3 Ways to Overcome Fear

Do you need a little courage?

I wonder what’s happening in your life right now that has you feeling fearful.

A cancer diagnosis or other health issue?
A difficult or wayward child?
A challenging marriage, or one that has completely fallen apart?
A new challenge or changing season?
A threat from the enemy?

The reasons for fear are endless.

In the book of Joshua, where the Israelites are entering and conquering the Promised Land, God says to Joshua, “Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid, do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9). He repeats the command for Joshua to be courageous and not fearful many other times. Joshua was the new leader of the children of God. He was the one called to conquer all the enemies in the new land. Whew! That’ll stir up some fear! But God’s instructions to him, over and over again, were that he was to be strong and courageous—not on his own, but by pressing into the One who would be with him every step of the way.

There will be many opportunities to fear in this life—uncertainty is everywhere.

The question is, what does it look like to live life unafraid?

Be assured of God’s continual presence. I don’t think to live life unafraid means you’ll never feel fear. I can assure you, you will. But in those moments, peace will come as you center yourself in the loving presence of God.

Do it afraid. What do I mean? Sometimes, the thing you are afraid of isn’t going to go away, so you just have to push through and do it afraid. As you take the risk and step into challenging situations, God will supply the peace you need. Let me give you an illustration. One of my granddaughters takes dance. One of the things she is most fearful of is being on stage in front of an audience. However, as she has moved forward and done it even when fearful, I have given her “Bravery Dollars.” She has conquered her fear by pushing through and doing the thing she’s afraid of. The same principle holds true in your life and mine.

Take every thought captive. Our minds spin worry like a web. There will always be something more to worry about. This is where we have to follow the instructions of Paul to take every thought captive (2 Corinthians 10:5). Don’t let your mind spin with thoughts of “what if”; instead, capture those thoughts and dwell on the goodness of God.

Friend, fear is not going away anytime soon. Make it your practice to remind yourself often that God is with you, be willing to do it afraid, and take every thought captive. I pray that the peace of Christ would overwhelm and permeate your entire being this week, and that you would live courageously in the goodness of God!

This week on the Connected Mom Podcast, our guest is Courtney Reissig, whose family survived a tornado. You don’t want to miss this conversation about how to handle fear and how to help your kids handle fear. 

Why not form a small book club this summer? Summer is a wonderful time to gather a few friends and to look a bit deeper at friendship. Friend-Wise is an easy read, perfect for book club fun!