Tools to Beat Fear
Way too often, people try to defeat fear through logic. They try to think their way to the point of “believing” that the fear is simply irrational. This seldom if ever works because it keeps the focus on the object of fear. Thus leading to defeat. In order to win against fear, you need to use every tool available to you.
If this is the first time you are checking out my blog, we are in the middle of a series on overcoming fear. To learn more check out the previous blogs here.
Meditation on Scripture: Fear is ultimately a negative focus. If a person is not able to have control over his focus, he will not win the battle with fear. Meditation is a discipline of focus; it is taking a verse of Scripture and slowly thinking through the meaning and application of that Scripture. A lot of times, people who struggle with fear have a difficult time meditating simply because they are not used to disciplining where their focus goes. It takes practice, but meditation can help build the skill of focus by continually re-directing the negative thoughts toward Scripture and positive thoughts.
Memorization of Scripture: A great verse for this is 2 Timothy 1:7, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (NKJV). Once a verse is memorized, it can be quoted over and over again when the fear hits. There is something powerful Scripture to help us overcome. Because it is the Word of God, it carries a greater authority than our words. Many people try to think their fears away, even using Scripture in their thoughts. Speaking Scripture out loud will almost always be more effective than silent prayers to help a person overcome fears.
Commanding the spirit of fear to leave: If you remember from The Fear Fight we are temples of God. We have the capability of housing spiritual presence. Many times fear is not just an emotion, it is a tormenting spirit that is trying to connect with us in order to occupy our space. As believers, we have the authority to command that spiritual presence to leave, but it must be a command. It must be spoken out loud to be effective. It helps to speak directly to the “spirit of fear” that is coming against you. The demonic realm only responds to a forceful command.
Life choices: The demonic realm does its work by finding a place of legal authority. If a person who struggles with fear watches horror movies, he is giving that spirit of fear the authority to remain by his actions. If we submit ourselves throughout the day to things that are evoking fear, the night seasons will be filled with spiritual torment. It is important that a person's day is filled with things that move him toward peace if he wants to overcome fear. Especially that last hour before bedtime is important for those who struggle with fear at night. Worship and prayer before going to bed brings a cleansing of the spirit for the night seasons, but only if they are also proactive during the day as well. An hour at the end of the day will not undo a whole day of foolish decisions in the area of fear.
Surrender to God: If a person is struggling with overcoming fear, there may be an area that is not fully submitted to God. This can be anything from an ongoing sin, an area of control, or even addiction, etc. Many times, that “thing” is another person. It is easy to put a husband, a wife, or a child ahead of God. Total surrender to God gives us the authority to command any evil spirit that would come against us to leave.
Support from others: Spiritual authority is multiplied when believers join together. Those struggling with fear need to connect with others who are walking in victory. They need to draw peace and strength from others to give them the authority to win the fight over fear.
Worship: The longer fear stays around, the more power it has. Once we have exercised authority over fear through spoken prayer, we need to make God the God of our lives. That means we turn our attention away from the fear and back to God. Nothing does that better than genuine worship. Play worship music and sing along. Or, give thanks to God if you don’t feel comfortable singing.
Repentance: As I explained before, we were created as temples to house the Spirit of God. Fear at first is simply a normal human response. Fear maintained means that something other than God is occupying our temple. As fear continues, we need to stop and repent for allowing space to other things when the life of God should be first and foremost in our spirit. I talk about this more in The Fear Fight. With this kind of repentance should come a flow of the peace of God.
Waiting: If the peace does not come immediately, it is helpful to wait in a place of dependence on God. Most people lose it in the area of repentance by trying to force things with God We force things with the enemy. With God, we wait. Waiting shows dependence. Waiting shows that we know we can’t overcome without His help. Waiting grows the humility that will open the door for His strength to come.
Fear is defeated by spiritual authority. The more of these things you are doing right over a period of time, the better chance you have of consistently defeating fear. Most people want one simple solution, while choosing to live however they want the rest of the day. When the authority of Christ in your life is great enough, you will overcome.
When our authority is submitted to His authority, we can speak in the name of Jesus with His authority. We can command fear to leave. Sometimes faith arrives as a gift in an instant. Other times, it must be built, one tool at a time. Fear is a fight. Overcoming it is a lifestyle. Get your tools together and prepare to win in Jesus' name.