Fighting Fear

When I am afraid,
    I put my trust in you.
 In God, whose word I praise,
    in God I trust; I shall not be afraid.
    What can flesh do to me? Psalm 56:3-4 ESV

It’s like a black hole that crawls inside my soul. This illogical fear short circuits my brain as my heartbeat runs wild. The cause of the fear? I had to make a phone call to someone I did not know.

For all you extroverts this sounds ludicrous. So maybe talking on the phone to someone you don’t know doesn’t throw your heart into a tizzy and perhaps being asked to be a “hostess” at a table during a single mom’s ministry event doesn’t cause your insides to shake, but there are things that scare you.

Perhaps the idea of standing in front of a room of 10-15 people to share your story of how God worked in your life paralyzes you. Or maybe praying out loud freaks you out. And no matter how many times you tell yourself “Do not fear…do not fear…do not fear…” the ugly fear rears its head.

Fear steals our joy and keeps us in a dark dead place. If we get to comfortable with our fears they can control us. Keep us from obeying God, keep us bitter, keep us dead. But God doesn’t want us to be fearful. He wants us to trust in Him.

Trusting in God means that we believe God is in charge and that no one can take us from His hand. It means we value our lives for Christ’s sake and our deaths as gain. It means no matter what God calls us to do, make a phone call, pray out loud in a group, stand tall in adversity, or sit with the brokenhearted He is with us. He will guide us. There is nothing He will call us to do that He will not empower us to accomplish.

So when fear begins to coil around our hearts it is time to speak the truth. God is near. God is my shelter. God is my comfort. God is my ever present help. Nearly every step of faith begins with fear…So in the fear we speak the truth, and we step forward. We make the phone call, hostess a table, pray out loud, share the story God gave us to share. And God will be there to help us.

Father God too often I give in to fear rather than trust You. Forgive me for letting fear sideline me from obeying Your will. When I am afraid help me to trust You so that I am not ensured by fear. Help me to accomplish the things You have called me to do for Your glory and honor. Thank You for Jesus. In His Name I pray. Amen.

For further reading on dealing with fear check out Fear Fighting: Awakening Courage to Overcome Your Fears by Kelly Balarie.