In this post, I'll be talking out ways that you can overcome fear. The fears that you face at work, school, or even at home can give a shattering feeling in your chest, hundreds of thoughts that are spiraling in your mind, queasiness, and many other symptoms make you just want to hide.
Even though fear feels like a giant enemy, and I’m not perfect in this area, I’ve found the most important tactic for disarming fear in my life.
And I’ve struggled with fear a lot.
I remember being afraid since the first day of first grade. I’d cry on the first day of school every school year until sixth grade because I hated change and I felt alone.
The thing about fear is that it builds walls in front of things in your life. For me, it’s been a wall between trying new things, making friends, speaking up for myself, and even growing up.
Recently, I was thinking about how I’m doing a project for my college classes. I was content with doing the project until the word presentation came to mind. As an introvert, this is not my strong suit.
I’ve always dreaded talking in front of an audience because of the tight feeling in my stomach and the rapid heartbeat that I’d get each time I knew I was about to publicly speak to people. The many thoughts I got from the devil would pull me down:
· “You look awkward, they’re probably silently judging you right now.”
· “You will never be able to do this.”
· “They’re way better at this than you- why even try?”
Even though people around you can’t hear these attacks, it can become a spiritual battle in one’s mind. The devil likes to use our own fears against us and magnify them. It feels like someone is literally voicing those things to you when the devil attacks.
Fear can stop you from doing what God has called you to do. But the good thing is, He cares about what you feel. He doesn’t expect you too always be perfect on your own. He didn’t make us to be robots who are always accurate and so-called perfect. We are His children, and He cares about us on each day.
During all the lies and attacks that day, I felt God tell me something. He reminded me of the one thing I needed to overcome fear.
The one thing that can ultimately push fear out of the way is to imagine Jesus is physically beside you like you can see Him.
Even though this might sound too obvious, small, or even useless to some people, I promise you that this is the one thing that disarmed the fear that attacked me for years. Jesus is known in the Bible as the Prince of Peace, and His presence always sheds darkness and fear away from Him.
Jesus is the answer to disarming all our fear.
Jesus is so powerful that He can shed peace on a whole room full of fear in seconds. If you visualize that He is walking in a room before you do, I promise you that the fear will melt right off.
The best thing about this is that Jesus is really with you- His Holy Spirit always resides in your heart as a child of God, so this is true. When we remind ourselves of the powerful spirit inside of us, we will feel fear flee us.
When I envision that my Lord, Jesus Christ, is beside me when I do something scary, I feel the fear leaving me. I feel peace and joy overwhelm me because that’s who Jesus is. He will never leave.
“Teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28:20 ESV
And we know if Jesus is staying forever, He will be with us today, tomorrow, and next week. He will be with you right now, in two minutes, and in that upcoming hour that you are dreading.
God works full time to love and protect His children, and He never takes a day off.
A few years ago, the devil would attack me at night when I would walk up the stairs in the dark. The fear that someone or something was watching me or chasing me always crept in my mind. It was so annoying that I wouldn’t step foot into a room until I turned on the light or my flashlight. The devil liked to use the form of a movie I recently watched if it was scary.
It was terrifying to me. I would always walk faster, pray, and turn on a light as quickly as I could.
Then I realized I only had to say one thing to win the battle against the devil. Of course, I did nothing myself, but I called to Jesus.
I would say, “Jesus is all around me. I rebuke the devil in Jesus’ name.”
Saying that sentence when I was afraid was my shield. When Jesus is there with me, I don’t feel attacked anymore. It’s the most amazing thing to feel protected by the God of the universe. He is my best friend, and He wants to be your best friend too. He is my protector, and He wants to be your protector as well. All you must do is call on the name of the Lord and you will be saved.
“I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.”
2 Samuel 22:4 ESV
So, whether your fear is stage fright, being confident enough to tell someone something, or stepping into a huge change in your life, one thing stays constant: Jesus is walking beside you, listening to you, and always there for you.
He is there with you on the first day of school. He is there during that surgery. He is there during that painful IV. He is beside you when you are learning how to drive. He is walking with you when you are walking alone in that scary parking lot. He is with you when people give you sketchy looks across the room. He is always there.
Imagine He is talking to you when you are sitting alone. Imagine He’s sitting beside you when you feel afraid and want to hide.
You might be wondering, “Does this mean I will never feel an ounce of fear ever again?” Unfortunately, we will still feel fear sometimes while we’re here on earth. While fear may start to form in your mind, it cannot stay in the name of Jesus. And just because you feel an ounce of fear in the future doesn’t mean that Jesus isn’t working in your life.
Since the source of our peace is Jesus and not us, then we can never have eternal peace on our own before we go to heaven. This isn’t about our strength, but about Jesus’ strength.
We will always need Jesus, and He will always be there for us.
Anything else I’ve tried to overcome fear with has never worked. Sometimes I get temporarily distracted when I twiddle my thumbs or do jumping jacks before a scary moment, but I ultimately need Jesus in every one of those moments.
Some things that could help you to remember this are to make reminders, put a picture on your Lock Screen with a Bible verse, or to write on sticky notes with steps to overcoming fear with Jesus. Many times, I need the reminder, and when I place Bible verses and other reminders all around me, it helps a lot.
What were you afraid of when you clicked on this post? What was on your mind when you looked up how to overcome fear today? Whatever that might be, just know that Jesus is always with you, and He will walk with you and talk with you in every situation. You don’t have to beat fear because Jesus will do it for you.
Jesus is the answer for our eternal peace without fear.
I hope that the love of Jesus touches your heart today. There is absolutely nothing scary about Jesus. He is always willing to disarm our fear and clothe us with His peace that surpasses all understanding (Philippians 4:7).
He will give you the peace, joy, and strength to endure through today. He is walking into that room with you. He is protecting you from harm. He is walking through this tough and uncomfortable season with you.
He is with you always to the end of the age.
I hope that this post brought you closer to Jesus, and that it encourages you! Thank you for reading!
Reflect
“Teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28:20 ESV
“I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.”
2 Samuel 22:4 ESV
“The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe.”
Proverbs 18:10 ESV
“Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”
1 Peter 5:7 ESV
About Me
Hi, my name is Lauren, and I started this blog in November of 2022. My passion is to reach out to others who need a friend and to point them to Jesus! This website has many different posts to encourage you wherever you’re at in life- whether you want to know more about the Jesus, how to memorize the Bible, and how to navigate through life’s tough circumstances with God.
While I create faith-based posts, I also create wellness content for those who have a chronic illness. As someone who has dealt with chronic Lyme Disease and many other co-infections, I want to spread Lyme Disease awareness on my blog and help any other people with Lyme Disease. Thank you for reading, and God bless!