Change Your Mind
A good way to defeat fear is by changing your mind. You may be filled with fear, but the good news is that God’s word says we can change. Romans 12:2 says,
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind . . .
The key to this passage is the renewing of your mind. What does it mean to renew?
Here’s a thought. Erase the old and write the new.
When I attended the little one-room schoolhouse as a young boy, white boards hadn’t been invented yet. The entire front and back walls of the big room were covered with blackboards. Sometimes the teacher would write the different assignments on the blackboards. One would hold the reading assignments, another the math problems, another the history lessons . . . and so on.
When the class time on each lesson was completed, she would erase the board. Then at the end of the day, two students who were the blackboard monitors for the week would come with a small bucket of water and some rags and wash the blackboards. When they were finished, they looked as good as new. You couldn’t see a trace of the chalk writing from the old lessons.
Is it possible to erase the old writings of fear in our minds and end up with a clean slate to write new things on?
Well, again let’s go to the master document for living, the Bible. What does it say?
1 John 4:18 (NKJV) says,
There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.
I used to think that being made perfect, or complete in love were my efforts in loving God and others. In other words, it was my responsibility. Then I realized it is more about receiving God’s love in its fullness.
A friend was recently describing her time with God, journal and Bible close at hand. She said that God spoke to her these simple words: “I love you.” She would respond, “Yes, I know you love me, Lord.” He would then repeat the same words again, “I love you,” and she would respond, “Yes, I know you love me, Lord.”
Finally, He said, “You know it in your mind, but you don’t truly believe Me. You don’t receive it in your heart.”
Aha! There is the key. There is a difference between intellectually acknowledging a fact and opening the depths of your being to receive it in your heart, wrapping your arms around it and saying, “Yes, I know you love me, Lord.” When you truly, wholeheartedly receive God’s love, thanksgiving and adoration rises up within you, and you can’t help but explode in heartfelt thankfulness.
When you are running over with God’s love,
how can you be aware of fear?
So, the second key to defeating fear is to be continually full of the love of God. Is it possible? Of course, it is possible. It will require you to put God first, which is the primary principle of the true Christian life. The first commandment of the ten commandments is, “You shall have no other God’s before me.” When Jesus quoted the first commandment in Matthew 22:37,38 (NKJV), He said, “‘You shall love the Lord Your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all you mind.’ This is the first and great commandment.'”
If that is true in your life, then you will want to spend time with Him. Just as we go to the gas station on a regular basis to fill the tank with fuel, we must go to the source of life, the One who “is love,” and fill our spiritual tanks daily. When we let God into our lives fully, when we, without reserve, embrace His love and let it fill us, then there will be no more room for fear, because God’s love casts out fear.
And that is how you defeat fear.
Photo designed and taken by Lorraine