Fighting Fear with God’s Truth
I don’t think I was ever a fearful child. The only time I remember being really afraid was after watching a cheesy sci-fi movie at a young age late at night. It was something about the dark side of the moon. I can’t even remember the movie or the scene, but for weeks after that I was afraid an arm was going to appear from under my bed and grab me.
I would stuff my extra blankets, stuffed animals, and even close down the crack between my bed and the wall. It gave me a few nightmares, but that fear eventually faded. The dark was never scary, and I rarely experienced fears on a daily basis. I was never exposed to really bad things, by the grace of God, so fear wasn’t a part of my childhood.
Not since I’ve gotten older have fears crept into my mind and heart. Maybe it is because after decades of living I’ve seen that bad things happen. I’ve watched friends bury children, parents, and loved ones. Couples I’ve loved have gotten divorced. While living in a third-world country I saw starving children, parents unable to care for them and flood waters destroy lives.
Every life is filled with unknowns, grief, and devastation. No one is exempt. Those who follow God still experience cancer, death, divorce, and separation. Lately, I’ve been struggling with fears surrounding my children. With children ages 18-11 I find myself realizing that my direct ability to keep them safe is waning.
Faith & Fear
I can’t control their choices, their friendships, or the direction of their lives. Fear creeps up. At first, when I tried to battle with fear I thought of Jesus’ rebuke to the disciples in the boat. After calming the storm, they trembled at Jesus’ great power. He then rebukes them for their fear by asking them why they had such little faith.
At first I began to think that to combat my fear, I needed to have more faith. The problem with that is this: what is more faith?
Faith is not a currency, a possession, or something to gather. Maybe “more faith” doesn’t mean having more of something—it means trusting Someone more. My faith is something to gain, but a change in perspective.
Faith isn’t necessarily feeling more confident or becoming less afraid. In fact, over and over again I’ve seen faith and fear go together. Fear arises. Yes. We don’t always control when fear wells up inside of us. But faith is knowing God, remembering His character, and trusting what He has said even when fear remains.
Faith is not the absence of fear. Faith is choosing whom we will trust in the presence of fear.
God is who we run to when we fear. What does this look like practically speaking? I think we can go to the Bible. The Bible helps us to understand how to run to God. We recognize His character, remember what He has done in the past, and we then take those truths with us each day.
Use the Bible to Combat Fear
In the Bible we can acknowledge that things are frightening! Just because we are struggling doesn’t mean we have to be stuck in our fear. Yes, fear is real, but God is greater. The Bible says we can look beyond our fears to God. When God allows us to fear, it is time we exercise our faith muscles and go to God’s Word. We replace the lies that fear tells us with the Word of God.
Fear says:
- God has forgotten me.
- I’m alone.
- I won’t be able to handle what happens.
- Everything is going to fall apart.
- God isn’t going to take care of me.
The Bible says:
- Hebrews 13:5 — God will never leave us.
- 2 Corinthians 12:9 — His grace is sufficient.
- Isaiah 41:10 — We don’t have to fear because He is with us.
This is not a magic formula but an actual tool to help us refocus our minds. Reading God’s Word allows us to speak truth to ourselves when we face fear. David does this in Psalm 42. He speaks the truth, even though he is afraid!
“Why are you cast down, O my soul… Hope in God.” Psalm 42:5
The more we know God’s character, the more we recognize His faithfulness. The more we know His Word, the quicker we recognize fear’s lies. The more we remember His promises, the easier it becomes to bring our frightened hearts back to truth.
A Life That Abides When Fear Creeps In
Throughout this series, we’ve talked about abiding as staying close to Jesus in every season. We abide when life is busy, when we are grieving, when we feel spiritually dry, and even when fear creeps into our hearts.
Fear has a way of pulling our thoughts into the future. What if this happens? What if my child makes that choice? What if something goes wrong? What if the thing I’m afraid of actually happens?
Abiding brings us back to what is true right now.
- Jesus is with me.
- God is faithful.
- His Word is true.
- His grace will be sufficient.
- Whatever tomorrow holds, God will still be there.
5 Ways to Fight Fear with God’s Truth
1. Name what you are afraid of.
Sometimes our fears remain powerful because they stay vague. Bring the actual fear before God. Tell Him what you are afraid might happen. We don’t have to hide our fears from the One who already knows our hearts.
2. Ask what fear is telling you.
Fear often comes with a message. You’re alone. God won’t provide. You won’t be able to handle this. Something terrible is going to happen. Slow down long enough to identify the lie underneath the fear.
3. Find a biblical truth that answers the fear.
Instead of trying to convince yourself that everything will turn out the way you want, remind yourself of something Scripture actually promises.
4. Speak God’s truth to your soul.
Psalm 42 gives us a beautiful example of this. The psalmist asks his own soul why it is cast down and then tells himself, “Hope in God.” Sometimes faith means refusing to let fear have the only voice in the room. We acknowledge what we feel and then deliberately remind ourselves what is true.
5. Return to God every time fear returns.
Fear may come back tomorrow. It might come back ten minutes from now. That doesn’t mean you failed. Return again. Pray again. Remember again. Open your Bible again. Trust again.
This is abiding.
We don’t conquer fear once and graduate to a life of perfect faith. We learn, little by little, to bring our fears back to Jesus. Each time fear pulls our minds toward the unknown, we return to the One we know.
Faith doesn’t always make us less afraid. Sometimes faith teaches us what to do when we’re afraid.
And maybe that is what “more faith” looks like—not gathering up enough faith to guarantee that nothing bad will happen, but knowing our faithful God so deeply that when fear comes, we know exactly where to run.
This post is part of the Fall 2026 Blog Series
Every Day with God: Meeting with Jesus in Every Season of Life
Abiding isn’t just a summer lesson—it’s a lifelong way of walking with Jesus. Whether life is joyful or difficult, busy or quiet, we can meet with God every single day through His Word.
“One thing have I asked of the Lord…that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.” — Psalm 27:4
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