"The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?" — Psalm 27:1 (NIV) Sometimes, despite our best efforts, fear doesn't completely disappear before we need to act. In these moments, we can learn from Elizabeth Elliot, whose husband, Jim, was murdered by the very people he was trying to reach with the Gospel. She shared about ...

"The fear of man brings a snare, But whoever trusts in the LORD shall be safe." - Proverbs 29:25One of the most common fears that holds believers back is the fear of what others will think or do. This fear of man can prevent us from following God's direction, speaking truth, or stepping out in faith. Proverbs directly addresses this, warning that the fear of man is a snare - a trap that catches us...

"There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love." — 1 John 4:18 (NIV)Fear and love have an interesting relationship. When perfect love enters, fear must leave. They simply cannot coexist in their fullest forms. This is why understanding God's love for us is essential to overcoming fear. God’s love is...

"When I am afraid, I put my trust in you." — Psalm 56:3 (ESV)The dictionary lists about 700 kinds of phobias:Acrophobia: fear of high places.Claustrophobia: fear of closed places.Agoraphobia: fear of open places.Pathophobia: fear of disease.Ergophobia: fear of work.Photophobia: fear of light.Phobophobia: fear of fear. You don’t have to be a weak person to be a fearful person. Strong people are, so...

"For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind."  — 2 Timothy 1:7 (NKJV)Ann Landers, the syndicated advice columnist, was at one time receiving ten thousand letters a month from people with all kinds of problems. Someone asked her if there was one common denominator among all her correspondents. She said that the great overriding theme of all the letters s...