The reason we must learn how to deal with fear before it goes too far is that it will never completely go away. Feeling fear is part of being alive. We may feel fearful when we are doing something we have never done before, or when the obstacles seem insurmountable, or when we don’t have the natural help we feel we need.
None of this means we are cowards; it means we are human. We can only be cowardly when we allow our fears to dictate our actions or decisions, instead of following our hearts and doing what we know is right for us. Feeling fear is simply the temptation to run away from what we should face and confront; feeling fear is not equal to being afraid because being afraid means letting fearful feelings get the best of us.
I might feel angry but I can still choose not to act on my anger but to respond with forgiveness and love. In the same way, we can feel fear but not let it make our decisions.
We must accept the fact that fear will never go away completely, but also know we can live boldly and courageously because God has told us that He is always with us, and because of that we can choose to ignore the fear we feel. It’s okay to feel fear; it’s not okay to act on those feelings. You see, the word fear means “to take flight” or “to run away from,” and it causes us to want to flee what God wants us to confront. It does not mean to shake or quake or have a dry mouth or weak knees. Fear is not a feeling; fear is an evil spirit that produces a feeling.
So when we say, “I will not bow down to fear,” what we mean is “I will not shrink back in fear.” Fear causes us to cower, shrink back, and withdraw. Instead of having big faith, it causes us to have little faith, and if we entertain it long enough, we’ll end up with no faith at all.
The only acceptable attitude for a Christian to have toward fear is “I will not fear.” Do not shrink back from anything in fear. You may be going forward with something you feel God has spoken to you to do. Then something happens to make it appear that it’s not working out or that people are not in favor of it. You realize that if you do what God wants you to do, you may risk losing some friends, some resources, or your reputation.
When you feel that fear, the first impulse is to begin to shrink back, isn’t it? God knows that, and that is why He says, “Do not fear.” When He tells us not to fear, what He means is, no matter how you feel, keep putting one foot in front of the other and doing what you believe He has told you to do because that’s the only way to defeat fear and make progress.
I have decided that I am confident, whether I happen to feel confident or not. Sometimes I feel more confident than I do at other times, but I go out every day confident that God is with me and because of that I can do whatever I need to do and enjoy the process. I choose to be confident instead of fearful, even when potentially fearful situations arise. Confidence is the way I present myself, not merely a feeling I have. The devil hates it when we are confident that God is with us, and enabling us to do whatever we need to do in life.
I urge you to meditate on this power thought: “I will not live in fear.” Roll it over and over in your mind because setting your mind ahead of time that you will not bow down to fear will help you not do so when fears arise. You will have already made the decision that you will not be afraid. Renewing your mind with these power thoughts prepares you to face whatever comes in life with confidence.
Think about It
What is the only acceptable attitude for a Christian to have toward fear?
