What Does the Bible Say about Fear?
Inside: Are you fearful and tense? How do we live in this scary world without letting these emotions overwhelm? 7 Bible Verses about Fear to help you overcome.
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Have you ever realized fear began in The Fall?
Adam and Eve were in a close intimate relationship with God, and then they ate the fruit. God took care of all their needs, and He only required one thing. He demanded not eating from one tree. Adam and Eve believed in God perfectly until Satan questioned it. He created doubt in their minds, and they discarded God’s goodness.
Adam and Eve feared God was withholding something from them. They wanted to know all and be all like God was. Sounds like pride, doesn’t it?
What were they thinking?
Fear Causes Us to Lose Focus
How sad and shameful they felt. How could Adam and Eve do this to the God they loved? He had taken such good care of them, and they choose to disrespect Him. Sound familiar?
Can you imagine the buckets of sweat drenching their remorseful bodies as they hid from Him?
The Creator of the Universe caught them red-handed. It was no longer a perfect relationship. Sin messed up complete intimacy with God and with others.
The devil likes to play his part in anxiety too, creating darts of fear, doubt, and shame. We feel many of these emotions in our lives because of sin. Hopelessness, fear, and doubt were not present before the fall into sin.
The Current Culture
Anxiety is increasing because day by day we are moving farther from God. Culture likes to believe whatever it feels at the particular time, and the Bible isn’t the foundation any longer. It seems like society is crumbling and fingers are pointed in all directions.
We know the truth though, God isn’t the foundation anymore. We aren’t following what the Bible says about fear and how to conqueror it.
The media can spin us all into anxiety. We fear for our lives, our kids’ lives and the generations to come. However, sometimes this anxiety takes our minds a little too far and we begin to isolate ourselves from life.
When we’re struggling with overwhelming tension, it’s easy to believe we are all alone in our struggles. The reality is fear and strain have been plaguing humans since the Garden of Eden. It was a stronghold on many in the past and it’s a stronghold on many now.
Does it give you a little reassurance knowing others share in your suffering?
What Does the Bible Say about Fear?
Throughout the Bible, you can find incidents of anxiety: Jehoshaphat, Moses, David, and many others are in the crowd of anxiety sufferers.
We need to remember God doesn’t allow us to suffer without His help. God gives us His words and wisdom in the Bible to traverse these seasons. He is bringing us closer to the image we had before the Fall into sin.
David found himself in many of these such seasons.
He used prayer to ease his anxiety. He would bear out his soul to God, and God gave peace.
Have you ever noticed how many Bible verses about fear there are?
Heartfelt prayers become anxiety’s remedy.
God Can Still Use Us Even When We are Fearful
God used David in spite of his fear. He became a line in the genealogy of the Savior.
When you feel as though God couldn’t use you because of anxiety, can I ask you to read in Psalms?
God uses the most unlikely people for His glory, even you be used by Him if you put your trust in Him.
Recall what God has done through these individuals because even with anxiety, they put trust in Him.
- Moses led 600,000 Israelites.
- Jehoshaphat reigned and accumulated great wealth.
- David was a triumphant warrior, king, wrote many of the Psalms, and became a member of Jesus family tree.
Anxiety didn’t have the final say, God did.
God has the Power over Fear
God will use you, and he will use this tension to refine you. As this shaping and remaking is taking place, remember God’s promise of presence. He will lead and protect you. God doesn’t leave you alone in the battle with anxiety.
His hand and yours are intertwined.
Here are some Bible Verses about Fear
3 But when I am afraid,
I will put my trust in you (Psalm 56:3, NLT).
I just want to encourage you. You are not alone. Anxiety isn’t new, and many have battled with it. You are so much stronger than your fear. You have hope and God on your side.
My prayer for you:
Dear Heavenly Father- Thank you for letting me come to you when I’m struggling. Please ease this troubled mind and body. Let me draw closer to you in the midst of this anxiety. Show me the positive from this strain. Soften my heart and lead me to others who need encouragement during their anxious moments! Your child, Amen.
Walking on Water When You Feel Like You’re Drowning: Finding Hope in Life’s Darkest MomentsFear Fighting: Awakening Courage to Overcome Your Fears
Fierce Faith: A Woman’s Guide to Fighting Fear, Wrestling Worry, and Overcoming Anxiety
Fighting Fear With Faith: Weathering the Storms with God’s Promises (Focus for Women)
Fiercehearted: Live Fully, Love Bravely
‘HEART-FELT PRAYERS BECOME ANXIETY’S REMEDY!’ I love that! Great post, Julie! Thanks for the wonderful reminder that God will never leave us… that His hand is interlaced with ours even, or especially, in our anxious moments. Blessings to you!
Carlie- thank you! Anxiety can mess with our minds and have us believe we are in this alone. God has been right there in the anxious moments ready to answer our call for help!
Have a great week!
Julie
God never intended for us to live in anxiety. He gives us the peace that passes understanding, if we would just trust in Him. Rest in Him. Knowing the Truth of His Word gives us that anchor in the midst of a storm. Anxiety makes us sick, stress is a slow killer.
Debbie- no God didn’t intend it, but with sin it’s happened. We can use those anxious moments to draw closer to God in prayer and trust!
Anxiety can be our signal that we need to get a little closer to Him.
Julie
Julie, I love how the Psalms encourage to trust in God when we feel anxious. He knows our frame. Blessings to you.
Debbie- Psalms is a great book for the hard times. David was good about bearing his soul to God, and then changing his perspective to praising God.
So much to learn from him!
Blessings to you!
Julie
Yes! The Psalms and prayer are my personal go-to meds! God truly does work in these ways and knowing that a man after God’s own heart had his flaws and cried out openly to God has always helped me draw near to Him myself. So glad we have the Word and I pray it spreads to each nook and cranny of the world.
Meg- Yes, Psalms is great when we just need hope and encouragement!
Thank you!
Julie
Hello, Julie. I really appreciated this post. Thank you.
Any time I feel those anxious thoughts creeping up on me, that strange unsettled feeling, I know as soon as I speak to God in prayer, He will calm my mind.
I loved your ending Bible verse! That’s one of my favorites.
Happy to have found you at #SittingAmongFriends.
Gleniece- nice to meet you!
Thank you for the kind words! When those moments of anxiety come, I sometimes do everything else to calm myself then to pray. I know that’s what I should do, but I don’t. He is the best remedy for anxiety!
Have a great week!
Julie
I am so glad we were neighbors today 🙂 Wonderful post! So very grateful we are not to face any problem on our own. And thank you for stopping at my site too! Glad our paths crossed!
Joanne- Yes, I’m also glad we have the Creator of the Universe on our side!
Thanks for the kind words!
Julie
Hi Julie,
This is a wonderful post on fear. I have been studying Bible verses on fear and you are right, it does help to know that even the spiritual giants dealt with it. And I’m so glad that God can still use us – like He did them – even if we fear! Thanks for the encouragement!
Alyson
Alyson- The examples from the Bible are reassuring, aren’t they? Glad it encouraged you:)
Wow, Julie. I think you’ve hit on something: Anxiety is increasing because our culture is moving further from God. I’ve been wondering lately why anxiety disorder seems to be on the rise. That is an interesting thought. Only God and faith in Him is a true antidote to fear. Thanks for your words today.
Betsy- If we kept God as the center, we wouldn’t need to fear. It’s when we focus on the threats instead of His promises fear binds us up.
Thanks for pointing out what Moses, Jehoshaphat and David managed to achieve with prayer and with God to overcome their anxiety.
Rachel- thanks for stopping by!
Thanks for your post, Julie! God can and does heal us from anxiety and fear! I have chosen to feature your post on Grace and Truth this week. Please stop by and get the “I was featured” button for your post!
Aimee- thank you for the opportunity to be featured! I appreciate it:)
Congratulations on being featured on Grace and Truth, Julie! Back in January God taught me a lot about the importance of shifting my focus from fears to faith. Such a powerful lesson.
Heather- thank you! Shifting the focus is painful but needed! I’m glad you stopped, you encouraged me:)
Julie, Great idea to read the Psalms when we are fearful or anxious. They express so many deep emotions, but always end up pointing us back to God.
Theresa- The Psalms are a great place to park when we’re experiencing either fear or anxiety!