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How to Overcome Fear
David in his prayer in Ps. 56: 3
said to God ‘When I am afraid, I will trust in you.’ You may think it strange that David, a great king, could be afraid. This shows that no matter who we are, we can fear. The important thing is not whether or not we fear, but what we do when we are afraid. David trusted in God. What do you do? Do you eat and continue to eat or work until you are exhausted and then go home and sleep? We all cope with fear differently.
Is. 26:3
says ‘You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in You.’ Peace is the opposite of fear and God promises to keep us in perfect peace if we trust Him. What do you trust in? Your job, your friends, the government, your bank account? Anything you put your trust in, other than God, will let you down.
Ps. 55:22 says ‘Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you. He will never let the righteous fall.’ Likewise 1 Pet. 5:7
says ‘Cast all your care upon Him for He cares for you.’ Let God take care of all your anxieties, problems, disappointments, frustrations, difficulties and fears.
At the beginning of this study we see David trusting in God when he was afraid, now he tells us in Ps.138:8
‘The Lord will perfect that which concerns me.’ This is a man who admits to being afraid, but here, is showing confidence in God. You can do the same because Rom. 8:28
says ‘And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.’ 1 John 3:22
‘And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.’ How do we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing to Him? David tells us in
Ps. 119:165 ‘Great peace have those who love Your law, and nothing causes them to stumble.’ Do you love His law? You must read and meditate upon His word. Only in God’s word will you find peace. In
Ps .121:7 He promises to ‘keep you from all evil, and keep your soul.’ Verse 8 ‘The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in from this time forth, and even forevermore.’
You may be fearful for your future or for your children, thinking that you have to work hard and save to secure the future. There is no security in things. The more you have, the more protection you need and the more
you fear. God is the only true source of protection, provision and peace. Ps. 37:5 & 25
‘Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him and He shall bring it to pass. I have been young (David said) and now am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his descendants begging bread.’ Paul also tells us in Rom. 8:37 – 39 ‘Yet in all these thing we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
God Himself tells us in Is.43:1-2
‘Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flames scorch you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Saviour.’ Jesus tells us in Matt.
6:31 – 33
‘Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.’
Paul tells us in Phil. 4:6 – 7
‘Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. When you have difficulties or situations that make you afraid, whom do you talk to? Do you talk to everyone except God? Also what do you focus on and think about? What you think about is a choice, you make the decision. Here is some help from Paul in
Phil. 4:8
‘Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy – meditate on these things.’ You have the choice to think about your situation and fear or turn to God and receive His peace.
In the Old Testament King Jehoshaphat was faced with a difficult situation. Two other kings with their armies were coming to fight against Jehoshaphat and his people. King Jehoshaphat did not have the army nor the
weapons to fight with these armies, so what did he do? 2 Chron. 20:3
tells us ‘And Jehoshaphat feared’ (another king being afraid) but he did not stop at that. The rest of the verse said ‘he set himself to seek the Lord.’ The important thing to note is not that you are afraid, but what you do when you are. Jehoshaphat turned to the Lord for help and God answered.
Verse 15
‘Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.’ No matter how big the problem seem, God is bigger; no matter how mighty your enemy, God is Almighty. You just need to look to Him and do what He tells you, even if it does not seem logical to your natural mind. Someone once said ‘ Before God does the miraculous He may ask you to do the ridiculous.’ What did God tell Jehoshaphat to do? He told him to go down against them, but he will not need to fight. He is to stand still and see what God would do. On the day of the battle he set a group of singers before the army to sing praises to God. As they sang, there was confusion in the camp of the enemy and they literally destroyed each other. Jehoshaphat and his people did nothing but praised God and the battle was won. More than that, it took three days for them to carry away all the riches from the battlefield. God won the battle and provided for Jehoshaphat because when he was in trouble he turned to
God. No matter what you face, trust God. He sometimes takes you through the situation, instead out of it, so He can develop character in you. We are usually more interested in comfort but God is interested in
character. Spend time in His presence because it is there that He speaks to you, that you find strength and direction.
David said in Ps. 34:4
I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.’ Sometimes we get impatient when it seems as if God is not coming through for us. Do not give up, God is never late. He will get there in time. Look at
Ps. 40:1 – 3
‘I waited patiently for the Lord, He turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.’
Remember, nothing can arise in your life that you and God cannot handle. If God be for us, who can be against us. Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world. I will never leave you nor forsake you. So
that we may boldly say, the Lord is my helper, I will not fear what man can do unto me. These are God’s promises to us. They are the energising power of God’s spoken words. He is the author and finisher of your
faith. He declares the end from the beginning and will cause everything to work out to the end that He has declared. Trust Him, He will never fail you. Surely, goodness and mercy shall follow you all the days of
your life, and you will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. His promises are yours, whatever your situation. Next time fear comes upon you, take hold of God’s promises, declare His word and receive His peace.
This is our prayer for you, taken from Ps. 115:14-15 ‘May the Lord give you increase, more and more, you and your children. May you be blessed by the Lord, who made heaven and earth.’ Amen.
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