overcome the spirit of fear.
#2) Expect the Resistance
“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7).
Dealing with fear is the same as dealing with forgiveness—just because you do it once doesn’t mean that you will never do it again. When Jesus was tempted by Satan, scripture teaches us that “When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time” (Luke 4:13). We are not better than Jesus and fear will come back another time perhaps when we are weakened because we are tired, weary, or not feeling good. The victory happens when we make up our minds to resist a passive approach to fear every single time.
#3) Apply the Word
“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love” (1 John 4:18).
The spirit of fear can’t occupy the same space as perfect love! One will eventually overcome the other. Our love is built up as we read, study, memorize, and obey the Word of God to every area of our lives. No one will ever overcome fear without the love of God expressed through the Scriptures. It’s the truth and love of God keeping His promises that strengthens our faith and we are no longer fearful regardless of the situation.
#4) Recognize the Lord
“For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you” (Isaiah 41:13).
For the believers in Christ Jesus, He promised that He would never leave nor forsake us. We are not alone in our battles with fear. In fact, because of our intimate relationship with Jesus—we begin to know His presence and fear loses its grip on our hearts. The Lord is available to help us through scary situations if we are willing to submit to Him and follow the leadings of the Holy Spirit. The more we practice the presence of God, the less fearful we will become.
#5) Speak the Truth
“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7).
We need to speak it aloud God’s word aloud when faced with fear. By speaking the scriptures out of our mouths and trusting in Him with our hearts, we become more invincible in the spirit to do His will. The spirit of fear isn’t from God. He gives us the power through His Spirit, the unconditional love from His Son, and the soundness of mental clarity from the Word of God to overcome fear and be spiritual conquerors.
No Place for Fear
This Christian journey has many peaks and valleys. There will be mountain top experiences of faith that will allow us to soar in spiritual victories, yet there are also valleys of missed opportunities and discouragement. We will have to deal with fear in all its many forms, but we have the Spirit of God to deal and overcome it as we put our trust solidly in Him.
Article by Crystal McDowell
Crystal McDowell is a writer, speaker, and teacher with a passion to encourage believers to know and grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ through practical application of God’s word.
Crystal and her husband, Marshall, raise their five children in the Bloomington, IL. As a freelance writer and editor for over 13 years, Crystal has published numerous Christian curriculums for Sunday School and VBS as well as many articles dealing with marriage, motherhood, and relationships. She’s a weekly staff writer for www.whatchristianswanttoknow.com as well as writing her own blog at http://crystalmcdowellspeaks.blogspot.com.
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