How to Understand and Fight Fear (Plus Resources!)

How to Understand and Fight Fear (Plus Resources!)

Vera Christian
How-To's, Resources

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”—Phil. 4:4-7

Anxiety. Fear. Worry. Dread.

These are all common experiences in our lives here on a fallen world. Though they all sound similar, there are slight shades of difference as we organize our understanding and experience.

  • Anxiety is the umbrella category that includes fear and worry.

  • In its negative sense, fear is often related to something in the past. You’ll do all you can to prevent a repeat performance. You can even fear your anxiety.

  • Conversely, worry focuses on the future so much that you freeze in the present. These things may or may not happen, and certainly nothing you can control.

  • Lastly, dread is something you know will happen, and you don’t want it to happen.

Sometimes we believe that a healthy bit of fear can be a good thing. We talk ourselves into believing that worrying is really a sign that we care.

While that might be good, the problem is that we turn to our own devices in our desire to care instead of turning to God. We think worry is the nudge we need to do our best.

Or our “care” is tinged with selfishness. We instill a little fear in our children so they will do what we want.

When these thoughts keep us from doing what is right—trusting in God, loving others, being responsible with what is given us—that is when they become sinful.

What is the Bible’s antidote to fear? Godly fear. The fear of the Lord. This is a fear that honors Him.

  • It sees the truth that despite all I see, there is one that is greater still.

  • It rightly dreads the judgment that is to come and turns to Him in faith.

  • It remembers the truth that He has the future planned out, every day of our lives written in advance (Ps. 139:16).

  • It finds hope and comfort in His presence in the present, so I can keep moving forward, come what may.

Finding Help to Turn Fear into Faith

Though fear is common, and though fear of the Lord is the solution, living in faith is not an easy thing. After all, most of us have spent years practicing fear. It is not going to disappear simply because we know these things are true.

Because so much of my fears are often in my head and not real, the battle becomes a little tricky. How can you fight things that aren’t tangible and yet hold so much control over you? Here are four things you can do.

Remember.

Often we feel afraid because we are “prone to wander.” The world around us distracts us from what is most truly true—that God is on the throne, that He loves me, and that He is in control, and I am not. On our own, we will leave Him out of the picture. Remembering restores an anchor for our souls when fear threatens to distract us. 

Pray.

But beyond remembering, praying invites Him back into the center. Through prayer, we reorient ourselves and bring Him back in. In prayer, we declare our faith and trust. We ask Him for His help to live in a way that honors Him despite what is going on around us.

Fill.

Here, we do what Pastor Kim Kira calls “letting truth be our atmosphere.” Just telling ourselves not to worry is only half the solution. We need to fill the vacuum with something else. And unless we are also actively filling our minds with the truth of God, we will lose hope and revert back to fear.

We can begin by setting our minds on things above (Col. 3:2). These are the things that fit the Phil. 4:8 description. Most importantly, they help us fix our minds on a Person, one who will walk with us through our fears.

Do.

Fear freezes. Faith frees. Frees to do what? To love, to serve, to give.

Often times, in our fear of avoiding trouble, we curl inward into our little worlds, as if that will protect us. But because our thoughts still meet us there, it really isn’t safe either.

At the very least, simply do the next thing. It might simply be getting dressed. Taking out the trash. Feeding the dog. Feeding your kids.

Small tasks, but big steps if you have been frozen. Sometimes doing the small things, engaging in the routines of life for the glory of God (1 Cor. 10:31) is just the thing to get us started again.

When you’re ready for a new challenge, take a step outward. Look around. Is there something I can do, even if it is small, to get my mind off myself and out towards someone else? How might I serve another person who needs help for the sake of Christ?

Resources for Fear

As I mentioned earlier, filling our minds with truth is one way we can find courage to see beyond our circumstances.

Scripture: Of course, reading Scripture is our best source of help. Consider passages both near, wide, and far.

  • The Psalms are a wonderful place to turn to help us verbalize our fears (I like Psalms 27 and 62).

  • Stories like Joshua 1:1-8 give us an example of how God counsels us in our own fearful situations.

  • Memorizing wisdom (e.g. Prov. 1:7; Eccl. 12:13-14) can help us remember when fear strikes.

Songs: Singing in the dark times, like Paul and Silas did in Acts 16:16-30, can also help us out of the prison of our own dark fears. Worship helps us lift our eyes to Christ, who gives us a new perspective. Some of my favorites include:

“Christ Our Hope in Life and Death” by Keith and Kristyn Getty, Matt Papa

“Jesus Strong and Kind” by CityAlight

Blog posts: Shorter reads

Bible Studies: Scriptural truths for individual or group study.

Books: For more in-depth reflection

Videos: Truth for Troubled Times A playlist of short videos created by the pastoral staff of Lighthouse Community Church for their church family to walk them through COVID-19 pandemic. Very practical and covers a broad range of topics during a season where fear runs high.

Audio: “Dread, Anxiety’s First Cousin” by Jayne Clark. I had the privilege of hearing this talk live at CCEF’s annual conference in 2019 and found it so helpful.

“Panic Attacks” by David Powlison. (The first part is the most pertinent; the rest addresses counselors.)

The greatest antidote, however, is not in books, wise counsel, or music. These are only tools to help lead us to the one who tells us:

“fear not, for I am with you;
    be not dismayed, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you,
    I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”—Isaiah 41:10 (emphasis mine)

He is the help we need in all our fears. Above all, turn to Him.

And there you will find rest, help, and hope in the midst of your fears.

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