When Fear Creeps In
Fear. That is a feeling that can keep you up at night, make you helpless and scared. The fear of the unknown is a feeling I am too familiar with. My partner and I are currently waiting for God to answer a specific prayer and in the middle of the waiting we have found ourselves fearing the unknown, fearing that what if we made a mistake, what if we did not hear God correctly, and what if we will fail?
God has not given us a spirit of fear - 2 Timothy 1:7
But as I was praying for us, praying for God to answer our prayer and our request, the Holy Spirit revealed in my heart that in the middle of the fear, in the middle of the uncertainty and the unknown we should praise and worship God. That God is All-Knowing and He already knows the outcome and has gone before us.
I believe the Holy Spirit told me God has not given us a spirit of fear (2 Timothy 1:7) which got me thinking that since we are fearing, the feeling is not from God because God gives the spirit of love, power, and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7). And since we are experiencing the spirit and feelings of fear it is from the devil. What is the best way to combat the devil is with the Word of God.
Combating Fear With the Word of God
When the devil came to Jesus in the wilderness to tempt Him, Jesus combated him with the Word of God, "It is written..." (Matthew 4:1-11) and so the best way for us to combat the feelings of fear is to recite the Word of God in our hearts so the devil will go away (Matthew 4:11 "Then the devil went away, and the angels came and took care of Jesus.")
We are to praise the Lord God Almighty, declare His Sovereignty and declare His authority using scripture to combat the feelings we are feeling that are not from God.
Scriptures to Help Us Overcome Fear
Below are scriptures to help us overcome the fear in our hearts:
Luke 10:19 "Look, I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy, and you can walk among snakes and scorpions and crush them. Nothing will injure you." ; 1 John 4:4 "But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world." ; James 4:7 "So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you", 1 John 3:8 "...But the Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil", Matthew 28:18 "Jesus came and told his disciples, "I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth", Romans 16:20 "The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you", Mark 16:17-18 "These miraculous signs will accompany those who believe: They will cast out demons in my name, and they will speak in new languages. They will be able to handle snakes with safety, and if they drink anything poisonous, it won't hurt them. They will be able to place their hands on the sick and they will be healed", Ephesians 6:12 "For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places", and "we use God's mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments." (2 Corinthians 10:4).
A Prayer for Overcoming Fear with Scripture
Knowing that the above scriptures are God-breathed (2 Timothy 3:17) so we are to pray the scriptures (God's Word) in the midst of the fear:
"Thank you Lord Jesus for the authority given to You in all heaven and earth (Matthew 28:18) and that you have given us the same authority to trample on snakes and scorpions, thank you for giving us the authority to crush the fear in our hearts and that it shall not hurt us (Luke 10:19). As Your Word has said that we belong to You and have won the victory, that Your Holy Spirit that lives in us is greater than the spirit of fear (1 John 4:4), so Father we humble ourselves before You and resist the devil in our hearts (James 4:7). We thank You for Your Son Jesus Christ who appeared to destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8) so we can freely walk in Your love, peace, and sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7). God of peace that crushes satan underneath our feet (Romans 16:20), may You dwell within our hearts. Father, we believe in You, we believe in Your power, Your Sovereignty and all that You are and we thank You that because of our belief in You miraculous signs will accompany us, that we will cast demons out in Your name, speak new languages, and handle snakes with safety (Mark 16:17-18). We handle the snake of fear and You bring us to safety. As Your Word has said that we use Your mighty weapons to destroy strongholds of human reasoning (2 Corinthians 10:4), so Father today we use Your mighty weapons which are found in Your Word to destroy the fear in our hearts and minds. Thank you Father for giving us the spirit of love, power and a sound mind. We hold onto more of Your Word which is to not fear for You are with us (Isaiah 41:10). We pray all of this, in Jesus Christ's mighty name, Amen."
Practical steps to walking in love, power and a sound mind
It is difficult to not fear and to not be afraid which I can relate to. It's easy for me to write all these scriptures, tell you to recite them out loud but to put it into practice is a lot of work, and let's be honest when fear strikes the first thing you don't think of is scripture, and I sometimes fall short of my own advice. But I want to remind you and myself that the Lord has given us His blueprint on how to overcome fear. Here are a few steps to help you combat fear when it strikes:
- Speak these scriptures out loud, saying "God's got this!" "He loves me, I belong to His family, I am His child!" "God is with me!" "Greater is He who is in me than He who is in the world!" "I have the authority to tell fear to leave!"
- Play worship music immediately when you feel the fear start to creep in. Sing the words out loud. One of my partner's personal favourites is Raise a Hallelujah by Bethel music, Jonathan David Helser, and Melissa Helser.
So whatever you are currently fearing, be it the fear of the unknown like us, fear to apply for that job, fear to present your work, fear to start that business, fear to leave that relationship, fear to spread the gospel of Jesus or fear of not doing enough then this prayer is for you. Fear may not immediately leave your heart as you pray this prayer but by continuously reciting the scriptures in this prayer, and playing worship music the devil will flee from you.
May the Holy Spirit of God empower and establish your feet on His Word so you can walk in love, power and a sound mind.
Share these words with someone who needs them, just like me and you!