Remember These 3 Things When Fear Overwhelms You

What fear is the greatest one haunting you right now? Are you afraid of an uncertain future , afraid your business will fail, or of losing your job? Are you afraid of illness, afraid of the spread of new virus variants, or afraid of the effects of the pandemic in your life? 

Or do you have many fears in your personal life? Such as being afraid of being alone for life without a spouse? Afraid of failure in a romantic relationship or marriage ?

But did you know that the thing you fear most is the easiest target for the devil to attack you? The more we fear, the more the devil will attack you so that you fall or sink deeper into your fear. 

Fear is actually a natural thing. There is not a single human being who lives without fear. Fear is also a response from our body to save us. Imagine, if we were not afraid of heights, not afraid of wild animals, not afraid of fire, perhaps our bodies would be suffering the consequences right now. 

However, a life that is always ruled by fear keeps us from growing. Each of us certainly has enough reasons to feel afraid. If that happens, remember these things: 

3 Things to Remember When Experiencing Fear

1. We Have a Strong and Powerful God

And how immeasurably great is His power for us who believe, according to the working of His mighty strength – Efesus 1:19 

There may be times when you feel weak, helpless, and feel that there are things you cannot change according to your wishes. In fact, we also realize that there are things beyond our control, such as disasters or natural calamities. Because we are not the owners of this world and this life. 

But we need to remember that we have a strong and powerful God. When you feel afraid, worried, and are in a heavy struggle, you can always rely on Him.

Speaking of fear, actually every morning when I leave for work, every time I am filled with fear. How could I not be? Around three in the morning, I leave the house for my workplace riding an old motorbike. The roads are still quiet and deserted. Only occasionally does a vehicle pass by. It is still dark. 

FYI, I sell things in the market, so I leave home very early in the morning, unlike the hours of office workers in general. Not infrequently, every dawn, while riding, I pray in my heart, asking for His protection and presence. 

Do we realize that when we are controlled by fear, we actually are unable to see that God is not powerless? What can we do when we are afraid? Pray. Pray over your fears, believe, and surrender them into the hands of God, who is far more powerful. Let God work and let God replace that fear with peace. 

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything let your requests be made known to God by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. – Filipi 4:6-7

2. God Is Near

The LORD is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth. – Mazmur 145:18

If you walk alone in a dark and lonely place, perhaps you will feel afraid. But if you walk in the same place, together with friends of yours, perhaps that fear will lessen.

The good news is, you are never alone. God is near to us. God is near to everyone who calls on Him. It is a deception of the devil if you feel that God is far away, does not care, or is not with you. Have we been letting ourselves be deceived by the devil all this time? 

One night, heavy rain was pouring down. At that time I was riding my motorbike home. Because of the rain and my view being blocked by the car in front of me, I did not realize that a motorbike was speeding toward me. In an instant, that motorbike stopped right in front of me with the sound of brakes being forced. 

Its tire struck my motorbike. I was startled and immediately screamed. Because of panic and tension, the rider also took off his helmet. But the next second I breathed a sigh of relief, realizing that neither of us was hurt in the slightest or had fallen. 

From that incident I realized that God is near. He helped and saved me from a fatal accident. I never stopped giving thanks for His presence. I cannot imagine what condition I would have been in if that night God had not spared me. 

If God is near to you, why are you afraid?

Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you; I will uphold you with My righteous right hand. – Yesaya 41:10

3. Fear Can Cause You to Fall into Sin

Not long afterward, the people standing there came up to Peter and said: "Surely you also are one of them, for your speech makes it clear." Then Peter began to curse and swear: "I do not know the man." – And at that moment the rooster crowed. Matius 26:73-74

It is not only you who have ever felt afraid. The figures in the Bible also experienced fear. The verse above tells of Peter's fear when Jesus was arrested. Peter was afraid, if Jesus Himself was arrested, what would happen to His followers? When he was asked whether he knew Jesus, three times Peter denied Him.

Not only Peter, Pilate also sinned by handing Jesus over to be crucified because he was afraid of not pleasing the crowd ((Markus 15:14-15). In the Old Testament, Saul offered the burnt offering because he was afraid of the Philistine army that was ready to attack. His fear led him to offer the sacrifice that should have been offered by the priest, namely Samuel (1 Samuel 13: 5-12). 

What can we learn from this? Our fear can make us fall into sin. Fear is a small thing. However, if we do not deal with it immediately, we can fall into sin. 

Whenever I am afraid, I put my trust in You; in God, whose word I praise, in God I trust, I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? – Mazmur 56:3-4

Trust in the Lord. Do not let fear haunt our lives so that we end up sinning against God.  - When you are afraid, remember that we have a strong and powerful God, God is near, and that fear can lead us into sin. Even fear itself is already a sin. Because that means we do not trust in God. Pray and trust in the Lord. Do not let fear rule, much less control, your life. Keep going! We surely can! -  Related Articles:

• Uproot Fear at Its Source
• Beware of 5 Temptations of the Devil That Often Bring Down Men's Faith
• How Can We Draw Near to God? (Part 1)
• Hate Sin: Rejected by Man but Loved by God
• In Remembrance of Me - Four Facts About the Lord's Supper

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