“For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.” II Timothy 1:7
Last week, I posted, ‘How to crush the spirit of fear’ and I felt it was incomplete. At the end of the post I listed four strategies to empower you to crush the spirit of fear, but I did not expound on them. This post will provide detailed insights on those four strategies. Implement them and watch your life rise above your frustrations.
Four strategies to empower you to crush the spirit of fear
- Identify your fears and why
The everyday things of life provide many opportunities to fear: “Will I lose my job? Will I have enough money to pay my bills? Will I or one of my loved-ones get sick and die? Will my spouse leave me?”
These thoughts originate from the enemy of our souls and cause us great anguish. While all of these questions are possibilities, there is no reason to anticipate loss and failure. Bad things as well as good things happen to all of us. The enemy’s trick is to convince you to believe that his lies are the truth. If you believe his lies you will forfeit your opportunity to succeed.
I suggest, you sit down with pen and paper and list your fears in one column and then list next to it why it is a fear. On a separate page list what you are going to do to combat the fears you listed. The last step you must take is to implement a plan to overcome your fears.
2. Feed your mind faith thoughts
If you want to really crush the spirit of fear, you need to feed you mind faith thoughts. A steady daily dosage of meditating on God’s Word, spending quality time with encouraging people and reading inspiring books and blogs will empower your faith to grow.
It will not happen overnight. There will be some bumps on the road and obstacles on your path. But, if continue to press forward, you can make it.
Some days you will feel like you can conquer the world and then there will be days when it is difficult to get up. But, if you make it a point to feed your mind daily faith thoughts even when defeat and discouragement attack, you will have a ready arsenal to attack back.
If fear thoughts are holding you captive, I want you to stop right now and refocus your mind. It will take some work because our minds tend to focus on our fears and what’s causing them. But, if you determine to focus your mind on faith thoughts, you can win the battle.
3. Trust God to keep His Word
Trusting in God is our ultimate remedy for fear. Yet, that sometimes seems easier said than done. In fact, the more consumed with fear we become, the more distant God seems to be. That’s why, when anxiety grips your heart, you should make a concerted effort to stand on the promises of God’s Word and claim them over your life.
If you desire to overcome the spirit of fear, you need to trust God to keep His word. Rely on His ability to take care of the source of your fears. You need to rest in God and His word and allow Him to take over the solving of your challenges.
Multitudes of people never fulfill the call of God on their lives simply because every time they try to go forward, the enemy uses fear to stop them. Is he using fear to stop you?
4. Walk your vision by faith.
John Maxwell says in his book The Success Journey, “Your vision is one of the most effective antidotes for fear. It can fuel the flames of the desire within you until you’re willing to confront and overcome your fear. Your vision can help you go where you’re afraid to go and do what you’re afraid to do. It will enable you to channel your fear positively.”
You can say that when God leads you to step out in an area to do something new or leads you to make a bigger commitment, you probably will feel fear. However, if you are sure God told you to do it, put your trust in Him and walk by faith.
These four strategies are not a magical formula that will make all your frustrations automatically disappear forever, but they will equip and empower you for victory when frustrations show up.
Question: What strategy can you implement to crush the spirit of fear in your life? Leave a comment below.