Fear is an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat.
Sometimes fear is completely understandable and appropriate. For example, trying to walk across a busy highway is likely going to evoke some fear. Completely appropriate!
But sometimes our fear can paralyze us into stagnation and hinder us from growth.
I remember being a little girl and I would be petrified in my room because I believed someone was standing in there. I would be too afraid to cry out for my mom. But I also didn’t have enough courage to leave the room. I would put the covers over my head and try to go back to sleep. Usually to no avail. And then as light began to shine into the darkness of my room I would see that the dreadful stranger was really a bathrobe or some random combination of objects.
That was a situation where my eyes played tricks on me and my emotion fueled my false perception to create negative thoughts.
How often does that happen to you? Are you letting fear fuel false perceptions to create negative thoughts?
- What if I’m not good enough?
- What if I fail?
- Other people are better than me so why try?
- Who do I think I am?
These are all thoughts that can get in the way of following God’s path for us or trying something new to explore our talents.
Last weekend my family and I watched, “Facing the Giants” for our family movie. It has a great message and goes along with the topic of fear and not allowing doubt to hinder your ability. In the movie, one of the boys was talking to his dad about wanting to join the football team but not being sure he was going to make it. The dad said, “Son, you’re already not on the team. You can’t be any more not on the team.”
I found that line to be such a great nugget. How often are we worried we are going to not make the “team” in whatever capacity that means for you? But you’re currently not on the team anyway.
Did you know that the bible states the phrase “do not be afraid” 70 times in the NIV translation?!
I love the song The Voice of Truth by Casting Crown, which talks about overcoming fear by listening to God – our voice of truth.
Here are some of the lyrics:
Oh what I would do to have
The kind of faith it takes to climb out of this boat I’m in
Onto the crashing waves
To step out of my comfort zone
To the realm of the unknown where Jesus is
And He’s holding out his hand
But the waves are calling out my name and they laugh at me
Reminding me of all the times I’ve tried before and failed
The waves they keep on telling me
Time and time again, “Boy, you’ll never win!”
“You’ll never win”
But the voice of truth tells me a different story
And the voice of truth says, “Do not be afraid!”
And the voice of truth says, “This is for My glory”
Out of all the voices calling out to me
I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth
Take the time to read the below bible scriptures and truly focus on what they are saying to you. Some passages may touch you differently than others. Writing down the verses in your own hand is helpful for some individuals. Possibly looking up the verses in your own bible may be beneficial. I use a NIV bible translation. Or reading them over and over to commit to memory. Whatever method works best for you to experience God’s words and feel closer to Him.
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?
Romans 8:15
For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”
Psalm 56:3-4
When I am afraid, I will trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?
1 John 4:18
There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The who fears in not made perfect in love.
Matthew 10:29-31
Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
Deuteronomy 31:6
John 14:27
I sincerely pray that these verses help you release the grips of fear on your heart and go forward with God’s strength and courage.
God bless,
Melissa
This is such an amazing post! I love that you added the lyrics to the song. Now that song is stuck in my head… WHICH I like, so I know to not walk in fear today… or any day 😊!
Thank you Marlie! It’s amazing how powerful songs can be. The Holy Spirit blesses me with song lyrics throughout the day that just pop up into my head when I am praying for guidance and support! Thank you for reading and commenting! God bless!
Melissa,
I loved this post so much. As someone who deals with fear a lot, I’ve clung to the words of that song by Casting Crowns since I was little! I loved that line from Facing the Giants— I am SO going to use that! Thank you for lining out scriptures and truths to point us back to when fear tries to seize the day.
Thank you, Kaitlin! Anxiety and fear have often been emotions I have had to fight and push against. As I have gotten stronger in my faith, I have been able to rely on scripture better to be reminded of truth instead of past false truths that attempt to creep back in! Thank you for reading and commenting! God bless!
Thank you Melissa for sharing such relevant and timely wisdom! Including practical ways we can quiet the fear-inducing dialogue in our heads (I.e. reading/memorizing scripture and listening to worship music about the Truth) really added great value to this post. 😊
Thank you for such kind words Christy! Fear is something everyone struggles with at sometime in their life and it is important to be filled with truth to combat it. Thank you for reading and commenting! God bless!
The timing of this is impeccable! I was just having a conversation with the Lord last night about my “fear” of the unknown. He is the only source of peace and He reminded me that I will only find true rest when I rest in Him and trust Him. Thank you for this timely reminder and the verses to dwell on!
I’m so glad that the post met you where you are and helped to reinforce the words of our Lord! I also love Philippians 4:6-7 to combat anxiety and fear – as I also can struggle with the unknown. Thank you for reading and commenting! God bless!
Fear prevents me from stepping out of my comfort zone. I loved the following lines from the lyrics “To step out of my comfort zone
To the realm of the unknown where Jesus is
And He’s holding out his hand”
Faith takes me to the realm of those places I fear today. All we have to do is hold HIS hand.
Amen.
Blessings
And what an amazing gift that we get to hold His hand?! It is humbling, overwhelming in the best kind of way, and comforting all at the same time! Thank you for stopping by and commenting! God bless!
Great post, I remember doing that as a child too. The fear stops us from running out of the room to mommy or daddy. Fear can be amazingly paralyzing.
And it’s also amazing how even as adults our irrational fears can hinder us from running to our Heavenly Father if we don’t stay rooted in His truths. Thank you for reading and commenting! God bless!
Great post! Love the scripture reminders for putting out the fear fire!
Thank you for the encouragement and for commenting! God bless!
Love that movie! Fear tends to attempt to intervene right before God is about shine His glory! Thank you for reminder to listen to one voice!
Fear can be so detrimental to our progress and even hinder us from of hearing and seeing what God is wanting from us. When we daily focus on God’s word and voice we are better able fight against that fear. Thank you for reading and commenting! God bless!
Thank your for sharing those verses!!!
And thank you for stopping by and commenting! Have a blessed day!
What lovely words from Casting Crown. I forget about Christian music other than worship music in church. I forget it can be good and true too. Thank you for sharing!
The Holy Spirit gifts me with random Christian song lyrics right when I wake up in the morning and then at various times throughout the day. It’s such a beautiful and powerful way me to experience God’s love! Thank you for reading and commenting! God bless!
Hi Melissa
Thank you for writing “Living in the Word – Prayer Devotional for Fear.”
It was an enjoyable read this Sunday afternoon here in the cold Greenland.
The blog post was highly relatable for me because I’ve lived most of my life alone as an OFW (which is short for a person from the Philippines travelling abroad to work).
I stopped doing that five years ago when I married my husband, but that lifestyle is filled with fear and stress.
Your blog post brought me back to the time when my life was filled with fear.
But it did it in an excellent reflexive way.
I like what you said: “Sometimes fear is completely understandable and appropriate.”
There are situations where it’s helpful to feel fear, for example when crossing a busy highway as you said.
I smiled when I read about your experience as a little girl being petrified in your room because I know the feeling.
I had the same feeling when I came across a corner back home in the Philippines; what I used to do was to sing (but it didn’t always help) 🙂
The four pattern you mention regards negative thinking has been typical for me as well.
I guess, they’re pretty universal.
But I do believe God wants us to be confident (but He also expect us to do our homework).
I’ve not seen “Facing the Giants”, but I’ll put it on my to-see-list.
My husband and I love to watch movies; there’s not so much else to do here in Greenland!
Those Bible verses are great; my favourite is 1. John 4:18.
I do believe it’s allowed to have favourite Bible verses – it’s more fun that way 🙂
Once again, thank you for making my Sunday even better than it already was.
I’ll share “Living in the Word – Prayer Devotional for Fear” on Wednesday, November 1.
With respect,
Edna Davidsen
Edna, I would be fearful of traveling abroad by myself! I was proud of flying across the country by myself just a month ago. Thank you for such kind words and for taking the time to write your comments. I’m glad your Sunday was even more enjoyable. God bless!
“But sometimes our fear can paralyze us into stagnation and hinder us from growth.“ Yes! So. Many. Times. I can’t believe how many times I have allowed fear to decide my life. Psalm 56:3-4 >>> I proclaim over my life, my future! Great word!! Thank you!!
Fear absolutely comes from false truths fed to us by Satan. We need to know our true worth in God’s eyes to be able to fight and move on! Thank you for reading and commenting! God bless!
Thank you for sharing this, I struggle constantly with fear and worry. I needed this today
I’m so glad the post what helpful. Remember, you are a child of God! He loves you and wants to protect you and take on your fears. Allow Him to take them on! God bless you, Terri!
I love your blog. This post resonates with me daily. Thanks for the inspiration and encouragement.
Aww! Thank you for such kind words! My absolute intention for my blog is to encourage others, provide practical Christian-living tips and glorify God. I’m glad the post met you where you are! Thank you for reading and commenting! God bless!
I love this Melissa! I struggle with Fear a lot sometimes and I need to print out those verses and read them for an encouragement to get over the fear.
Always love reading your posts. 🙂
Thank you for such kind words! Many people struggle with fear, which is why I think it is addressed so many times in the bible. We allow our own worries and insecurities to creep in and make us second guess our worth and ability. Being equipped with God’s word can be incredibly helpful! Thank you for reading and commenting! God bless!
Thanks for this great post, Melissa. So many great quotes and verses to stick with us.
I’m so glad you shared that nugget of wisdom from Facing the Giants. That might be just the thought I needed to begin some things I’ve been afraid to start.
You shared great verses! Another favorite of mine is 2 Timothy 1:7, “God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” It helps me call out my fear and recognize that it is not from God!
Thank you for the kind words. I enjoyed the movie quote, too. It was so practical and yet can be so hard for us to view rationally in the moment when emotion is flooding us. I enjoy 2 Timothy 1:7 as well! Thank you for reading and commenting. God bless!