7 Bible Truths When Fear Presses In
Inside: When fear strangles and closes in, we need to remember that He is walking hand in hand with us. Here are the best bible verses for courage.
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Seven years ago, my dad had a benign tumor sitting in close proximity to his cerebellum. So basically, he had a large tumor next to the back of his head. The tumor was affecting his balance and he went from walking normally to needing a walker over the span of a few months.
The surgery to remove the tumor took over 17 hours and there was a high probability he would have some lasting deficits from it.
My dad returned from surgery with no issues or deficits. The neurosurgeon called him his miracle patient.
I was filled with fear, the two weeks Dad was in the hospital.
Gripping, strangling fear.
I had no control over the situation. It was out of my hands and I didn’t know how to deal with that.
Striving in the Flesh
I felt like I had to do something. Even in regards to God.
I had the wrong mindset though. Spending more time in His word or praying really hard somehow, I thought this might result in finding more grace with God. I was stuck on my own good works instead of the Great Work of the Cross.
God had to make my Dad better.
More striving even in the shadow of the crucified Jesus. Are you striving and trying to control in the shadow of the crucified Jesus? Click To Tweet
Doing instead of relaxing and releasing.
Closed fists of tension rather than open hands of believing, I didn’t have to do more because it’s already been done for me.
Have you been there before?
Feeling God’s Presence
On the fourth floor of the hospital in a private waiting room, God whispered to my heart to stop the striving. He beckoned me to release and surrender this inner tension.
The most amazing thing happened. The gritting of teeth and weariness of muscles gave way to an inner serenity. A blanket of peace enveloped me. I can still remember that moment because it’s been etched in my heart.
It was a moment where I sensed God’s presence.
Here’s what I missed in relentless acts of doing. The stronghold of fear devoured me, but my Dad remained peaceful and relaxed. I repeatedly asked him, “why aren’t you reading your Bible, or why aren’t you praying?” He would just say,” God has it already worked out.”
How did I miss his bold faith and realize this seven years later? What I thought was little faith, was actually faith-in-action in the midst of a stressful situation.
Bible Verses about Courage
- God is with me, hand in hand (Psalm 118:6).
- He helps me (Hebrews 13:6).
- God fights for me (Deuteronomy 5:5).
- The Almighty saves me (Isaiah 35:4).
- His presence will give me peace (John 14:27).
- God enables me to be strong (Joshua 1:9).
- The Deliverer will deliver me (Psalm 34:4).
When fear strangles and closes in, we need to remember that He is walking hand in hand with us. He already has it worked out for our good, even when we can’t see any good or the direction.
Relentless activity can sometimes be an idol keeping us from trusting God. Click To Tweet
Inactivity doesn’t mean little faith, but rather bold faith standing up to fear.
We will need to reaffirm our trust repeatedly, it isn’t a one-time action. If you’re like me, you will start striving again and need to reaffirm the trust. I’m not good at this surrendering, I need to reaffirm multiple times every hour.
Here’s the thing, it isn’t failing when we need to begin again, it’s planting our faith and seeing growth. We become more observant to the fear and the greater need and dependence on our Savior.
(Galatians 2:20-21, NLT).
20 My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21 I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die.
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Your father reminds me of the old patriarchs like David, the Hebrew boys and Daniel. There is no record of them praying in the traumatic experiences, they rested in the trust they had in God. I pray to be like him one day.
Calvonia- so do I…I don’t want fear to guide me and keep me from His best!
Julie, this is perfect! I always want to want to make my check list and contain God in my details instead of remember He is the detail. What a wonderful reminder to rest in His perfect love that casts out all fear.
I love this, ” I always want to want to make my check list and contain God in my details instead of remember He is the detail.” Such a great thought!
Love this! I’ve most recently been wanting to do a study on fear and here comes your post. 🙂
I’m so glad to hear your Dad is doing well. Praise the Lord!
Lillian- thank you for stopping! I think your study is a great idea:)
Encouraging post friend!
Starla- thank you that means a lot!
Julie, this is a beautiful, truth-filled post. I have been writing about fear lately, and yes, it has held me in a tight grip. But knowing God was right beside me all the time gave me the strength to fight fear. Have you read Kelly Balarie’s new book, Fear Fighting? It’s a great resource!
Yes I linked it at the bottom of the post!
Thanks for stopping!
Lauren- thank you for stopping! I hope your mom is ok!
Love your word, trust for this year. Surrendering is a place I often return to as well. I understand the striving and the release and peace which surrendering allows. May you continue to abide and trust in Him, Julie!
Jill- thanks for much for stopping! Trust and surrender are new habits this year:)
I needed this. I’m facing some serious health issues. Thank you!
Kathy- I’m adding you to my daily prayers!
Oh, this is good, Julie. And I love where you are reminding us that beginning again is certainly NOT failure. It took me soooo long to figure that out. Well, perhaps I sometimes still don’t get it. But I remember once when praying about a situation that I thought I should have been able to get passed, the Lord reminded me of the beauty of staying in the valley a little longer and of all the wonder and blessing that I found in the trial. Perspective always changes the dynamic, doesn’t it.
Praising God that your dad made it through with such a wonderful outcome and praying that He strengthens you as you continue to TRUST. (great word!)
Thank you for continuing to share with us at the #GraceMoments Link Up! I am grateful for you.
Blessings,
Dawn
Dawn- we do learn a lot in the valley, but man it’s tough and painful. I try and figure a way out, instead of trusting Him. There’s a reason that is my word this year;0)
Thank you for your encouragement and friendship!
Julie,
Thank you for this word of hope and encouragement! May it serve as a reminder that God triumphs over fear and has already won this battle for us! I appreciate you sharing your heart over at the Grace & Truth Linkup this week. I’m featuring your post on my site, Faith Along the Way. I hope you’ll continue to share with us there!
Sarah Ann- I somehow missed this! Thank you so much for sharing my post! I appreciate it!
I enjoy your blog and pin your images when they come across my feed:)
7 wonderful truths to hang on to! Thanks for sharing on Grace and Truth.
Thanks Aimee for hosting!
Lori- thank you so much! It gives such comfort to know we are all broken. I’m so thankful for your friendship!
Beautifully encouraging post, Julie! I love your ‘one word’. It’s a lifelong journey, isn’t it? Learning to trust God in the good and the bad times. But I’m finding that even when things don’t work out as we hope, God is still with us hand in hand, giving us peace and helping us to be strong. Blessings to you!
Carlie- trust is hard for me! I’m really trying this year though:)
Visualizing His hand in mine is comforting!
Thank you for stopping and sharing!
The tangible presence of God can be felt much more strongly when we are going through difficulty.
Susan- yes, I agree!