Tools Against Fear

 

"For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." II Timothy 1:7

If you know me well, you know that II Tim. Chapter one Verse seven is one of my favorite verses. It is one of the great reminders in the Bible to not let fear take root. I have heard it said that "fear not," or some form of "do not be afraid" is referenced in the Bible 365 times, one for every day of the year. I've even referred to this myself in previous Thoughts posts about fear. However, I have been digging deeper and that may not be the case. Test everything against the Bible, right? 

So how many times is fear referenced in the Bible? The sources I was able to skim over before writing today were not in agreement on this. I don't think the point is to nitpick how many times this phrase, or similar sentiments, appear in God's Word. I believe the point is that there are many places in the Bible to which we can turn for the reminder that fear does not come from God. God has given us many emotions, we were made in His image so these are all the same emotions that He has, and experiences. Fear isn't one of them, my friends! 

I believe fear can take many forms. Anxiety, depression, despair, stress, doubt...I'm sure this list is not complete, but we get the picture. Fear is all around us, and can manifest itself in many ways. If it's not from God there is only one other source that fear could be from: the devil. Of course the devil wants us to be afraid, anxious, depressed, stressed, etc. He is steaming mad that we have been saved, and he knows he has a limited amount of time to make us miserable, to draw us away from God, and to try to change the course of our destiny. He caused fear way back in the Garden when Eve and Adam fell for the fear of lack and ate from the tree in the middle of garden, the only one God told them not to eat from...and one that they had to pass by all their abundance to reach.  

How do we fight our greatest foe? With our greatest weapon, of course! The whole armor of God! Read through Ephesians 6:11-20. Pray yourself into this armor daily. Spend time daily with "the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." God already handed us His armor, we have to willingly put it on and go to battle. His Word is full of truths that fight the enemy's lies. Let's take a look at a few...

Do you have the voice of anxiety telling you lies? Is it perhaps asking you a hundred different "what ifs" every moment of every day? What verse might help you to tell that voice to sit down and be quiet? Perhaps Jesus' own words from the sixth chapter of Matthew, "Therefore, I say to you, do not worry abut your life... Look at the birds of the air...your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?" Or how about the fifth chapter of First Peter, "casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you." What about some Old Testament? The ninety-fourth Psalm says this: "In the multitude of my anxieties within me, Your comforts delight my soul." 

What if we are fighting the voices of depression? Perhaps this stems from grief we wallowed in too long; Psalms 34:18 tells us, "The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit." Are you struggling with self worth? In the first chapter of Genesis, God tells us, "So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them." He also tells us, in the first chapter of Jeremiah, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you." If you are made in God's image, and He knew you before you were even conceived on earth then I promise you that you have a purpose and a hope in Him.

My dear friend, are you battling doubt? I promise we all have a season where this clouds over us. The ninth chapter of Mark gives us the words to pray, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief." And Jesus promised in the eleventh chapter of Luke, "ask, and it will be given to you; seek and you will find..." Ask God to help your doubt, and seek Him in prayer and in His word. He will give you what you need to restore the hope that was hidden in the fog. 

In the midst of an active attack, we may not be able to recall these verses if we are not spending time daily in God's word. As we read God's words over and over, they will be written on our hearts. Yet, even if we struggle to recall the most reassuring passages when we need them most, they are only as far away as our nearest Bible. And if you have a smartphone this can be in your hand. There are many free Bible apps out there that you can open up and begin reading. Read it out loud, if you are in a place where you can do so. The words we speak have power - and there is no better power to give them then the words straight from God, in His Word. 

So, my dear friends, what is our challenge this week? Our challenge is to rebuke fear, in any form it might take, when it tries to creep in this week. Let us seek God in prayer and in His Word whenever you feel fear attempting to overwhelm us. We are not strong enough on our own. There is good news - we are never alone! Stand strong in His armor, then fight back with the sword of the Spirit. We got this - not on our own, but on the strength, grace, and mercy of our truly awesome God!