In today’s society there are many reasons to fear. And even though we may conquer a certain fear it won’t be long and we are faced with another reason to fear. But God tells us many times throughout the bible to not be afraid. So how do we get to the point of trusting God? In this article I want to show you a couple of ways that we can remove the fear and begin to trust God.
I have gone through many trials that gave me fear. And I thought I should be an expert at this by now. I should know how to handle fear when it creeps up in my life. But as i write this post I am being reminded of something I went through this past week when I went to see my mental health doctor and my OBGYN.
I was going for a routine check up with both doctors and I had plans to ask them a question that was on my mind. I wanted to ask them if I were to get pregnant how would that affect the meds that I am on.
You see recently the Lord has told my husband and I that we are going to have kids. I don’t know when but because I am on a bunch of anxiety medications I was afraid to go off of them. Right now my mental health is stable and I feel like a normal person. I have tried coming down off some of the pills but I end up having panic attacks when I do.
So when I asked both doctors what would happen, they both said that some meds can be switched while others I would have to completely go off of. They continued to tell me that I would have 9 months of anxiety.
On the drive home I was full of fear. I kept saying to myself and to God that I didn’t want to have kids if that meant me going off of all meds and having anxiety for 9 months. But if I stayed on the meds while pregnant it can hurt the baby. So I told God that I was scared. And my rational mind was trying to think of how God was going to do this. And thinking about it was just making things worse.
When I got home I was led to go to my prayer room. I felt it was very important that I do so. So as I sat there with my bible open to where I had left off the day before, my eyes fell on a particular verse, Genesis 15:1a which says, “Do not be afraid Abram for I will protect you and your reward will be great.”(NLT)
Ok so the Lord was telling me “To not be afraid and that he will protect me.”
I know that the verse was for me to see because God whispered to my heart that he was giving me this verse because I was afraid of what the doctors had told me.
So after I read that verse I ask the Lord if we will have biological children or will they be by adoption.
I continue to read chapter 15 and verse 4 says this, ” Then behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, this man Eliezer will not be your heir but he who shall come from your own body shall be heir.”(AMP)
Ok, wow! God now is telling me that I am going to have children by my own body and not by adoption.
So now the fear of what the doctors told me about having anxiety for 9 months just got real.
Several days later in my quiet time with the Lord, I was reading in the book of Jeremiah. Verse 27:17a stands out to me and it says this, “Do not listen to them.”
God knew that what the doctors told me had been on my mind for several days even though he told me to not be afraid. God knew I was still afraid. And He was telling me to not listen to the doctors.
I just want to stop and say isn’t God great! Look at how he answered my questions and my fear.
I was afraid of what the doctors had to say about me and how they would handle the situation. When God was trying to tell me to not listen to them but to trust him and he will protect me.
Psalms 56:3 the amplified bible translation says this, “When I am afraid, I will put my trust and faith in you.” That my friend, is how we are going to remove the fear. We are going to trust and have faith in him.
HOW TO REMOVE FEAR AND TRUST GOD
So when we are faced with fear. We have to remember that as long as we trust God he will take care of us and everything else will fall into place. We don’t have to worry or be afraid. We just need to obey and trust him.
I know it’s easier said than done, but trusting God and believing his word is where we need to start when we are trying to remove fear. Faith is believing that what God says in his word is truth despite what is happening around us. We have to choose to believe him and take him at his word. God never lies (Numbers 23:19) and his word will never fail (Luke 1:37).
Along with trusting in God we need to stop focusing on the fear. We can choose to think about things that are true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, and admirable (Philippians 4:8). When we choose to dwell on the fear we will feel more fear. When we choose to dwell on the one who takes fear away, we will find peace.
I have found that when we ask ourselves if what we are fearful of is true, chances are the answer would be no it is not. Much of the time we are fearful for no reason. And what we are afraid of never happens.
Another way to overcome fear is to praise God. Praise is an antidote to fear. I have personally experienced this first hand. I have praised God in the midst of fear by playing worship music and singing. And in doing so the fear literally just disappeared. As I was worshiping, the fear was leaving my body and giving me peace. That my dear friend is how we can conquer fear.
BIBLE VERSES FOR FEAR
Here are some bible verses that you can repeat daily, even minute by minute when you feel fear. It is so powerful when you repeat God’s word back to him. So repeat these verses as many times as you need to not be afraid.
When I am afraid, I will put my trust and faith in you. (Psalms 56:3 AMP) This is my command- be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. (Joshua 1:9 NLT)
Don't be afraid, for I am with you. Don't be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you . I will hold you up with my victorious right hand. (Isaiah 41:10 NLT)
So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you. (Deuteronomy 31:6 NLT)
They were all terrified when they saw him. But Jesus spoke to them at once. "Don't be afraid," he said. "Take courage! I am here!" (Mark 6:50 NLT)
CONCLUSION
Fear can be crippling, but if you nip it in the butt before it gets out of hand, you can save yourself from much anxiety. Notice your thoughts and keep them in check. If they are not true, honorable, or praiseworthy choose to think about something else. You are in control of your thoughts. Repeat the verses above instead of focusing on the fear. Praise God for the wonderful God he is. And God will meet you where you are at. He will give you the peace you need to get through.
If you are blessed by this article please consider leaving a comment. And don’t forget to enter your email in the box that says “join the rest” to follow me and this blog. I would love to have you be apart of the family!
