If you’re like most people, you’re afraid of something. It’s only natural. But if we let our insecurities rule our behavior, we are not letting “the peace of Christ rule in your hearts” (Colossians 3:15). While we heed the voice of our fears, we cannot hear the voice of the Shepherd; “no one can serve two masters” (Matthew 6:24).
So how do we begin to identify—and eliminate—the issues that keep us from God? We need to start by admitting that fear interferes. Whether it’s dread of loneliness, loss, separation, catastrophe or suffering, all of us have something which triggers anxiety and steps between our hearts and God.
READ SCRIPTURE AND TIPS TO OVERCOME FEAR
Here are three things that can help you make progress in this area:
1. Figure out the red flags.
Identify what kinds of situations trigger your anxieties and insecurities. Then follow up with Jesus’ question, “Why are you so afraid?” (Mark 4:40). What is it you fear will happen? What will you do if it does happen? How will your relationship with God change if the worst possible outcome takes place?
2. Get others praying for you.
Change is always easier when we have help. Perhaps that’s why we are told to “confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed” (James 5:16). We need to admit our weaknesses to our spiritual companions, so they can help us work on them and hold us accountable for progress. Prayer warriors are the proof that “Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor” (Ecclesiastes 4:9).
3. Transform your red flags into a red carpet.
Lay it out for Jesus; admit the causes of the fears wrapped around your heart. Whether you suffer from pride or worldly values or a tendency to store up treasures on earth, lay those sins down like “cloaks on the road” before Him (Matthew 21:8). Let Him ride over your weaknesses and transform them into humility and strength. A fearful heart is never a humble heart, and it is humility that allows us to hear the “gentle whisper” of the Lord more clearly (1 Kings 19:12).
