When Fear Overwhelms

I was recently reflecting on my own journey, especially as it relates to fear. For many years, fear was a significant motivating factor in my life. Fear of...

• what others would think about me
• what God thinks about me
• not being good enough
• being found to be less than 
• being taken advantage of 
• missing something
• some bad situation happening out of the blue
• everything that I built being torn to pieces
• “them” finding out who the “real me” was

You get the picture. My life was being ruled by all of this misplaced fear-based anxiety. I was living my life based on the lies of the enemy and not the Truth of God. We have all dealt with this at some point, some of us more than others. You know those times when fear takes hold, and you start feeling absolutely overwhelmed, even to the point of a panic attack, just not knowing what to do.  

One of the things I learned many years ago is THE KEY that God gave us in His Word that unlocks transformation in our lives.  Romans 12:2 says, “Don’t be conformed to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” I learned that if I want to experience life differently, I have to learn to think differently.

I’m a firm believer in this concept of renewing my mind. I’ve been practicing it for years, intentionally cultivating God’s Truth in my heart for years. And despite all that, there are still sometimes things just come out of the blue.  When I’m tired, mad, sad, hungry, upset, or frustrated, that’s when the enemy will come in like a flood to try to shut me down and overwhelm me.

It happened to me just the other day.  I was having a pity party. I was really starting to get anxious about situations that are really unlikely ever to happen, the “What Ifs” of life. And as this went on for a bit, the enemy began to blow these stories up to IMAX size in my head.  I was just getting bombarded with those fears of What If…

• What if this happens?  
• What if that happens?

And as the fear continued to grow, it began to morph. If it did happen, does that mean that…

• God not big enough to walk me out of this situation?
• God not faithful to be there with you in the middle of it?  

As these things raced through my mind, I leaned into the truths I’d been cultivating in my heart for years. Pulling from my daily practice of renewing my mind, I realized I needed to turn to the Lord and not even try to be strong. I just needed to fall into His lap and say, “JESUS, I NEED YOUR HELP!”  

Now while this may seem an over simplistic solution, this simple act of trust broke something free in my life. Suddenly, instead of being in agreement with the fear, I began to agree with God’s truth…

• God IS my provider!
• God IS my truth giver!
• God IS my source!
• God IS my protector!

As I did that, a beautiful thing happened.  The Lord immediately went WHOOSH.  It was like all of the fear, anxiety, and worry that was swirling around in my head just went, POOF, gone!  It was like clouds starting to drift apart, and that’s when the Lord dropped this Scripture into my heart.

“When you sit enthroned under the shadow of Shaddai.  You are hidden in the strength of God most high.  He is the hope that holds me in the stronghold to shelter me.  The only God for me and my great confidence.  He will rescue you from every hidden trap of the enemy.  He will protect you from false accusations in any deadly curse.  His massive arms are wrapped around you protecting you.” Psalm 91 – The Passion Translation

And as I sat there, I realized that God had done it again. In my time of need, as I reached out to Him, He came in to dispel the enemy’s lies with the exact truth that I needed at that moment. My fear was getting caught in a “hidden trap,” something I didn’t see coming that would destroy the things I hold dear. 

That was my fear, the source of the anxiety that was creeping up that day, and Psalm 91 was the exact passage the Lord gave me.  I believe that the only time God is limited in our lives is when we are unwilling to invite Him into the situation.  If you and I sit there and struggle in our life by ourselves, the Lord is standing there waiting to bring a solution, waiting to bring breakthrough, but He is waiting for you to extend the invitation.  He is waiting for you to fling open the door.  He is waiting on you to run into His arms

So my friend, listen!  If fear is one thing that tries to come on you regularly, follow my example. When you find yourself in the middle of the fear, just fling yourself on Jesus!  Turn up the worship music,  lean into His arms, and say, “Father, I need You right now to come and break the power of the enemy.” I promise you. He will be faithful to show up and bring deliverance on your behalf and give you the tools you need to begin to renew your mind and walk in strength that is already yours in the Kingdom of God.

I hope this helps as you continue to create with Him. If so, take a moment to share it with a friend, share it on social media, and comment below!
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Thanks for reading!