Fear is like a secret assassin. Sometimes, I think we are blinded to its presence as well as its dangers. We’ve come to accept it as “normal,” giving it permission to remain in our lives. What we don’t realize is that fear is an infection that spreads from our minds to our hearts. As such, we want to deny it access when it first seeks residence within us.
Here are three things fear does, and how to overcome each.
Fear Infiltrates
Fear is sneaky. When we let it take residence in our minds, it can seep into our hearts. This is why God encourages us to stop fear from infiltrating our thought life.
What does it mean to infiltrate? According to Merriam-Webster.com, to infiltrate means: “to enter or become established in gradually or unobtrusively usually for subversive [subvert: to pervert or corrupt by an undermining of morals, allegiance, or faith] purposes.” In other words, fear may spread in such a subtle way that you don’t even realize it’s spreading. Its mission? To distract, restrict, and control you.
The enemy doesn’t want you to live the life of fullness and freedom that God has for you.
Question: How do we keep fear from infiltrating?
Answer: Deny it entrance.
God gives us His recipe for a healthy thought life. In Philippians 4:8, we read: “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”
This means that when scary thoughts come to mind, instead of thinking about them, we shift our attention to what is true, honorable, right, pure, and lovely. When we think about and believe fearful thoughts, we give them permission to stay. Instead, deny them access. Next time a scary thought comes, remember what God says is true.
Fear Manipulates
This world perpetuates fear: from news broadcasts and social media posts, to political headlines and phone alerts, everywhere you turn, someone is trying to scare you. This can be a manipulative effort to get you to respond with an intended behavior (buy a product, vote for a candidate, run to someone for safety, etc.). The enemy likes to operate this way—by manipulating you with fear. If he can keep you scared, he can distract you from walking in the victory, power, and peace that God has for you.
When you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, the enemy can’t take away what God has given you. So instead, he tries to get you to give it away willingly. He wants you to give away your peace of mind by thinking about scary thoughts. He wants you to believe fear and lies instead of living in the joy of God’s truth.
If fear is tying to manipulate you today, there is a remedy. The remedy is FAITH.
When a man in the Bible was faced with devastating news, Jesus encouraged him, “Do not be afraid, only believe,” (Mark 5:36b).
Faith is the opposite of fear. It activates the Kingdom of God, whereas fear empowers darkness. Faith says, “With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible,” (Matthew 19:26b). Fear believes that the negative report is true and relies on one’s own ability—which is very scary, because apart from Jesus, we can do nothing. Faith relies on God’s ability; there is nothing and no one more powerful than Him.
Fear Grows
When left unaddressed, fear grows. As we believe the enemy’s lies, we give fear water and soil. It digs its filthy roots in and goes to town tormenting us. Maybe it starts as a fear of flying, then turns into fear of any long-distance travel, which becomes fear of visiting friends, then turns into fear of leaving the house.
The solution? Replace fearful thoughts with what God says is true. Then, when more negative thoughts come, don’t let them take root. As soon as a scary thought enters, stomp it out with scripture. If you have accepted Jesus as your Savior, He will give you strength to overcome any situation. He Himself tells us in Matthew 28:20b, “…I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Encouragement
Living a life of faith means believing God is Who He says He is, and that He will do what He says He will do. If you’re fighting a battle against fear, I encourage you to read the Bible. God’s word is full of truth, hope, and power. Ephesians 6 refers to faith as a “shield” “…with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one,” (Ephesians 6:16b).
So, next time you hear a scary or gloomy news report, fix your mind on what is true: God’s word. Stop the fearful thoughts in their tracks and boot them out!
Choose faith, and remember that no matter how bad things appear, there is hope in Jesus!
Caitlin M. Smith 