Introduction
What are you afraid of?
Often, we are unaware of when we’re operating in fear, because it doesn’t always feel like terror. It can show up as low-grade anxiety, or it can mask as other emotions like depression, grumpiness, anger or unhappiness. Embarrassment, shame and condemnation also have their roots in fear. On the other hand, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control have their roots in love.
In this eBook, we will be talking about six deadly fears that we struggle with, as well as how to overcome them. Fear is something each of us will need to deal with throughout our lives because it can lead us astray. Job 3:25 teaches us that what we fear can come into our lives.
For the thing I greatly feared has come upon me, and what I dreaded has happened to me. Job 3:25 (NKJV)
If we dwell on our fears and allow them to dictate our choices, that actually invites more of what we fear into our lives. On the other hand, as we get to the root of these fears and begin to focus on who we are in Christ, we overcome.
Fear is always going to push at you, but you can rise above it. As a believer, you are empowered to overcome your fears. Second Timothy 1:7 says we have not been given the spirit of fear but of power, love and a sound mind. You have Christ’s joy, peace and love in you, which means that you have the ability to live your life filled with excitement and hope for the future!
The Fear of Death
How do you feel when you think about the fact that one day you will leave this planet? If we’re not careful, the fear of death can cripple us. Stories in the news, the death of friends and family—these are constant reminders of how fragile life can be.
The truth is, Jesus defeated the devil, who held the power of death over mankind. As believers, we are still susceptible to the physical death of our bodies. However, we are no longer spiritually dead—separated from God—and death has “lost its sting” (1 Corinthians 15:55).
We have been promised eternal life in Heaven, so death has nothing on us. I’m not saying that you should look forward to leaving this planet. God still has so much for you to do and enjoy here, and people—many of whom you haven’t yet met—are counting on you to stick around! However, the more you learn what God’s Word tells us about eternity and the reality of Heaven, the less you will fear death, and the more you will become aware of how much you have to live for.
Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil. Hebrews 2:14 (NKJV)
Focus on the fact that God loves you immeasurably, that He has unfathomable joy prepared for you when you move on to the next life, and that He has incredible plans and purposes for your days here on this planet!
The Fear of What Others Think
We all have fears, but as believers, we must use a Biblical response to deal with fear and protect our mental health. I want to discuss the fear of man—in other words, the fear of what others think—which Proverbs 29:25 calls a snare
The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe. Proverbs 29:25 (NKJV)
When we become overly concerned with what people think about us, it can stop us from stepping out into all that God has for us. It can even move us away from serving God if we’re not careful. We fear looking foolish and can become severely limited and restricted by others' opinions.
I’m not saying that we should totally ignore how others feel. That would be insensitive. However, we should never allow the fear of what others might think to stop us from following God’s ways or His leading in our lives. We need to overcome this fear by focusing on the fact that we are completely accepted by God—unconditionally.
In Luke 12:4-5, Jesus teaches us not to fear man but to fear God. He said, “My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!”
What Jesus is saying here is that we need to be in awe of God. Rather than be overly concerned with what others think, consider what God thinks about you. He loves you unconditionally. When you realize that, your desire to please Him grows. The more you focus on pleasing God, the less it matters what others think of you.
The Fear of Failure
Has the fear of failure ever caused you to back down?
This fear is often at the root of emotional upheaval and it can even paralyze us, but 1 John 4:18 says that love is what casts out fear.
There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. 1 John 4:18 (NKJV)
At first, I had trouble understanding this verse. But one day I was meditating on this and a picture came to me. I imagined a mom who was terrified of snakes watching one slithering across the ground toward her baby. What do you think would win out in that moment? Her fear or her love for that baby? I can tell you that no matter how much she fears snakes, she would do whatever it takes to protect her baby.
The fear of failure is strong, but it’s not stronger than love! When you’re focused on God’s powerful love, it enables you to love Him, love life and love others. It causes you to push past fear every time, because the risk is worth it! Holy Spirit wants to work with you and give you the ability to focus and act on the Word. By doing so, you magnify God, faith and love—the opposites of fear.
Romans 8:37 says that you are more than a conqueror because God loves you. When you attempt something and you fail, nothing changes with God. He still loves you, believes in you, and is with you to help you when you pick yourself up and try again. You are more than a conqueror through Christ—which means that for you, failure can be only a temporary thing. You just need to choose to get up and try again!
The Fear of Rejection
Understanding how to overcome our fear with a Biblical response is vital to our mental health.
The fear of rejection can cause people to make all kinds of poor decisions in an effort to belong, fit in or feel accepted. In reality, what we really need to know is that in Christ we are accepted unconditionally by God Himself! His love for us is completely unconditional—it’s the safest love in the world. When we focus on that, we let go of the fear of rejection.
Often, we can fall for the lie that God doesn’t really like us. The truth is that God not only loves you, but He likes you and loves to spend time with you. He wants to bless you and raise you up to be all that you can be. He’s crazy about you!
God is not going to reject you, even when you make mistakes. If you’ve suffered a lot of rejection in your life or you’ve been taught that God turns away from us when we sin, you’ll need to renew your mind in this area.
And be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith. Philippians 3:9 (NKJV)
Go to the Epistles and study the truth about your righteousness in Christ. Meditate on and claim those promises over and over until that truth settles down deep in your heart. Over time, this process will produce a harvest of incredible joy and peace in your life.
The Fear of Sickness
When you develop a symptom in your body, do you get bombarded with fear that it might be cancer or some other disease? The fear of sickness is a serious fear. Many of us have lost loved ones to some form of disease, and since some disease is thought to be genetic, this can cause fear to run through entire families.
We’ve got to understand that when we accept fears like this, it brings torment. One of those torments is depression, and while depression isn’t always caused by fear, fear certainly does depress us. As I’ve mentioned previously, depression can have many causes that need to be addressed, but the purpose of this eBook is only to address a Biblical response.
It’s important to deal with fear on a heart level, because then we can begin to rise up in faith and get victory over that fear. Third John 1:2 says that prospering and being in health is related to our souls prospering. For our souls to prosper, we need to renew our minds with the Word of God, planting new seeds of truth deep into our hearts to choke out misbeliefs. The result is a beautiful crop of joy and peace.
Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers. 3 John 1:2 (NKJV)
God wants you to be healthy and to recover from any sickness—mental, emotional and physical. Your part is to be wise in looking after your body, and part of that care is claiming and speaking life and healing to it.
Let His principles invade your thinking by studying, reading, and claiming God’s thoughts on health and healing, and you will replace fear with a confidence in God.
The Fear of Lack
Do you ever worry about not having enough? Sometimes we can hang on to things so tightly that they begin to dictate our lives, all because we fear losing them.
We might fear losing a relationship so much so that we become people-pleasing or jealous and controlling. We can fear a loss of respect to the point where we won’t tolerate the smallest insult. Fearing a loss of money or status is also common, which can take over your life and time so much that it causes you to ignore other vital aspects of your life, such as family and God.
So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Matthew 6:28-29 (NKJV)
Material things are a necessity of life, but they should never be our main focus. In Matthew 6, Jesus says that God understands the physical needs we have in this world, and that if we seek first His Kingdom and righteousness, all these things will be added to us. As we partner with Him in life, He blesses and brings increase to our efforts.
You can let go of the fear of lack as you realize that God wants you to prosper and be blessed! He said that He’ll help you, guide you and give you wisdom in every area of life. Reject the fear that tries to push in and keep hanging onto and speaking His promises of provision.
Conclusion
As we conclude this topic of fear, I want you to become more aware of the fact that Holy Spirit is within you as a believer. When you're focused on His presence within you, there's no room for fear.
As you read the Bible, you can ask Holy Spirit to teach you, and He will open your eyes to what you need to know—even in the area of mental health. Sometimes healing comes in a moment, but often it is walked out over time as we implement the wisdom Holy Spirit brings into our lives. This wisdom can include physical, emotional and Biblical approaches to keeping ourselves healthy mentally and physically.
That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe. Ephesians 1:17-19 (NKJV)
In fact, if you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, pray Ephesians 1:17-19 over yourself and them. Thank God that Holy Spirit can lead us to make wise decisions—including in the areas of medications, natural remedies and counselling. He can lead us to find the right experts and to discover what we need to heal.
Never give up! God’s Word brings hope and healing, and Holy Spirit wants to give us a vision for our lives. He wants to help you picture yourself filled with His joy and peace. I pray that this eBook will be the start of a new journey for you and your loved ones—a journey into health, healing, wholeness and victory over fear, in Jesus' name. Amen!
