“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.”  (NLT)

Several years ago, while I was living in the beautiful mountains of North Carolina and serving as a minister, I came under attack. The church I worked for commissioned me to return to school to work on my master’s degree, which would allow me to participate in new ministry roles. However, it wasn’t long into the schooling process when it became apparent that balancing full-time school, full-time work, and full-time family was a challenge. Admittedly, I was dropping some balls. Rather than finding ways to support me in this process, the church that had commissioned me began to attack me. My job came under fire. I was already stretched thin, and now I was having to deal with yet another sub-set of drama, which set my anxiety level at an all time high. I thought I had to perform for their approval. I was constantly looking over my shoulder to see if the next attack was on its way. I was working long hours, attending every church event, all the while trying to get my class assignments completed and spend time with my wife and young kids. Eventually, I developed a slight murmur in my heart and then came down with a case of shingles, all symptoms of stress and anxiety.

I scrutinized everything I did, wondering how it was going to be used against me. Constantly looking over my shoulders only fueled the fear that was manifesting in me. The stress and anxiety I experienced was actually making me more ineffective at ministering than the actual attacks that were coming against me. I realized I was living in fear rather than faith. The command is clear. Paul says we are not to be anxious about anything. Anxiety is expressed in us as a feeling of unease, worry, or fearfulness about something, which has an uncertain outcome. Fear is at the root of anxiety.   

Fear is a cruel master. It sets its sights on enslaving us and keeping us in bondage. The more we give into fear, the tighter its grip wraps itself around us. Fear causes us to coward amid hardships; to hate those who are different; to discard those who have broken us; to shirk us from going after the impossible; to distrust; and it will keep us from opening our hearts to love and happiness. Fear will tell us that we are safer in our bondage – and then will turn around and blind us to the fact that it is bondage.  

I was paralyzed by fear. But why? Didn’t I believe what the scriptures taught me? Didn’t I believe I was a beloved child of God, saved by the blood of Christ, and raised to life by the power of His resurrection? Did I not personally know the God who created the world and all the earth’s wonders? Does not the God of the universe dwell within all those who believe in Him and call Him Lord? Because I am in Jesus and Jesus is in me, I have nothing to be afraid of. In his letter to Timothy, Paul reminds us, “God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-control” (2 Tim. 1:7).

I have come to understand that faith is the true enemy of fear. The only way to fight fear is by faith. Our faith gives us three vary powerful weapons against fear. These weapons are power, not ours but Christ’s power living in us through the Holy Spirit; love, again, not ours but Christ’s love; and self-control, the kind we only get by submission to Christ. Let us take a closer look at each one of these weapons.

Christ’s Power in us – “And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.” – 2 Corinthians 12:9 (NASB). When we profess our faith in Christ, we are filled with His Holy Spirit. The Spirit covers us in grace continually. God knows we are weak and are under constant assault from the enemy and the temptations of this world. We can take rest in Jesus, because His Spirit – the power of the one who created all things – resides in us. We can renew our strength in Him, for He encourages us and gives us peace. His power in us, gives us a place of position and authority. We are now a son or daughter of God – we share in Christ’s inheritance. We have power over fear. Do you believe it?

Christ’s Love Manifests in us – “There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.” – 1 John 4:18 (NASB). When we profess our faith in Christ, we finally experience true love. Jesus embodies the essence of perfect love and covers us completely with His love. The truth of scriptures proclaim that you are loved. God knows you intimately. When we accept the love of God fully, we know that He is not here to punish us. He is not angry at us. God’s love corrects with grace and patience. His love encourages, guides, and shapes us. His love protects us. The more we accept His love, the more we realize God is for us and not against us, always. We have nothing to fear from Him, and nothing to fear because of Him. Do you believe it?

Our Submission to Christ – “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all people, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously, and in a godly manner in the present age…” Titus 2:11-12 (NASB). Self-control or self-discipline is an illusion. It stems from the idea that we have the power to resist sin on our own. We do not. What Paul is referring to is our surrender or submission to Christ. It is only in submission to Him that we will be able to have the power to resist sin and stand against fear, because in submission, we learn obedience. Our obedience signifies that we have fully accepted God’s love, we live in it, and we seek to love Him fully. Fear will tell us we need to be in control. Faith will tell me to let go and surrender completely to God. As 1 Peter 5:7 reminds us, “Cast all our anxieties on Him, because He cares for us.”

Faith is the enemy of fear because our faith in Christ empowers us to love, trust, and surrender. Faith tells us to believe in times of hardship. Faith tells us to love in times of brokenness. Faith tells us to trust without guarantees. Faith commands us to dare in the impossible. 

How do we cast all our anxieties on Him? We bring to God, in prayer, everything that is on our minds and hearts. We make our requests known to Him. For this is the actions of faith. We choose to believe what scripture proclaims. We can come to our Heavenly Father at any time, with anything, with boldness and confidence (Eph. 3:12). Philippians 4:6-9 gives us a guarantee, that when we bring our prayers before God, with a spirit of thanksgiving, we will receive peace, but not just any peace, the kind that transcends all human understanding. This peace is the result of faith.