Overcoming Fear

Fear. I think it is all something we struggle with some time or another. As a kid, I had nightmares. They were mostly of the wicked witch of the west (from the wizard of oz) chasing me around on her broom. Now, I laugh at that but at the time it was the most terrifying thing I ever went through. To help me get through this, my mom would write down verses on index cards and put them on a ring so I could carry them around with me. Despite her best efforts, it didn't make my nightmares go away.

I started to read The Mandie Collection, a series of books that were basically the Christian version of Nancy Drew. She went on adventures to solve mysteries all over the place and whenever she would get scared she would repeat Psalm 56:3, "What time I am afraid, I will put my trust in Thee." I decided to try this. Whenever I would wake up from a nightmare, I repeated this. The nightmares went away. I had to find something for myself that worked and I did.

Now, I have many more fears such as, not finding a job after graduation, not being good enough, not being strong enough. But this is how the devil gets to us. He plants little seeds of doubt into our heads and eventually these grow into fears.

You see the devil is a wanna-be. "...He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8). The devil may prowl like a lion but he is ultimately not a lion. Lions have strength, courage, and are known for being the "King of the Jungle". Likewise, the devil longs to be the king of our hearts, to have strength, and courage to stand up to God but he does not.

God is the true lion; He protects our hearts and rules with strength and courage. I have learned to trust him with my fears. When I get scared or my fears seem to be the only thing I can think of, I still repeat Psalm 56:3. I know that he is protecting me and with me, I only need to trust in him. I hope that today, you would put your trust in God and learn that no fear is ever too big for him to conquer. He is our lion and our king.