Fighting Fear
These last few weeks have felt heavy and challenging. From unprecedented events in Afghanistan to natural disasters in Haiti, Tennessee and Louisiana and the spike of the Delta Variant - a lot is happening in our world at the moment. It is easy to become overwhelmed with fear and allow it to completely control our thoughts and actions.
I wanted to take some time this week to reflect on the reality of fear but more importantly, focus on the hope we can hold onto because fear does not have to have a hold on our lives as Christians.
Fear is real and we all experience it in different ways, at varying times. I want to recognize just how paralyzing fear can be and that it takes time to conquer. We all worry about different things such as the safety of our children, finding a snake in the garage, being diagnosed with an illness or the deteriorating state of our nation. Satan always finds a way to sneak into our lives, cause us anxiety and steal our joy, and fear is a common tool that he uses over and over again to get us to doubt God. However, we cannot let Satan win this battle and in fact, we can have so much hope to hold onto to get us out of the grip of fear.
Here are a few verses that I cling to when I find myself beginning to feel the tug of fear. I want to encourage you to spend time reflecting on these verses, praying for strength in your faith, and allowing the Holy Spirit to set you free from what is leaving you scared and worried at this moment.
Psalm 23:4 “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.”
Isaiah 41:10 “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
Psalm 27:1 “The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?”
2 Timothy 1:7 “For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.”
1 John 4:4 “The One who is in you (the Holy Spirit) is greater than the one who is in the world (Satan).”
No matter how bad it seems or how strong your fears become, remember that our God is always with us, and as Christians, we have the Holy Spirit living within us. He is a safe place and gives us the strength we need to conquer all fear if we will just turn to Him. When we allow Satan to bring fear into our lives, we are then not trusting God and are showing our doubt that God is really in control. Fear shows us that our faith is weak.
Seek the comfort and peace that can only be offered through God by spending time reading His Word and in prayer. And know that God truly is in control and that He truly does have this! We have no reason to fear as Christians, as we have the Holy Spirit living inside us. We just have to tap into the power that is available to us and quit trusting and relying on ourselves and doubting God.