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When frightening times come upon us, it’s easy to fall under the weight of fear. It might be a global crisis, a natural disaster, a job loss, a personal medical diagnosis, or even just an off day of motherhood where the weight of anxiety pulls us under. In these times, it’s only natural for our human nature to turn to facts, statistics, news articles, distractions, and other worldly sources for reassurance and peace. The only problem is, those sources are all incapable of providing anything more than perhaps just a moment of stillness, after which we quickly return to the cycle of panic.
If we want to completely eliminate fear and gain a peace that pushes past circumstantial evidence to reach even the deepest places of fear in our hearts, we must stop going to dry wells expecting to be refreshed.
In Jeremiah 2:13, we see God bring life-giving truth to a desperate nation. This truth applies to all of us today. In this verse he says, “My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.”
How often do we run to broken cisterns looking for fulfillment? We spend our days trying to find a “cure” for our broken state, only to end up back at square one, with the same emptiness and fear creeping over our shoulder.
The only way we will ever truly eliminate fear from our lives is by going straight to the source of living water.
It’s here that you find the strength to rise to faith, instead of folding under fear.
This is why it’s important to have your eyes fixed on the truth and a battle plan to keep your mind steady and your spirit at rest, as you walk in faith of what you do not see, but know to be true.
Here are three ways to eliminate fear in your home.
1. Stop Feeding the Fear
I’m not sure what your story is or what’s on your plate, sweet friend, but I do know that you and I are a lot alike. We both have the capacity to allow fear to completely run our house, our minds, and our lives if we aren’t careful.
You see, fear can only keep escalating if it’s fed. What does it feed on? Well that depends. For some of us it feeds on our own negative thinking. We envision the “what-if’s” so many times that they start to become like a looming reality. For others, fear is fed by outside sources of facts, information, and stories. We watch the news or read a blog post and instantly we are swallowed in heart palpitations and panic. Whichever of these you fall into, the truth is that the enemy is behind both of them.
If you’re ready to kick out the enemy and his deceptive plan to cripple you in terror, then you must stop partnering with his schemes. Shut off the TV. Don’t read the articles. Take negative thoughts captive. The less you feed fear, the less power it will have in your life.
2. Start Feeding Your Faith
If fear is the disease, faith is the cure. In order to keep fear from regaining strength, it’s not enough to just stop feeding it, you must also be strengthening your faith muscles. If you want to defeat an enemy, you must raise up a warrior to fight for you, otherwise you’ll be left defenseless at every attack.
Your faith is your warrior, ready to launch missiles of truth at every attack of the enemy. The question is, does he have any strength or weapons?
Here’s the simple truth in knowing how to eliminate fear through faith, you can not do it without The Word. God’s word is sharper than any two edged sword and our best weapon against lies and fear tactics. Getting into The Word daily is just as important brushing your teeth or putting on your clothes. It’s a necessity and like water to our souls.
Feel like you don’t have enough time? Start by reading a verse before you walk out the door. Or keep your Bible on the counter as you go through your day. Start to meditate on his truth little by little. You will be shocked at how much power lies in just a few words.
3. Start Dwelling in His Presence
One of my favorite passages for times when I’m battling fear is Psalms 91. In verse one we read, “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High, will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.” I don’t know about you, but I can certainly use some rest in the shadow of the almighty today.
“Dwelling in his shelter “ may sound like a mysterious illustration, but it’s actually very simple. Dwelling in him looks like living in a place where his presence is always welcome and sought after. It’s choosing to let worship fill your house. It’s choosing to let his Holy Spirit guide your parenting throughout your day. It’s choosing to let prayer be a continuing conversation as you wash the dishes, take the kids to school, or fold the laundry.
Does this mean you live in a land of rainbow and butterflies and always stay in a place of peace and worship? Not at all! God knows we are human and that we are incapable of perfection. He knows we’ll get caught up in busyness and distraction, have plenty of times where we will lose our temper, and many moments where we aren’t listening.
The beautiful thing about God is that he looks at the heart. He doesn’t expect perfection or sit there with a checklist of what we did or didn’t do. The Bible says in Psalm 91, “Because he loves me, I will rescue him.”
God looks for a heart that loves him and that turns back towards him.
I pray this brings you hope today, mama. You don’t have to live in fear, no matter what society says is “normal”. Start doing these three things today and I can guarantee that you will start to experience a peace that knows no end.