If you love God with all your heart but still struggle with fear or anxiety, this 4-day devotional is for you. I am telling you from experience, there is hope! For years, even as a dedicated believer who knew the Word, I was controlled by fear! No matter what I did, I could not get free from that bondage until I had an encounter with God that changed my life.
Tammy J. Hernandez
Day 1
Scriptures: Philippians 1:28, Romans 8:15, John 10:10, Galatians 5:1
“Fear not!”
Wow, how many times did I read that, as well as other similar commands in the Bible? Yet, even as a dedicated believer who loved God with all my heart, I struggled with fear for years.
I knew that Jesus came to give us abundant life, (John 10:10) and I wanted that abundant life. However, the enemy was subtle. He often assured me that I was notactually dealing with fear; I was using wisdom! All the while, fear continued to steal from me.
Galatians reminds us that it is for freedom that Christ has set us free. (Galatians 5:1) Our Heavenly Father would never promise something that He wouldn’t deliver on. It might be a process, but freedom is a gift from your Father. He loves you and doesn’t want you bound in any way.
Challenge
Condemnation does not have the power to change us.
I love how The Passion Translation expresses Romans 8:1. It says:
“So now the case is closed. There remains no accusing voice of condemnation against those who are joined in life-union with Jesus, the Anointed One.
If you are struggling with fear, dread, or anxiety, please stand against condemnation! It simply cannot help you. It will only hinder you.
Prayer
Father God, I love you. I am so glad that you love me, even though I’m struggling. I refuse to give room to condemnation. Instead, I make room for You to reveal the Truth to me. You came to give me freedom, and I want to walk in it. Thank you for helping me to get victory in this area.
Day 2
Scriptures: Psalms 145:18, Hebrews 4:15, Psalms 103:8, Romans 2:4, Hebrews 4:16
Honesty is vital.
Has anyone ever asked how you were doing, and you said, “Good!” even though you were clearly not “good?”
Psalm 145:18 says, “The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.”
This Scripture says God will be near to those who call on Him in truth. It does not say He will only be near to those who call out to Him with the perfect, positive things to say. Sometimes, we are in so much pain that the only way to call out is in pain-filled truth. And God is okay with that. He knows what we are thinking, and He still loves us immensely.
Our beautiful Jesus came in the flesh and experienced the pains of life. (Hebrews 4:15) He can empathize with our weaknesses, as well as our temptations.
God is not afraid of our questions, doubts, anger or fear. He knows us better than we know ourselves, and He wants us to be honest with Him so he can heal and help us!
God does not want us to be robots. Yes, His heart is for us to grow and become more like Him, but He is not withholding His love and attention while we are in process. (Psalm 103:8) He loves us deeply. It is His kindness that leads us to repentance and change. (Romans 2:4)
Challenge
Be vulnerable and honest with God; He is a good Father! He meets us right where we are, with love and understanding. I want to challenge you to get real with the Lord about your fears and anxiety. He knows where they are coming from. He knows what you are going through and loves you the same. He longs for an intimate relationship with you.
Prayer
Father, I am so glad I don’t have to try to deal with fear on my own. You are on my side. Hebrews 4:16 tells me I can run to the throne of grace. You are my help.
* Bring your fears, cares, and anxiety to Him. Pour out your heart to Him. He loves you more than you can comprehend.
Day 3
Scriptures: Psalms 118:6, John 16:13, John 10:14
What is the fear rooted in?
Psalm 118:6 in NIV says, “The Lord is for me, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?
Can I be honest? That verse is easier to read than to embrace, at least it was for me. “What can mere people do to me???
Are you kidding? I can tell you what mere people can do to you. I have experienced it. They can betray you, abuse you, deeply wound you, and so much more.
So was King David being sarcastic, or worse yet, is what he said in Psalm 118 not true?
Absolutely not. I believe David saw from the perspective that, in contrast to the ultimate glory, the pain (or what mere man can do) pales in comparison.
That does not belittle or minimize the pain that you or I have suffered! I would never do that. I know that it is deep, and it is real. David knew and experienced tremendous loss, too. He knew that ultimately nothing anyone could do to us would outweigh or “out-pain” what God has for us. The glory that awaits us is beyond imagination, and one day the deepest of pains will have no power.
Challenge:
Ask Holy Spirit, “What is my fear rooted in?”
Is it from the pain you have already experienced and are trying to avoid? Is it from something you’ve heard? With the amount of bad news we are bombarded with it is no wonder we must battle the lies of fear: they are everywhere.
Have an intimate conversation with Him. The root of fear and anxiety must be dealt with. Your Father isn’t going to be disappointed with you. He adores you, and He understands you. He just doesn’t want you to stay in bondage.
Prayer:
God, You are the Spirit of Truth. You know where the root of this fear is coming. I ask you to reveal and heal it. I know you want this freedom for me even more than I want it.
* I recommend you quiet your heart and listen for what He might say or show you. He is a very good Father, and He loves to speak to His sheep. (John 10:14)
Day 4
Scriptures: John 8:32, Psalms 91:1, 1 John 4:18
Hide When You Are Afraid!
Yes! Hide when you are afraid but hide under the shadow of the Almighty!
For way too many years, I confessed that God loved me. I said it with conviction and thought I really believed it. However, one day God said to me, “Tammy, I know you love Me. That is not the problem. The problem is you don’t know how much I love you!” That truth bomb turned my life upside down!
The truth was, I could not fathom God loving me to such a degree because deep inside I felt unlovable (despite my profession that God loved me.) As hard as I tried, I never felt like I was enough. I said, “God loves me,” but I wasn’t fully convinced.
God wants us to have His experiential love. John 8:32 says, “And you will know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free. The meaning of the word ‘know’ means more than head knowledge. It is from the word ginṓskō, which means to “experientially know”)
The surprising consequence of living in the shadow of God’s experiential love is that fear loses its grip on you! 1 John 4:18 says perfect love casts out fear.
God wants us to move from ‘thinking and hoping’ that God loves us to KNOWING God loves us. His perfect love has the power to change us. It has the power to defeat fear.
Challenge:
If you are not 100% convinced that you are GREATLY loved and accepted, not just tolerated, I want to encourage you to have an authentic conversation with your Heavenly Father. Pour out your fears and disappointments. Ask Him to open your eyes and your heart to His immense love.
Prayer:
Lord, I want to walk in your “ginosko” or experiential love! Help me to fully embrace your love. It has the power to cast out fear. I want to live in the shadow of Your love!
Day 5
Scriptures: 2 Timothy 1:7, Philippians 1:6, Lamentations 3:22, 1 Corinthians 15:57
We know that God does not give us a spirit of fear. 2 Timothy 1:7 in the Amplified Bible says, “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity or cowardice or fear, but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of sound judgment and personal discipline [abilities that result in a calm, well-balanced mind and self-control].” However, we do have an enemy that loves to use fear to try to bind us.
Several years after experiencing tremendous freedom from the torment of fear, I had an accident. The injury was significant, and I was in a tremendous amount of pain. On top of that, I wasn’t sleeping. Immediately the accusations of the enemy began to fly. He wanted to take advantage of my vulnerable condition and try to get me to doubt the goodness of God. He wanted to get me into agreement with him.
That is what he tries to do to all of us. He doesn’t play fair.
When things happen to us, or even when we hear about something that happened to someone else, the devil tries to plant seeds of fear and doubt. He likes to take advantage of us when we are weak or hurt.
Living in God’s love, refusing to give into condemnation, and being armed with God’s Promises can help us when the enemy of our soul approaches with his lies.
Prayer for you.
God, I thank you for your kindness. I am so grateful that you are faithful to finish the work you’ve begun in me. (Philippians 1:6) Help me be strong and refuse to listen to the lies of the enemy. I am grateful your steadfast love never ceases, and your mercies never come to an end. (Lamentations 3:22) You are always ready to come to my rescue. I join in with Paul, who said, “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 15:57)