Faith and fear are like fire and ice. They can’t exist in the same container. In this article you will learn how believing God's word and focusing on the positive outcome will limit fear in your life.
Faith and fear are like fire and ice. They can’t exist in the same container.
Fear involves imagining the worst outcome, but faith imagines the best and believes that it will happen. You can’t believe both at the same time—you have to choose.
For example, you may feel fearful about your financial situation and struggle to believe you can pay off debt—this is the opposite of faith. However, if you become convinced that you can get ahead, you’re replacing fear with faith.
There are six areas where we experience life-limiting fears that I refer to as the ‘six deadly fears.’ Each of these fears can be overcome, and we’ll discuss some strategies you can use to replace fear with faith.
1. Death:
Fear of death can grip and keep you from enjoying life; however those who have given their lives to Jesus can think of death not as the ceasing of their existence, but moving to a new world. We still grieve over the loss of loved ones, but this eternal outlook on physical death replaces fear with faith about where we’ll spend eternity.
2. People:
Fear of people’s opinions often shows itself as a fear looking foolish. Some are severely limited and restricted by other’s opinions, but this fear can be overcome by focusing on the fact that we are completely accepted by God—unconditionally. Remaining sensitive to how we make people feel, we don’t allow fear to stop us from our destiny.
3. Failure:
Fear of failure can stop you from moving forward, but 1 John 4:18 tells us that perfect love casts out fear. If you doubt that love can cast out fear, imagine a woman, deadly afraid of snakes, who sees one moving toward her baby. Her love overrides fear as she protects her baby. When you love God and His cause, you stop letting the fear of failure hold you back from doing what He asks you to do because your love is greater.
4. Rejection:
One of the biggest reason teens experiment with sex and drugs is the fear of rejection. This fear can grip people until they know that they are accepted unconditionally. In John 6:37, Jesus says “I will not reject you.” His love for us is completely unconditional—it’s the safest love in the world. When we focus on that, we let go of the fear of rejection.
5. Sickness:
Just mention the word cancer and people react with fear. God wants us to be healthy and to recover from any sickness. When we let His principles invade our thinking, we drop them into our hearts. We can kick out the fear of sickness by studying, reading, and listening to God’s thoughts on health and healing. It replaces fear with a confidence in God.
6. Lack:
People have a fear of not having enough, but if you are from one of the world’s developed nations, you live in one of the richest countries in the world. We have so much to be thankful for but we hang on to things tightly for fear of losing them until they begin to dictate our lives. We can let go of the fear of lack by being grateful for what we have. Being generous to others, especially those in worse conditions, will cause us to forget about our lack.
The antidote to fear is faith: choosing to believe God’s words. When we remind ourselves of what God says and keep going regardless of how we feel, fear leaves. We replace fearful thoughts with what God has promised us and we learn to have a confident trust in Him. Instead of being limited by fear, we sense His peace and are empowered with His ability to walk through anything.
Fear involves imagining the worst outcome, but faith imagines the best and believes that it will happen. You can’t believe both at the same time—you have to choose.
For example, you may feel fearful about your financial situation and struggle to believe you can pay off debt—this is the opposite of faith. However, if you become convinced that you can get ahead, you’re replacing fear with faith.
There are six areas where we experience life-limiting fears that I refer to as the ‘six deadly fears.’ Each of these fears can be overcome, and we’ll discuss some strategies you can use to replace fear with faith.
1. Death:
Fear of death can grip and keep you from enjoying life; however those who have given their lives to Jesus can think of death not as the ceasing of their existence, but moving to a new world. We still grieve over the loss of loved ones, but this eternal outlook on physical death replaces fear with faith about where we’ll spend eternity.
2. People:
Fear of people’s opinions often shows itself as a fear looking foolish. Some are severely limited and restricted by other’s opinions, but this fear can be overcome by focusing on the fact that we are completely accepted by God—unconditionally. Remaining sensitive to how we make people feel, we don’t allow fear to stop us from our destiny.
3. Failure:
Fear of failure can stop you from moving forward, but 1 John 4:18 tells us that perfect love casts out fear. If you doubt that love can cast out fear, imagine a woman, deadly afraid of snakes, who sees one moving toward her baby. Her love overrides fear as she protects her baby. When you love God and His cause, you stop letting the fear of failure hold you back from doing what He asks you to do because your love is greater.
4. Rejection:
One of the biggest reason teens experiment with sex and drugs is the fear of rejection. This fear can grip people until they know that they are accepted unconditionally. In John 6:37, Jesus says “I will not reject you.” His love for us is completely unconditional—it’s the safest love in the world. When we focus on that, we let go of the fear of rejection.
5. Sickness:
Just mention the word cancer and people react with fear. God wants us to be healthy and to recover from any sickness. When we let His principles invade our thinking, we drop them into our hearts. We can kick out the fear of sickness by studying, reading, and listening to God’s thoughts on health and healing. It replaces fear with a confidence in God.
6. Lack:
People have a fear of not having enough, but if you are from one of the world’s developed nations, you live in one of the richest countries in the world. We have so much to be thankful for but we hang on to things tightly for fear of losing them until they begin to dictate our lives. We can let go of the fear of lack by being grateful for what we have. Being generous to others, especially those in worse conditions, will cause us to forget about our lack.
The antidote to fear is faith: choosing to believe God’s words. When we remind ourselves of what God says and keep going regardless of how we feel, fear leaves. We replace fearful thoughts with what God has promised us and we learn to have a confident trust in Him. Instead of being limited by fear, we sense His peace and are empowered with His ability to walk through anything.
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