Conquering Fear in Our Lives and Hearts

Welcome. Welcoming

When we undergo trials, we fight the battle of fear. It seems endless: fear of the current situation, fear of the future, fear of what will happen to us, our loved ones, our family, marriage, relationships, job, children, friends; and, well, you get the picture. At times, life seems overwhelming, but we are not alone in this.

It can also be overwhelming even for those we perceive as holy. Nearly every saint has had doubts, fear, and dark moments of despair. Even St. Teresa of Calcutta, Mother Teresa, in letters written in confidence to her confessors, had times of doubt. She wrote about having no faith and about thoughts that gave her untold agony. She described putting on a cloak that covered her despair with a smile. Saint Therese of Lisieux described her fear as being in a night of nothingness.

Conquering Fear

Fear is crippling and immobilizing. Fear is our enemy. What conquers fear? God’s love.

1 John 4:18 “There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear because fear has to do with punishment, and so one who fears is not yet perfect in love.”

When we are open to God’s love, we are open to hope. Transformed by God’s love, we trust in Him. As in the Divine Mercy devotion, we say with confidence, “Jesus I trust in you, Jesus I trust in you, Jesus I trust in you.”

When we hope and trust, God’s love showers on us the peace that passes all understanding. We do not tremble and fear.

Romans 15:13 “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the holy Spirit.”

One of the most important Scripture passages for us to memorize and have rooted in our hearts and souls is found in Paul’s letter to the Romans.

Romans 8:28 “We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.”

Do we believe this Scripture passage? Is this belief an important part of our lives? When we believe God is real and that He cares about us and loves us more than we can ever imagine, everything changes. Our doubts, fears and anxieties melt away.

The Goodness of God

I love to be with groups of believers and declare the phrase, “God is good!” Their response, “All the time!” echoes the passage in Thessalonians:

1 Thessalonians 5:18 “In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.”

In the midst of trials, it is difficult to understand or accept that God has a purpose for everything in our life. Many of us try to figure out His plan for us. We attempt to understand why things happen the way they do. We even plan our lives according to our human understanding. But as the saying goes: “We plan, God laughs.”

No! No! No! Please do not try to figure out every aspect of what happens to you or what may happen to you. We do not know as God knows.

Isaiah 55:9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, / so are my ways, / my thoughts higher than your thoughts.”

We also see Jesus telling us not to worry or to try to figure out our lives.

Matthew 6:34 “Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself. Sufficient for a day is its own evil.”

Focusing on God’s goodness and love transforms us, leaving no room for fear in our lives! This is always true, but especially when we are in crisis.

Trust in Crisis 

A friend of mine was 7½ months pregnant. She began bleeding and went to her doctor. Her physician gave her news no person wants to hear. They could not hear the baby’s heartbeat. She was told to go to the emergency room to have labor induced.

My friend had recently read the book I wrote, Expect and Experience Miracles, and took it out of her purse. Rather than fear, she asked God for more faith. The baby had been pronounced dead for 45 minutes when she was in the emergency room. Still, she believed!

Crying, she begged the physicians and nurses, “Will you check the heartbeat one more time?”

Sure enough, they found the heartbeat! Eighteen doctors were called in to certify the baby was alive since it had been legally pronounced dead! Six weeks later, she delivered a totally healthy baby boy: ten pounds, one ounce!

A month after giving birth, my friend came to our prayer meeting with her healthy baby and beaming with joy! Amen!

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1 thought on “Conquering Fear in Our Lives and Hearts”

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