Five Tips for Vanquishing Fear

Fear not!

Trust is the opposite of fear “As children, we seek comfort by leaving the light on or sleeping with our parents to avoid being alone,” writes Toney, who is also associate executive pastor at Pomona First Baptist Church in Pomona, California. “As adults, we do not have the luxury of something that so easily calms our fears. Fear is a powerful force that often motivates illogical behavior. We lose a little bit of rationality when we are staring a fear monster in the face. Trust is the opposite of fear. We trust in things all the time. We trust other drivers to stay in their lanes. We trust that restaurant food is safe. We trust the fire department will come to the rescue if we have a fire. It is important to trust in the right things, however. Trusting in the lottery to pay our bills probably won’t work out well. Because of God’s faithfulness, we don’t need to live in fear. We can live in the security of knowing that we can trust God. God shows faithfulness by keeping the promises that were made in Scripture.”

Fear not!

Name the Fear! Toney continues: Write down your fears when they start to set in. Sometimes it helps to get them out of you and transferred to paper. When you look at them in black and white, they might give you a whole new perspective. Write them down in a journal, and then evaluate them through a series of questions: When did this fear set in today? What was I doing when it started? When was the last time I had this fear? Is this a real fear, or have I imagined it? Pray through these fears, and then go back and write down any perceived answers. Did you find this to be a great encouragement? Could you see how God has helped you deal with them? If God has helped you in the past, God’s faithfulness is a good sign that help is available for this current fear.