OVERCOMING FEAR

WISDOM FOR LIVING DAILY DEVOTIONAL

NOVEMBER 14, 2023

TOPIC: OVERCOMING FEAR

BY T. O. BANSO

“Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You. In God (I will praise His word), in God I have put my trust; I will not fear. What can flesh do to me?” (Psalm 56:3-4 New King James Version).

Fear is common to all, young and old, poor and rich, male and female. We are all afraid of one thing or the other. But some people overcome their fears. Thus, they do not allow them to hinder them in life

Somebody asked someone whom he admired so much that he wished to perform excellently like him but he was always afraid. But he responded that he was also always afraid whenever he had to perform before a new audience but he had learnt to overcome his fear. In other words, he was not free from fear but knew how to overcome it.

The problem with many people is not that they are afraid but they are not able to overcome their fears; instead, fear overcomes them. Fear has made some people not do certain things. It has kept them at the level they are. Some have the fear of enemies or the fear of failure. Others have other kinds of fear, including the fear of success. They are afraid of success!

Whenever you are afraid or whatever you are afraid of, don’t let fear overcome you; don’t let it cripple or paralyze you. If there is something God has asked you to do or you must do, don’t let fear stop you. Do it even while you’re afraid! Do it by faith. David said, “Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You. In God (I will praise His word), in God I have put my trust; I will not fear. What can flesh do to me?” (Psalm 56:3-4 New King James Version). Note the phrase “Whenever I am afraid.”

In other words, there were times when David was afraid. But he had learnt how to handle his fear. He knew what to do. He didn’t surrender to fear but trust in God. Putting your trust in God is what to do when fear comes. That is not to say that you should wait till fear comes before you put your trust in God. Put your trust in God always, especially when you are afraid. Trust in God and faith in God are essentially the same thing, and fear is negative faith.

Paul says in 2 Timothy 1:7 that God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind. Note the phrase “spirit of fear.”  As a child of God, you have the Spirit of God to overcome the spirit of fear, for as many as are led by the Spirit of God are the sons of God (Romans 8:14).

Whenever fear comes, know that it is not from God, and put your trust in God to overcome it. As David said in Psalm 56:3-4, which I cited earlier, “In God I have put my trust; I will not fear.” Put your trust in God whenever you are afraid, and you will overcome fear. It will not overcome you. David continued in verses 10-11, “In God (I will praise His word), in the Lord (I will praise His word), in God I have put my trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” (New King James Version). Trust in God will overcome fear.

Many times, the Bible records phrases such as “fear not,”  “do not be afraid,” and similar words. God does not want you to fear anything except Him, which is not negative but reverence for Him and worship (Job 28:28; Psalms 19:9; 22:23; 25:14; 33:8, 18; 34:7, 11; 111:10; 135:20; Proverbs 1:7). But for non-believers, the fear of God is the fear of His wrath, Judgment Day, and eternal punishment after death.

God doesn’t want you to be afraid of man, including your enemies. Jesus says not to fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell (Matthew 10:28). The writer of Psalm 118 says, “The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? The Lord is for me among those who help me; therefore I shall see my desire on those who hate me” (verses 6-7 New King James Version). The New International Version renders the phrase “I shall see my desire on those who hate me” as “I will look in triumph on my enemies.”

In Genesis 26:24, the Lord appeared to Isaac and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham; do not fear, for I am with you. I will bless you and multiply your descendants for My servant Abraham’s sake” (New King James Version). God is with you, too; do not fear

Also in Joshua 10:8, the Lord told Joshua, “Do not fear them, for I have delivered them into your hand; not a man of them shall stand before you” (New King James Version). God is saying the same thing to you.

Whenever you are afraid, put your trust in God. Confess with your mouth your trust in God. Say what the Word of God says regarding His presence with you always and the command not to fear or be afraid. Let it proceed from your mouth into your heart. This will build your faith, for faith comes by hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17). The writer of the book of Hebrews says, “So we may boldly say: ‘The LORD is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?’” (Hebrews 13:6 New King James Version).

Whenever you are afraid, put your trust in God. Have faith in God. David said, “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?  When the wicked came against me to eat up my flesh, my enemies and foes, they stumbled and fell. Though an army may encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war may rise against me, in this I will be confident” (Psalm 27:1-3 New King James Version). Don’t fear; put your trust in God. Don’t let fear stop you in life.

Whatever situation you are in, remember that, as a child of God, God is with you. He has said that He will never leave you or forsake you (Hebrews 13:5). “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you” (Isaiah 43:2 New King James Version). Don’t be afraid. God is with you.

God said in Isaiah 51:12, “I, even I, am He who comforts you. Who are you that you should be afraid of a man who will die, and of the son of a man who will be made like grass?” (New King James Version). Overcome fear by putting your trust in God. Don’t be afraid of situations, enemies, undertakings, success or failure. God is bigger than any challenge you are facing that could make you afraid. With God, all things are possible (Matthew 19:26; Mark 10:27). Put your trust in God.

In addition to trusting in God, be established in and live in the love of God. God loves you. Love and fear cannot coexist. Living in God’s love casts away fear. “There is no fear where love exists. Rather, perfect love banishes fear, for fear involves punishment, and the person who lives in fear has not been perfected in love” (1 John 4:18 International Standard Version). Live in God’s love. Let His love rule over your life and fear shall be expelled. You will overcome fear.

TAKE ACTION!

If you are not born again, you need to give your life to Jesus now. I urge you to take the following steps: *Admit that you are a sinner and you cannot save yourself and repent of your sins. *Confess Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. *Renounce your past way of life – your relationship with the devil and his works. *Invite Jesus into your life. *As a mark of seriousness to mature in the faith, start attending a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church. There they will teach you how to grow in the Kingdom of God.

Kindly say this prayer now: O Lord God, I come unto You today. I know I am a sinner and I cannot save myself. I believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross to save me and God raised Him on the third day. I repent of my sins and confess Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. I surrender my life to Jesus now and invite Him into my heart. By this prayer, I know I am saved. Thank You, Jesus, for saving me and making me a child of God.

I believe you have said this prayer from your heart. Congratulations! You will need to join a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church in your area where they will teach you how to live your new life in Christ Jesus. I pray that you flourish like a palm tree and grow like a cedar of Lebanon. May you grow into Christ in all things and become all God wants you to be. I will be glad to hear from you. The Lord be with you.

PRAYER POINTS: Father, whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You. I will not surrender my life to fear. I overcome fear in the name of Jesus; fear will not hinder me in life or stop my progress.

(For over 900 in-depth and powerful messages by T. O. Banso, visit www.cedarministry.org).

T. O. Banso is the President of Cedar Ministry International, Abuja, Nigeria.
Phone No: +2348155744752, +2348033113523
WhatsApp No: +2349081295947
Email: cedarministryintl@yahoo.com,
cedarministryng@gmail.com
Website: www.cedarministry.org