fear

2 Timothy 1:7 – “For God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind.”

What are you afraid of? Is it doing something God has called you to do? Do you fear letting your grandma down? Is it the future? Maybe you have no idea what you want to do when you leave home and it’s frightening. Fear is so real. And often, if we spend a lot of time dwelling on our fears, they will cripple us.

The more we focus on fear, the bigger fear gets in our life. So if you spend lots of time dwelling on your fear, you’ll never get to where God wants you to be. That’s why the Bible spends time speaking about fear. God knows that we all face fears. However, He gives us lots of verses on where our focus should be when we’re afraid.

Today’s Truth: The more we focus on fear, the bigger it gets in our lives

The Bible tells us time and time again that we are to fear not. We’re not to dwell on fearful thoughts. Instead, we’re to focus on God. The more we focus on God and His love for us, it makes fear disappear in our lives.

Today, take some time to think about where your thoughts are focused on. If most of your thoughts are focused on your fear, you’ll be fearful. If instead, you choose to think about God and how much He loves you, you’ll find that fear has to go. So today be encouraged, God isn’t the source of fear. He wants to provide you freedom from fear.

This devotion is a repost from 2019, but had such good content, we thought we’d update it a little and let you enjoy it now in 2022!

While David was at Horesh in the Desert of Ziph, he learned that Saul had come out to take his life.

David had every right to be afraid. In today’s Bible verse, we see that He had Saul on the way to kill him. Talk about a scary situation! Saul was the king of the nation, so he had lots of resources available to go after David and kill him. And Saul wasn’t afraid to be using them. The verse tells us he was on his way to take David’s life.

David had a legitimate reason to be afraid. He was facing something really big!

Have you noticed that it’s difficult to not give in to fear when it feels like the thing you’re afraid of is very big and powerful?

That’s the thing about fear, it always seems big!

Fear Feels Big

Fear in our lives always feels bigger than what we can handle. We face a problem and it just seems like it’s bigger and scarier than we want to deal with. Problems can often cause you to want to give up or hide from them because they’re just too scary.

However, when you’re faced with fear, realize that even though it often appears bigger than you, you’re not dealing with it alone. God is there He’s for you, and with His help, you can face anything that you fear.

Fear is defeated when you realize that even though it seems big, God is bigger and you can conquer fear with Him!

Ready to break free from fear?

This e-book will provide you with practical tools to help you win the battle against fear in your life.

Begin your journey toward freedom today.

Here’s a recap of this week’s devotions on fear

Day 2 – Fear Speaks Loud
When you’re facing fear, it speaks so loud. It’s hard to see anything else or imagine ever being free from the fears that hold you back. Learn in this devotion how to drown out fear and see God move on your behalf.

Day 3 – Fear Stops At The Word

When God speaks, it has to come to pass. That means the things that God has promised you will happen! This devotion shows you how to stop fear with the Word of God!

Day 4 – Faith Holds You Steady In Fear

Fear will try to rock your world if you let it. Choose instead to cling to faith to combat fear. Learn how faith can be the anchor to hold you steady when fear tries to capsize your life!

If you’d like more devotions to challenge you to walk free from fear, check out last week’s devotions on fear.

There is no room in love for fear. Well-formed love banishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearful life—fear of death, fear of judgment—is one not yet fully formed in love. – 1 John 4:18 (MSG)

How do we get rid of fear in our lives? There are so many kinds of fear and each one stops us from enjoying life. So how can we get rid of something like fear that just seems to be unstoppable?

Today’s Bible verse lays out a great suggestion about how to combat fear. It tells us that love banishes fear. As you focus on God’s love, fear has to go in your life. When you spend time thinking about how much God loves you, you begin to realize that He wants to take care of every aspect of your life.

That means the history test you are worried about, you can give that to God. If you’re worried that you’ll never meet the right person to marry, you can relax knowing that God will bring it to pass. If you’re scared that you’ll not have enough money, you can find freedom in trusting God with your finances. God will take care of every area of your life, if you’ll allow Him access into your life. So choose today to think about how much God loves you and walk free from fear.

“The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear?  The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?” – Psalm 27:1

One really crazy thing about fear is how real it feels, regardless if it’s rational. Fear can come at you when you least expect it and in ways you wouldn’t have imagined. A few months ago, I was waking up in the middle of the night racked with irrational fears. I prayed and asked God for His help and He revealed to me that I was watching a TV show that was making me fearful. I stopped watching the show and I stopped waking up at night fearful.

That’s the really great thing about God. When get to know Him,  it helps removes fear. As you know God better, you realize that He has the best in store for you. You begin to believe that He really will come through for you in every situation that you face. You can lean on His wisdom and guidance in every situation you face.

Today’s Bible verse is all about trust in God. When we place our trust in God, we have nothing to fear. There is nothing that comes your way that you’re unable to face and conquer with God on your side.

[Tweet “When we place our trust in God, we have nothing to fear. – @studentdevos”]

So today choose to be courageous and face your fears. You know that you will come out on top when you begin to place your trust in God.

For I am the LORD your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you. – Isaiah 41:13 (NIV)

Have you ever been guilty of making decisions based on fear? Maybe you’re concerned about what your friends will think of you, so you give in to peer pressure just so you don’t lose face with them. Maybe you want to try out for the basketball team, but the fear of not making the cut keeps you from trying.

Fear is something we all face at times in our lives. And so you might wonder, is it possible to live a life that is free from fear? Today’s Bible verse seems to indicate that it is. God tells us not to fear. God wouldn’t tell us not to do something if it was impossible to do.

Many times, fear is based on the unknown. We might not know what will happen so we act differently, hold back, or stop in our tracks. This is the enemy’s ploy. He knows that if he can get us afraid we won’t do the things God is calling us to do. We will be afraid to tell others about Jesus, we won’t pray for the person going through a struggle or go on the missions trip God is calling us to go on.

[Tweet “Fear will stop you from doing the things God has called you to do – @studentdevos”]

So if you’ve been bound by fear, choose today to face your fear head-on. Confront the fears and lies that have held you back. Determine that you will live courageously and boldly for God. Choose today to live fearlessly!

When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. – Psalm 56:3

What scares you the most? Is it performing in front of an audience? Speaking in front of others? Being alone?

Who you run to when you’re afraid shows a lot about who you trust most. If you run to a friend or a parent when you’re facing a scary situation, it shows that you trust that person to help you out.

In this Bible verse, the Psalmist talks about putting his trust in God. He has decided that God is going to be the person he goes to when he’s afraid. So how do you get to the place where you trust God enough to run to Him when you’re afraid? Many times it starts by getting to know God better. You begin focusing on all the things God has done in the past for those who loved Him.

As you focus on these things, it builds faith in your heart. You begin to trust that God will do the same for you. You begin to put your trust in God. So if your trust in God feels weak, begin to spend time in the Bible. Find stories to read about how He came through for those who placed their trust in Him. As you do this, your trust in God will grow, and He will become where you run when you’re afraid.

If fear has been a real struggle for you, check out this great 5-day devotion to help you defeat fear!

Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me. – Psalm 23:4 (NLT)

Do you deal with fear? Maybe there’s a situation at school that seems scary. Perhaps something at home makes you feel uneasy and you’re not really sure what to do about it.

The truth is we all deal with fear. However, we don’t have to let fear rule our lives.

Fear Goes When You Know…

One of the best ways to defeat fear is knowledge. When you read verses like today’s Bible verse, you begin to see how much God loves you and wants to walk with you through the difficult seasons of life.

Knowing this helps you defeat fear because you realize that you’re not doing it alone. Yes, there are times when it feels overwhelming. Yes, there are scary situations that are very real. But you’re not alone in those. You’ve got a God who loves you, who’s for you and who will help you with what you need each step of the way.

So today, take a breath. Realize that God is there and He’s not going to let you fail. You are a winner in Him. You will get through what you’re going through. And with God’s help, you can go through it with confidence, free from fear because you know God won’t let you down!

Here’s a recap video of all the lessons on fear this week!

Day 1 – Fear Feels Big
Have you noticed that fear always feels bigger than what you think you can handle? In this powerful devotion, you’ll learn that even though fear feels big, you’re not facing it alone. See how God can team up with you to defeat fear in your life!

Day 2 – Fear Speaks Loud
When you’re facing fear, it speaks so loud. It’s hard to see anything else or imagine ever being free from the fears that hold you back. Learn in this devotion how to drown out fear and see God move on your behalf.

Day 3 – Fear Stops At The Word

When God speaks, it has to come to pass. That means the things that God has promised you will happen! This devotion shows you how to stop fear with the Word of God!

Day 4 – Faith Holds You Steady In Fear

Fear will try to rock your world if you let it. Choose instead to cling to faith to combat fear. Learn how faith can be the anchor to hold you steady when fear tries to capsize your life!

If you’d like more devotions to stir your heart and challenge you to walk free from fear, check out last week’s devotions on fear.