5 Days to Total Freedom from Fear

Crippled by an overwhelming sense of darkness, isolation that grips your heart, a cumbersome pounding in your chest, tempestuous breath, and a desperate search for peace that never comes.  Fear -noun a distressing emotion brought on by impending evil, threat of danger, or pain. An overwhelming feeling of being afraid. Does this sound familiar?

God doesn’t want you to live in fear, but unfortunately, it abounds in these troublesome times. Fear is one of the most popular weapons used by the enemy to harm you and steal your peace and happiness. Fear can become a living thing that cripples you and zaps your joy and enjoyment of life. Not only does it affect your mind, it can have negative long-term repercussions on your physical health. It can cause fatigue and weaken your immune system.

I understand completely – we have all been there. I’ve gone through periods in my life where I had an increased fear of driving my car and fear of sickness. You have your own personal fears, but there is hope – you can be totally free from them. Fear is not from God. It is a spirit from the enemy meant to steal your joy and ruin your life.
Statistics show that 85 percent of what we worry about never happens. My hope is you will be liberated from your fears and anxieties in life by reading and following this blog post. My hope is you will get your hope and joy back.

Take it a day at a time. Each day I have provided you with instruction and scripture regarding fear, and how you don’t have to be a prisoner to it. Meditate on these scriptures, pray them, and say them out loud. Do this several times or as many times as you can that day. Speaking God’s Word makes the meaning more powerful to you. It will settle deep in your spirit and give you more faith and hope. Remember God created the world by speaking it. Your  world is greatly affected by the words you are speaking.

Total Freedom from Fear Day #1 Take Authority Over Fear

You may think you are weak and powerless to fear because you feel it has a stronghold over your life. It can keep you awake at night, holding you hostage. It can affect your home, social, and work life in such a bad way that it weakens your health.

When you are a born-again believer of Jesus Christ you have power. 2 Timothy 1:7 says “For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” Jesus has complete authority over the evil spirit of fear, so when he lives inside of you, you have that same authority. One of my favorite scriptures that I say out loud anytime I am afraid of something is Luke 10:19 where Jesus says “Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you.” I love this! When I speak this scripture, a calmness settles over me.

If you are experiencing fear over something, feeling that dread creep in, and a heaviness presses on your chest, say this verse out loud with a commanding voice. When you battle fear with scripture, truly believe you have authority over it and believe in what you are saying. You will be amazed how quickly fear will depart from you. End your prayer or command by saying “in the name of Jesus.” For example, you could say “Fear, I command you to leave me in the name of Jesus.” It must go. It has no other choice. Simple as that.

There is power in his name. You can see this power in Mark 1:34 “And he healed many who were sick with various diseases and cast out many demons. And he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew who he was.” Evil powers, including the spirit of fear, are terrified of the name of Jesus.

And because Jesus lived inside of Paul the apostle, his authority over evil is demonstrated in Acts 16:18 when a demon-possessed girl was following him for days interrupting his ministry, “he turned and said to the spirit, ‘I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her!’ And it came out at that very hour.”
Take authority over your fear today. The living God dwells within you.

Day #2 Limit Your Social Media and News

I know it is good to stay well informed of the world around you by watching or reading the news and social media can be quite entertaining, but statistics show that both can induce great fear and anxiety.

According to an article by the HuffPost, a study by non-profit Anxiety UK showed that 51 percent of polled users of social media like Facebook and Twitter said it has changed their lives for the worst. And 45 percent said they felt “worried or uncomfortable” when they could not access Facebook nor their email.

Obsessing or spending lots of time on social media causes us to compare our lives to others which can lead to self-consciousness and anxiety over personal failure. You are only human, viewing others’ fabulous vacations and fancy new cars or houses can leave you feeling bad about yourself or your life. It can provoke fear in you that you may never achieve what you want in life.

But we should never be envious, every person on this planet has problems and imperfections in their lives. They say if you were in a circle of people and everyone tossed their problems in the middle, you would most likely take yours back. But maybe cutting back or quitting social media altogether for awhile would ease your fear and anxiety.
The same can be said about the correlation between fear and watching the news. After the 2016 presidential election and all the hate speech between both sides, I cut back significantly on my news watching and have never felt better. How much does the news really affect you and your personal life anyway? Many times, it is irrelevant.

Watching too much news can weaken your health and immune system. It stirs the limbic system which is a ring of interconnected nerve cells involved with emotion and memory, and it can cause a high release of cortisol. High levels of cortisol can cause increased fear, aggression, impaired digestion, and a higher risk of infection. You don’t have to give it up completely, but maybe cut back a bit and see if your fears are decreased.

Take your eyes off the world for a little while. Instead of pressing the social media app on your mobile device press your bible or inspirational apps. Read and meditate on John 14:27 where Jesus says, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”

Day #3 Stop Being Scared or Intimidated by Other People

Toxic people can bring a lot of fear and anxiety into your life. And let’s face it, we all know at least one toxic person that tends to bring you down. You do not have to put up with this in your life, even if it is a family member.

Or maybe there is a person in your life who is a bully like a spouse, boss, or co-worker. I have worked around people who were bullies. I used to get so nervous when I had to be around one whom I worked with years ago in the insurance industry. But the Lord took care of it, within a very short time of her starting to bully me I was promoted to a position that came up out of the blue and I didn’t have to work around her anymore. Trust God.

Don’t let people and their bad attitudes bother you. Psalms 118:6 says, “The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” And according to Psalms 27:1, “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?”
Try your best to get away or keep a healthy distance from a toxic person or bully. I know this isn’t possible sometimes, especially if this person is a co-worker or boss. Just try to be as non-reactive as you can and when you must speak with this person be assertive – speak with confidence.

Your natural reaction may be to lash out or get angry with them. But don’t let the enemy who is using this person to upset you steal your peace. By reacting and getting upset you are forfeiting your inner peace; you are giving them just what they want. Give it to God.

Romans 12:19 says “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” Your faithfulness in God and willingness to resist the temptation to get even with the toxic person will be rewarded in the end.

According to Deuteronomy 32:35-36, “Vengeance is mine, and recompense, for the time when their foot shall slip; for the day of their calamity is at hand, and their doom comes swiftly. For the Lord will vindicate his people.” When you stop fearing people and let God take care of them and their bad behavior you will feel free and at peace.

Day #4 Focus on God’s Love

Romans 8:37-39 says “In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

God loves you so much he gave his beloved son Jesus to die for you. That must have been agonizing for him to see his only son suffer like that. As a mother myself, I cannot even fathom that. Think about it, a God who loves you this much will gladly conquer your fears for you.

Whenever you feel overwhelmed with fear instead of focusing on it imagine Jesus next to you. He is right there protecting you. When fear starts to choke you, focus on God and praise him. Turn on some worship music and relax in the calm of his presence. Praise takes our eyes off ourselves and our angst and puts them on God.

Matthew 14 tells the account of Jesus walking on water. He had stayed back to dismiss the crowd of over five thousand while he told his disciples to get into the boat and cross over to the other side of the sea of Galilee. He then went up on the mountain and prayed. A powerful storm rose up as the disciples were sailing across and their boat was beaten by the waves. They were terrified.

Jesus saw that they were a long way from the shore and walked out onto the water to get to them. He would not leave them. When he reached the boat, they became more afraid because they thought he was a ghost. But he calmed them saying “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.”

You see, Jesus isn’t going to leave you in your storm. Don’t be afraid. In this same account, Jesus called Peter out onto the water. Peter obeyed and did walk onto the water, but as soon as he took his eyes off Jesus and onto the swirling wind and waves surrounding him, he sank. Jesus immediately took hold of him and saved him. Don’t take your eyes off Jesus when you are drowning in your fears. He will save you like he did Peter.

God’s love for you is perfect, everlasting, deeper than any you have ever known on earth, full of grace and mercy, an unforgettable love. A love that will always, always conquer your fear.

#5 Relax knowing God is in Control

Realizing that God is in control of your situation and knowing he has your best interest at heart will help ease your anxieties. Your stress will be greatly increased if you try and control everything. One of my favorite verses in the bible is Jeremiah 29:11 which says “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

You may think you have everything planned out for your life. This can cause a lot of undue worry and fear of failure to obtain these plans or goals. But what if God had something better in mind. Trust him and rely on him to carry out your future. By doing this you will feel way less stressed and less fearful if your plans don’t work out.

You must become smaller if the Lord is to become bigger in your life. According to 1 Peter 5:6-7 you must “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”

Remember some things you just cannot control so stop being afraid of them. Believe God is in control because he is; he is the creator of the universe and Lord over all. If you truly love him and put him first, he will take care of you and the situation that is bringing you such stress and tension.

You can control your response to fear. When it starts to crowd your mind and darken your world focus on God. Imagine him taking that thing or person that is scaring you. Picture him physically carrying it away from you and this will ease your fears and apprehensions.

Meditate on these scriptures to ease your anxiety: Psalm 46:1, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” Philippians 4:6-7, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, 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.”

And Luke 12:22-26, “And he said to his disciples, Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest?”

There are many more scriptures in the bible that can remedy your apprehensions. God does not want you to live a defeated life in fear.

Living with Jesus Christ in your heart will ease your fear and give you a life full of peace, joy, and contentment. If you would like to accept him into your life today say this easy prayer:

Prayer of Salvation

Dear Jesus, please forgive me for all my sins. I am truly sorry and wish for my soul to be fully cleansed. I believe you are the Son of God and died for me on the cross. Please come into my heart and live there forever. I ask this in your mighty name. Amen.