“Most people base their entire life on what they are afraid of”
That quote has stuck in my mind through the years. I mean think about it. Can it really be true?
I believe it can..
Often I ask myself if I am living a life based on faith or fear.
Fear causes me to hold back instead of stepping out. Sometimes I react in fear and step out in the wrong direction.
If I don’t battle back, fear drips into all areas of my life.
Fear in my relationship with the Lord, my marriage or in parenting. Fear in homeschooling, within friendships, in ministry or business. 
Now not all fear is a bad thing.
Fear (as in a godly reverence or respect) is actually a good thing in our relationship with the Lord.
But what I’m talking about isn’t that kind of fear. It ranges from the uneasy feeling in the pit of your stomach to the pain in your chest, debilitating kind of fear.
Today I ask you to choose to fight back with faith against the fear. And if this is a path you are familiar with, I want to encourage you to keep going.
* Please note: I am not speaking of the fear or anxiety many experience in clinical depression or another psychological diagnosis. There are many instances where God can and will use professional help to dive into these issues. I am speaking only of my experiences, pain, and trials – not from a medical point of view.
Fighting Back with Faith
We can have faith in the Lord, even a strong faith in some areas of our lives, and fear will still come. Part of our process of becoming more like Christ will always be, to grow in faith.
2 Peter 3:18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.
Fear always tries to hinder our faith. If we learn how to approach fear with faith, and fight back, we can experience spiritual growth. We can use our fear battles to glorify God. How awesome is that?!
[Tweet “Fear always tries to hinder our faith. -@BlogLikeMinded”]
There are 2 things that are non-negotiable starting points in my battle against fear.
Acknowledge
Take a step back and acknowledge the fear. Sometimes it’s so consuming I don’t even want to take this step or look at it honestly. Admit that it is fear and pray. Often the root of the fear is deeper than I thought. Take the time to process through it. Pray that God would help to discern the origin of the fear. Ask that He would give you wisdom and begin to bring peace through it.
Scripture
I want to say memorize scripture, and that is crucial. But if you are not there then read scripture. Have some verses on hand that you can go to to help refocus your thoughts on Christ. Then memorize them. Tuck them into your heart and pull them out often 🙂 One of my favorite verses to go to is Philippians 4:8. It is a filter that I run my thoughts through. It also works well for discerning what I’m putting into my heart and mind.
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
If it doesn’t fit those, then kick those thoughts out!
[Tweet “Are you battling fear? Here are 2 key tools to fight back “]
Remember that fear (or unbelief in an area) is the opposite of faith. Faith gives you a firm foundation to build true hope on.
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Hebrews 11:11
When we choose to fight back against our fears, we grow our foundation of faith. When faith is our unshakeable foundation, being obedient to the hard things God calls us to do becomes a bit easier 🙂
Walking in line with God’s best for us lets us experience His joy and peace …. and we glorify Him!
The battle is hard! Remember to accept God’s amazing grace when you fall, but sisters keep pressing on. The battle against fear is well worth the fight!
Pin this image for later
Lee is a Daily redeemed Christ follower, Wife of 18 yrs, Mom to 5 Treasures, an Unexpected Homeschooler and Avoider of Small Talk. She's a Faith Based Blogger + Lifetime Encourager who writes and creates over at Like Minded Musings. Her passion is to Encourage + Equip Christian Women and Tween Girls to Embrace Imperfect & Radiate Christ!
