I used to live in fear. Fear of the unknown. Fear of saying the wrong thing. Fear of what someone else could do (as if I could control that!)

Fear makes a horrible dictator. Dictating what we can or can’t say or do or think. Fear keeps us locked in a prison. A prison of our own making. It took a while for me to learn that I had a choice – and I was choosing fear.

“Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8)

One of the ways Satan repeatedly tries to devour us is through fear. If he can bring fear to the forefront, and distract us from the goodness of God, he will. Every. Time.

However, the opposite of fear is faith and faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see (Hebrews 11:1). Fear sees the unknown as negative and pessimistic. Faith is hopeful and optimistic. Which would you “choose” for yourself?

I am not saying there aren’t terrifying things and evil people in this world, but I am saying that we can trust in a God who is faithful and good. A God who already knows how your life will play out, and who has a plan to give you blessings, along with a promise to turn every challenge into an opportunity and work it out for your good. When you know…and I mean really know and believe that truth….fear has to release its hold on you. You have removed the well worn foothold Satan has been using, because you are no longer afraid of the unknown.

If fear is your dictator right now and you want to kick him off his thrown, here are some simple ideas to get you started.

  1. Memorize 2 Timothy 1:7 and speak it over yourself whenever fear rears its ugly head.

    For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

  2. The next time you feel yourself making any decision out of fear….STOP. Refuse to make a decision based on fear. Pray and ask God to show you the FAITH-FILLED solution. Then do it.
  3. Write out a list of the ways God has been faithful to you (or even those you know) in the past. Ask for eyes to see his continued faithfulness and keep adding to your list. It’s very hard to believe the lie that God can’t or won’t handle your current fear, when the truth is evidence to the contrary.

My prayers are for you to be more than a conqueror through Christ. To live in freedom from fear. To embrace the goodness of our God. What a powerhouse for Christ you will be when fear is no longer calling the shots!!