(If there are affiliate links in this post, meaning, if you click through and make a purchase, I may receive a commission (at no extra cost to you)).
I recently had the opportunity to chat with Wendy Blight, author of “I Am Loved: Walking in the Fullness of God’s Love” on this episode of Your Hope-Filled Perspective: You are Loved by God. Wendy shared from her own difficult life experiences how she moved from questioning God and His goodness to accepting His love for her, and trusting His character. Wendy experienced a terrifying event that no one would want to experience. I asked her to share here her suggestions for overcoming fear.
There’s a Book Giveaway so be sure to read to the end!
~~~
Three Steps to Overcoming Fear
By Wendy Blight
“God is love … There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear.” (1 John 4:16 – 18a)
Today’s passage speaks to an emotion that held me captive for years.
Fear.
The dictionary defines fear this way:
“a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, etc., whether the threat is real or imagined; the feeling or condition of being afraid.”
Did you catch the words describing “threat”? Real or imagined.
Fear often arises in the form of a condition … something bad might happen. It’s the “what if.” My plane might go down in mid-air. My mammogram might reveal cancer. I might lose my job. My child might get kidnapped. My husband might be having an affair. We might not be able to pay our bills.
Most of the time, our “might” has no basis in reality. It finds its roots in something from our past, something we’ve read on-line, or seen on the television.
Whether we fear the known or the unknown, fear is a thief, stealing our joy, peace, and contentedness. It prevents us from living God’s promised abundant life.
Fear will come. Conditional “mights” will come. It’s what we do with them that matters.
God’s Word reveals powerful truths about fear.
“God is love … There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear.” (1 John 4:16-18a)
“God did not give us a cowardly spirit but a powerful, loving, and disciplined spirit.” (2 Timothy 1:7, The Voice, Galatians 5:22)
“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” (Romans 8:37)
Notice Paul’s words in Romans 8:37. We’re not just conquerors; we’re MORE than conquerors through Him who LOVED us.
God’s desires for us to know and believe His love so deeply there’s no room for fear. His love will consume us so fully, we’ll not only combat our fear but fully and completely overcome it!
Scripture provides a process to overcome our fear in 2 Corinthians 10:5:
We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.
Here’s a three-step process to make overcoming fear more practical.
Step One
Recognize and confess your fear.
Step Two
Analyze your fear and determine from where it comes.
Step Three
Identify a biblical truth to combat and overcome that fear.
Remember, most fears arise because we fear what might happen in the future. They haven’t happened, but they might happen. It’s more likely than not that they won’t happen, but we still fear them.
Yet, that fear is very real. It’s why God speaks to fear over 300 times in the Bible. God knew we would struggle with it, so He gave us His Word to speak truth over our fears.
Let’s review what we’ve learned:
God is love (1 John 4:16). God’s love lives in us (Gal. 5:22). As we abide in God’s love, His love matures, or “grows up,” in us.
As our faith matures, God’s love matures in us (1 John 4:17). The longer we walk with God, the deeper we go in His Word. The deeper we go in His Word, the more we understand His love, and walk confidently in that love. The more confident we are in His love, the more success we’ll experience in overcoming our fear.
And, the best news of all, we’re never in the battle alone. God is with us … always.
It’s my prayer you won’t leave today without knowing you’re an extravagantly, unconditionally, lavishly loved child of God! He loves you more than the stars in the heavens and the sands on the shores.
Knowing and believing these truths are imperative to overcoming your fears. Knowing and believing them will come as you as you commit to …
Read God’s Word.
Study God’s Word.
Pray God’s Word.
Allow His Word to saturate every part of your being. Down to the marrow of your bones as Hebrews 4:12 says. When His truth and His love reign and rule over your heart and mind, you’ll finally be free from Satan’s lies. From your prison of fear.
You’ll be bolder and braver, able to step out in faith to love … to serve … to give … confidently and sacrificially.
Wendy Blight
** Adapted, in part, from Chapter Four, “I Am Loved: Walking in the Fullness of God’s Love.”
About Wendy Blight
Wendy is a wife, mother, author, Bible teacher, attorney, and the Biblical Content Specialist for Proverbs 31 Ministry’s Online Bible Studies. Her heart’s desire is to help women fall in love with God’s Word. To learn it, pray it, and know with confidence they can tackle any problem life presents through it. Wendy has authored four books, Hidden Joy in a Dark Corner, Living So That, I Know His Name, and her newest book, “I Am Loved: Walking in the Fullness of God’s Love.” Wendy has been a featured guest on Oprah Radio, The 700 Club, Family Life Today with Dr. Dennis Rainey, Revive Our Hearts with Nancy Leigh DeMoss, and Building Relationships with Dr. Gary Chapman.
Wendy lives with her husband, Monty, in Charlotte, North Carolina and loves most when her two children, Lauren (26) and Bo (20), come home to visit and fill their home with lots of love and laughter!
To connect with Wendy Blight: Website / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram
Additional helpful resources:
Walk in Faith Declaration from “I Am Loved:” Download Walk in Faith Declaration
“Breaking Anxiety’s Grip: How to Reclaim the Peace God Promises” by Dr. Michelle Bengtson
Book Giveaway!
In conjunction with this post and the podcast interview, You are Loved by God – Episode 31, Wendy Blight is giving away a free copy of her book, “I am Loved.“
Leave a comment below sharing with us one new thing you learned from this post about overcoming fear and you will be entered into a drawing to win a copy of Wendy’s book.
You could also share this blog post on Facebook or Twitter then comment here to tell us where you shared it and you’ll also be entered into the drawing.
The winner will be selected at random and announced next Monday, November 25, 2019, here on this post.
Continental United States only.
This message through the blog and the interview has so captured my heart giving me new tools to use in my battle with fear. After earlier going through Wendy’s Proverbs 31 study of her book about her attack, then now hearing the amazing interview you did with her to this blog, she has so shared her heart of pain and fear, her life after trauma and how to overcome to freedom that I have so much HOPE of overcoming any fear the enemy tries to bring upon me. It has always been a weak area in my life making me susceptible to the enemy’s lies. NO MORE!!! So thankful for your interview, what you shared of your own journey and also Wendy’s. I shared this blog on FB. I would love to have her book.
Wonderful post. As we allow God’s Word to permeate our minds and thoughts, God’s peace increases and fears decrease.
2 Timothy 1:7 has been my constant reminder and source of peace when fears try to enter. Grateful to have read this post!
Fear comes from Satan’s lies.
The best reminder in this post is that much of we’re afraid of is the “mights” of life – I might get sick; I might lose my kids; I might lose my money. And yet, to live that way denies everything I know about God and His provision. Yes, things might change, but I don’t face ANYTHING alone! Praise God!
I had been thinking for years that I suffered from “anxiety”, because I couldn’t exactly name or pinpoint what was causing the anxiousness, or why I was feeling it. The definition of fear answers that! My distress is coming from IMAGINED THREATS. Fearful imaginings of things that may NEVER happen! Thank you for this article! Now I know my foe!
I’m based in the UK, so don’t worry about entering me in the draw. I just wanted to say I really needed to read this right now. It speaks to my heart so much. I love the 3 tips. So simple, but yet so effective. Thank you ?
I am again gripped by the idea of praying over God’s Word to find His peace “that passes all understanding” will sustain me during times when I doubt and fear. He wants me to live with joy and peace as I face difficulties and conflicts. I was reminded again that “if God is for us, who can be against us?” The Word of God dispenses divine truth to keep our hearts and minds anchor in His love. This is an incredible message. Thank you for your words of wisdom and truth.
I’ve been battling anxiety lately and it seems like it never ends. Each day I wake up with crippling anxiety praying for God to rid me of it. One thing I was not doing was clinging to the scriptures. Reading this passage today, reminding myself how important it is to utilize thought replacement. I am a mental health counselor and clinical social worker. I assist people every day in doing this, but have a difficult time doing it myself. I would love to win this book giveaway so I can continue to combat fear with God’s love & cling to the scriptures.
Thanks, Wendy for these important points to overcoming fear! Thanks, Michelle!
Pinned & tweeted.
Thanks for linking up at InstaEncouragements!
Beautiful advice! For years I’ve just skipped to step three, but I can really see the value in identifying, confessing, and analyzing it, too! Thank you for making me realize this!
This has really spoken to my heart. I have struggled with fear for many many years because of things my stepfather had said to me since I was young. I felt like if I tried and failed I would prove him right. So I was afraid to try anything. The one thing I think I have neglected in facing those fears is really looking at them as they come up and determining where it is coming from. I have been just assuming it stems from that but it may be the enemy’s way of masking the real issue. Thank you so much for this and thank you for linking up @worthbeyondrubies
So many of our fears are “what if’s”. We are trying to identify all our possible outcomes so we can control the situation or know how to respond. But like you said, rarely does life happen the way we think it will. So many “what if’s” in my life have never happened. And when they did, I reacted differently than I thought I would. I was no more prepared for them than I would have been not thinking about them. Such wise advice here. I try to remember this advice. Reaching in to the future and wondering “what if” this or that is called worry or fear and has no purpose in solving anything. Reaching into the past often just stirs up unproductive guilt. So just live in the present and deal with things as they come.