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When fear is not required for our immediate protection, it is often a destructive force in life.  In his book Slaying the Giants in Your Life, Pastor David Jeremiah points out a number of negative impacts fear has on one’s faith relationship with God.   

• • Fear robs us of perspective.  While we may be able to see things clearly and keep things in perspective under normal circumstances, when we are afraid, everything gets exaggerated – except for God’s promises. 
  • Fear brings out the worst – ushering in complaining, distrust, finger-pointing and despair.  We certainly see that on social and political levels where fear is exploited for someone’s gain. 
  • Fear weakens our reasoning.  We hear talk of irrational fears – and the longer one holds irrational fears, the stronger they become. 
  • Fear discourages rather than encourages.  Fear is contagious, spreading from one person to another, from one situation to another.  It removes courage from people, rather than building up courage in people. 

Pr. Jeremiah also offers a number of spiritual steps to fast from or overcome one’s fears. 

• • Confront your fear honestly.  Understanding what is at the root of your fear and asking God for clarity on your fears will help you put them into perspective. 
  • Confess your fear as a sin.  While this may sound harsh, fear is, in essence, a lack of trust in God and God’s loving presence in your life.  Repentance means a change of mind, a shift of perspective, and nowhere is that more needed than in facing our fears. 
  • Claim God’s promises of support and care.  Intentionally read God’s written Word to receive God’s courage and strength.  Suggestions include: 

Deuteronomy 31:6          Psalm 27:1          Psalm 118:6          Proverbs 3:25-26          Proverbs 29:25          Isaiah 41:10   

• • Cultivate a closer relationship with God.  As in any relationship, trust increases with ongoing conversation between you and God, with remembering all the ways God has carried you through difficulty in the past. 

Reflect

• How have you used some of these tools to set your fear aside?   
• Which of these represent an area of growth for you?

Study

I John 4:18 

There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love.” 

Pray

Let us pray, 

Lord God, you love us so completely and desire only the best for our lives.  In times of trouble, when fear gets the better of us, we pray that your Holy Spirit would enter in, soothe our anxieties and fill us with the hope we have in you.  We pray in the name of the one who calmed the storm, Jesus Christ our Lord, 

Amen. 

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Tags: devotions, fasting, fear, Lent, worry