A few weeks ago I began to panic a bit, and then depression began to set in. I was fearful of losing my job — how I would make ends meet, etc. And then I remembered Jesus’s words: “So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Matt. 6:31-34)

What causes fear in you? Conquering our fear is not a matter of determining not to be afraid or trying harder not to be afraid, but of being completely dependent on our Father in heaven, in whom we can completely trust. When we think biblically, by daily looking at life through the lens of Scripture, we develop a “sound mind.” And when we have a sound mind, fear just doesn’t make sense. “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” (2 Tim. 1:7)

The dictionary definition of intimidation is “to make timid or fearful.” And it is a strategy our enemy, Satan, uses to control us, creating fear in us to keep us from fully following God. “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeing whom he may devour.” (1 Peter 5:8) So what is our remedy? “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7)

When we truly believe that our Lord God will take care of us, it relieves our fears and we see things in the light of eternity. That sounds simple until a real difficulty comes crashing into our lives, like one of the 3 dreaded “d” words: disease, divorce, or death. But as Corrie ten Boom, who was sent to a Nazi prison camp for helping Jews escape the Nazis, once said, “If God sends us on stony paths, He provides strong shoes.” If we will trust God in difficult, painful moments, He will carry us through. God is fully capable of safely guiding our steps through this life.

In my panicked moments, I had to stop and ask myself who do I trust? Do I trust the Creator God who loves me more than I can begin to even fathom, or do I trust Satan, the father of lies who would attempt to make my testimony for Christ impotent? When we take the time to ask those questions (knowing that our heavenly Father does NOT give us a spirit of fear), our “sound mind” wisely answers the question easily. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.” (Prov. 3:5-6)

I began to sing the chorus of the song, “Fear Is A Liar” by Zach Williams: “Fear he [Satan] is a liar. He will take your breath; Stop you in your steps. Fear he is a liar; He will rob your rest; Steal your happiness. Cast your fear in the fire; ‘Cause fear he is a liar”. What do you do when you are fearful?