You can overcome feelings of fear. Dr. Tony Evans leads you on the path to freedom in this insightful reading plan. Discover the life of happiness and peace you’ve been wanting as you apply the principles put forth in this plan.
Harvest House Publishers
Day 1
Scriptures: Matthew 6:33, Lamentations 3:23-24, 1 Peter 5:7
Are you ready to learn how to tear down the stronghold of fear the enemy has built in your heart and mind? Jesus gave you the answer. You tear it down by changing your priorities. This is exactly what He was talking about in Matthew 6:33 when He said, “Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
In other words, if you will spend your time and energy aligning yourself with what God is doing in advancing His kingdom on earth, He promises to have your back with regard to the other things in life that might cause you to be afraid or worry. Jesus emphasized this when He said, “Do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (verse 34).
God gives you grace one day at a time. He will not give you tomorrow’s grace today, and you don’t need it. Why? Because His Word tells us, “His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:22–23). So if you are fearful and concerned about what is going to happen tomorrow, you are essentially telling God that you do not trust Him. You are telling Him that He is not trustworthy. And you are sending your own thoughts into a cycle of pain and fear that will prolong your addictive behavior rather than helping you to overcome it. To be fearful about tomorrow is to lose your peace and victory today. Let it go.
Gracious Lord, help me to take notice when fear creeps up in my thoughts. Help me to catch these thoughts before they multiply and grow. Give me wisdom to discern what is rational and what is not, and in all things give me the ability to trust that You have my back. I want to turn my fears over to You, so please give me the grace to do that today and every day. In Christ’s name. Amen.
Day 2
Scriptures: Philippians 4:6-7, John 16:33
What do you do when fear begins to consume your thoughts and won’t let you go?
Scripture says that the best antidote to fear and anxiety is prayer. To see what is involved in prayer and what prayer can do for your fears, look at Philippians 4:6–7. Verse 6 says, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”
When fear grips you, begin by counteracting that fear with the truth of God. God says you must shift your focus because whoever or whatever controls your mind, controls you. God doesn’t want you to be focused on your fearful thoughts and controlled by them. Rather, God wants you to focus on Him and to allow His Word and Spirit to control you. That’s why prayer is so important. The formula here is simple. Be fearful about nothing, but pray about everything.
Philippians 4:6 uses the general word for prayer as well as the more specific word “supplication,” which refers to asking for the answer to a specific need. Essentially that means you are to pray about everything, whether your request is general or specific. If you have a nagging fear but cannot seem to pinpoint what it is, take it to the Lord in prayer—He knows what it is. Or if you have a specific fear that you can see clearly in your mind, take that to Him too. Ask Him to help you remove your fears and replace them with His truth, and then thank Him in faith for doing that for you.
Gracious Lord, are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet You know everything that happens to them. You have also numbered the hairs on my head. Help me to take courage in knowing how well You know and love me. Remind me today that I do not need to fear, because You are ultimately in control of all things and You have promised never to leave me or to forsake me. Thank You for Your promises, which bring me peace. In Christ’s name. Amen.
Day 3
Scriptures: Psalms 27:3, Psalms 56:3-4, 1 Corinthians 14:33
Have you ever ridden on an airplane through severe turbulence? The plane may have seemed to be out of control for a bit, and you probably got a little nervous. If your seat belt was already buckled, you may have tightened it. You probably held on to the armrest a little tighter. You may have felt a bit unsettled because you were momentarily suspended in the air. Perhaps you started reading the same line in your book over and over again because you were destabilized by the turbulence.
But then the captain probably made an announcement: “We’ve run into some turbulence, so we’re going to adjust our altitude and try to find some smoother air.” Now, your problem didn’t disappear. The turbulence was still there. But you probably took a deep breath, relaxed, went back to reading, and generally felt much more at ease because you stopped focusing on the turbulence and focused instead on the pilot’s announcement.
When you move your focus away from what you fear and redirect it onto God—the one who pilots our lives with surety—you will feel your fears subside.
Gracious Lord, when I am afraid, I want to put my trust in You. Will You please provide me with all that I need—the thoughts, truth, and encouragement—to actually do that? You are not a God of confusion, but rather a God of peace. When I am not feeling peace, I have distanced myself from Your presence. Empower me so that I will abide in You, Your words will abide in me, and I can fully experience Your peace. In Christ’s name. Amen.