Fear is prevalent in our modern society and comes in many forms. Fear can grip us so tightly that it leaves us paralyzed to action and fear can cause us to act in a way that is inconsistent with our beliefs. For believers, fear should have no place in our lives because God did not give us a spirit of fear (II Timothy 1:7). The only thing that will keep fear from overtaking our lives is God’s love. Our faith in God will trump fear every time!
In I John 4:18 it says, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.” Fear can dominate in our lives when we don’t have a full understanding of God’s love. If we are living with fear of any type, then God makes it clear in His Word that we have not been made perfect in love. The truth is, when we accepted Jesus as our savior we received God’s perfect love in our spirits. In our spirits, we already have God’s perfect love because our spirits are united as one with Jesus (I Corinthians 6:17). However, most believers don’t understand what they already have in their spirit because we can’t see it, taste it, hear it, feel it, or touch it. We tend to focus on what we feel (our emotions) and what we know in our minds. To gain a true revelation of God’s love for us, our mind (part of our soul) has to come into agreement with the perfect love we already possess in our spirit. Our soul comes into agreement with our spirit by renewing our mind (Romans 12:2) with the Word of God. Therefore, we can combat every attack of the enemy (who is trying to keep us in fear) with the Word of God. Jesus did this, and since we are one with Jesus in spirit, so can we.
Every fear that we have can be alleviated by renewing our minds to the Word of God and by putting our faith in that Word. When we do this, the perfect love of God that we already possess in our spirits will be revealed to our souls and they can come into agreement. God showed me that faith in His Word will take away all of my fears. God wants us to use His perfect love to cast out our fear. Renewing our minds with the Word of God will give us a revelation of who we are in Christ and of God’s love for us. Faith in God and in His Word will always trump our fears because He who is in us is greater than he who is in the world (I John 4:4).
Take Action – Are you living in fear? What are the fears you have allowed into your mind? Ask God to give you Scriptures to combat these fears, and then renew your mind to these truths. Speak these truths and declare them over your life. You will see a change.
Meditate on Scripture – Romans 8:15 (NIV) – The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship…
Further Study – Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Moses, David, Mary (mother of Jesus) – these key biblical figures all had something to fear. However, they allowed their faith in God’s Word to trump their fears. Pick one of these figures to study and pay attention to how the individual stayed in faith by remaining focused on God’s Word/promise.