One night I was watching Necessary Roughness, and the main character said something that stuck with me. She said, “Do you know what FEAR stands for? False Evidence Appearing Real.”

Fear is – well – terrifying. It’s paralyzing, harmful, and sometimes completely illogical. It rejects reality and creates a false universe. A universe where we can’t be ourselves. A universe we can’t function in. A universe that threatens our faith and our peace.

Fear has dire effects: depression, paranoia, obsession, lack of concentration, stomach aches, hyperventilation, a lack of close relationships, uncontrollable crying, a “I’ll leave you before you leave me” attitude… Can you relate to any of these things? Where in these things do you see the love and peace of Christ?

Here’s what I want you to do: Take a sheet of paper and fold it in half. On one half, write out your fears:

FEAR: “I’ll never get married.”
FEAR: “My marriage can’t be saved.”
FEAR: “I am completely worthless.”
FEAR: “God has forgotten about me.”

Now, on the other side, write out solid, Biblical truth:

TRUTH: “God put desires in me and will fulfill them.” (Psalm 37:4)
TRUTH: “Nothing is too hard or impossible for God.” (Jeremiah 32:27)
TRUTH: “In God’s eyes I have unmeasurable worth.” (Psalm 139:17)
TRUTH: “The Lord hears me and will answer my prayers.” (Psalm 120:1)

Write out all your fears, side by side with God’s truth. When you’re finished, pray over your fears, and praise God for His truths. Then tear your columns apart; tape the list of truths to your wall and burn your list of fears.

In the root of every fear is a lie. Those lies ruin our confidence, our love, our relationships, our lives. Destroy those lies with God’s truth and get back to living life to the fullest! We may not always be fearless, but we can remember that God is always bigger than anything we fear.

Verses to Think About:
2 Timothy 1:7
For God didn’t give us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-control.

John 14:27
“I [Jesus] am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.”

Hebrews 13:5b-6
…For God has said, ‘I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.’ So we can say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper,so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?’