What is fear?

Fear (noun):

1. A painful emotion or passion excited by an expectation of evil, or the apprehension of impending danger. Fear expresses less apprehension than dread, and dread less than terror and fright. The force of this passion, beginning with the most moderate degree, may be thus expressed, fear, dread, terror, fright. Fear is accompanied with a desire to avoid or ward off the expected evil. Fear is an uneasiness of mind, upon the thought of future evil likely to befall us.

Life can bring joy and anger, courage or fear, truth or unbelief. I’ve found life to bring a roller coaster of emotion. There’s days where I feel like I can accomplish anything, and there’s days where I feel like it’ll take everything I have in me to do the next thing. It’s the times where I know I don’t have control over situations that I feel the most vulnerable. I like knowing what is coming. As much as I like to think I like surprises, I like knowing what’s ahead of me more. I know, I know, if I knew everything that was going to happen in my life, what’s the excitement in that? There is truth to that. But I would be lying if I said that it doesn’t make me nervous to think about job security, staying healthy, or the safety of my family.

What do you tend to navigate to when you are feeling fearful or anxious? Maybe you ignore situations, move towards substance or food, or make spur of the moment decisions.

I think as women we tend to fear rejection, failure, feeling unloved, but the truth is, IF YOU ARE WALKING WITH GOD AND GROWING IN YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM, YOU WILL WANT TO FOLLOW HIS PLAN FOR YOUR LIFE, NO MATTER WHAT IT MAY BE.

God speaks so much truth about fear. I have to continually remind myself that if I am living in fear, I am not relying on the Lord. God is absolutely bigger than fear itself.

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”

- Joshua 1:9

What can give us more comfort that knowing God is with us EVERYWHERE we go? Thinking about what life would be like if I knew God was not by my side absolutely terrifies me. Yes, that is a time to be fearful. But, knowing God is with me wherever I go, allows me to be strong and brave in decisions I make that are in God’s will.

“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

- Matthew 6:34

God commands us to live in the present moment. He loves us and will be sure we have what we need. Our needs might not meet the standards we have for ourselves, but God knows our exact needs and desires for us to submit in the fact that he will be with us and take care of us.

“I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.”

- Psalm 34:4

“When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy.”

- Psalm 94:19

We are human. We are sinners. There are times where we are fearful. These are the exact moments where we should call out to God. Living in fear is bound to get us nowhere. Calling out to God and relying on him will bring us complete joy.

We cannot control the thoughts that come into our minds, but we can control what we do with these thoughts. Hiding God’s word in our hearts can allow us to overcome this fear and drown ourselves in truth. I challenge you to attempt the challenge this week with me!

CHALLENGE:

Memorize one of the following scriptures. When you find yourselves being anxious or fearful, repeat God’s word in the midst of the moment.

Philippians 4:6-7

Psalm 94:19

Psalm 34:4

Matthew 6:34

Joshua 1:9

1 John 4:18

Share with us on the I Believe page how hiding God’s word in your heart allowed you to overcome fear or the feeling of anxiousness throughout your upcoming week.