Fear and anxieties do their best to keep us from doing things out of our comfort zones.
There are some fears that keep us afraid to do anything!
Trusting God is what helps us when we are afraid. He is greater than anything we can face.
God has made sure that we have reminders in His Word to assure us to “fear not” and “do not be afraid”. You will find 365 times these words are used throughout the Bible as an example of how the Lord feels about fear and being afraid…. that’s like a vitamin a day for the year.
We pulled together 7 Bible verses to remember when you feel afraid. You will find more Bible verses about anything and everything to help you forget not the Lord.
We have fear that can be an assessment tool. It warns us and tells us “caution”. Fear should make us stop and think or even run because of danger.
That fear is an emotion we can use to evaluate what is going on around us, to us or with us. Being afraid is a natural reaction that our bodies experience to things that are and can be out of our control. It is a quick reminder that we need God.
But we weren’t meant to live in a fear emotional state.
Fear is an emotion we can experience.
But being afraid can keep us from doing something we really want to do. It can make us unable to move.
Not all fear is bad to feel.
Fear can be a warning or caution alarm we should pay attention to. If we are in a situation that can be dangerous or harmful, fear has a place to make us aware of our surroundings!
Understand that fear is a God given emotion to use as an assessment tool. Is there danger that my anxieties are alerting me to be cautious?
Is there a physical fear such as “fear of the dark”, or “fear of heights”, or “fear of sharks”? These are real fears to alert us to a situation.
Fear of the dark is being unable to see where we are walking, moving or what’s in the way.
Fear of heights can be scary to experience.
There will be some fears in life that we have to work through. Some things in life are above the ground level.
Fear of sharks? That may be silly, but being aware of the potential of danger in the ocean is a real need. Sharks can be more than the large predators of the water.
There are predators all around us that we need to be aware of, so the fear feeling can make us pay more attention.
But not trusting God is exactly what the enemy, Satan, wants you to do. Nothing makes him happier (if happiness is even possible to him) than for you to be so afraid that you do not trust God.
The best way to understand what we are feeling or what emotions we are experiencing is to stop for a moment and ask questions. Ask God what you are feeling. Why are you feeling this? Then search for what the Bible tells us to do when we are afraid.
Once you understand what you are feeling and why, you are better able to handle the emotion and deal with the situation
a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, etc., whether the threat is real or imagined; the feeling or condition of being afraid.
feeling fear; filled with apprehension
full of mental distress or uneasiness because of fear of danger or misfortune; greatly worried; solicitous: earnestly desirous; eager
to be distressed or agitated mentally; worry:
to disturb the mental calm and contentment of; worry; distress; agitate.
But fear also has other words that are similar in emotions.
afraid
scared
concerned
uneasy
fearful
fidgety
jittery
nervous
restless
worry
puzzled
distressed
disturbed
bothered
unsettled
agitated
You might even be able to add a few more words the describe the feeling of being afraid.
Though there are many real things in this world that can strike fear in us, such as germs, viruses, diseases and death, there a still many other things we fear that are thoughts in our minds.
We worry about little and big things that are not about today or our current situation. The unknown is a mystery to us and sometimes we worry about that.
We can think about many things to worry about in our mind.
One of our favorite passages about worry can be found in Matthew 6.
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? 28 “And why do you worry about clothes?
See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?
31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.
33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
With God’s Holy Spirit, fear and anxieties do not rule you, define you and will not defeat you! God already has today and tomorrow and all tomorrows in His control.
We explained that fear is an assessment tool that we can use to alert us, but what is the source of this emotion?
All of our emotions are God-given. He is the Creator of life and all that is in it. There are good things that fear does for us such as alerting us to danger, caution us and remind us that we need God.
Why would God allow this emotion?
Without it, we would never see a need to turn to Him and think that we could do this life without Him.
Fear has its place in our life to prompt us to turn to God.
Fear of the Lord is respect for God.
Psalm 119:10
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever!
It is obeying His Word because He is your Heavenly Father, your authority whom you trust.
Disobedience is a lack of love and respect.
Adam and Eve did not seem to show fear in the Garden of Eden because they were in the presence of God and did not have anything to truly fear. Eve did not even fear the serpent when he began talking to her.
But once they disobeyed God, fear ran rampant through their system. They knew something was wrong and they could not handle it. Their first instinct was to run and hide.
They no longer were the image of God, but instead were clothed in fig leaves hiding in the bushes trying to look like trees.
God went for a walk in the Garden, looking for them. He called out, “Where are you? What have you done? Who told you?” God knew. He is all knowing.
Why would He ask them those questions?
Because He needed them to answer and hear their answer for themselves.
Asking questions help us identify what the problem is.
Why am I afraid of?
What do I need?
What can I do about my fear?
What does God’s Word say about fear or being afraid?
When fear sticks and you are afraid, remember God is:
Fear and anxieties are very real emotions. We mentioned that they are God-given to us as assessment tools to help us identify trouble and alert us. But they are also tools the enemy will use to keep us living in a state of not trusting God.
What do we mean by that?
We may be afraid that we are not loved, but that is not our reality. We are loved by God.
As a Christian, can be afraid that everyone will reject you, but in Christ, you have been accepted into His family.
In you are afraid, you might feel worthless and of no value, but the reality is that God feels strongly for you. He gave His Son, Jesus, to save you.
Understand that we are not making light of fear and anxieties. We are only providing insight into the emotions of fear and how God wants us to seek Him and find help in those moments.
There are fears that build into anxiety that can halt us. These anxieties can be helped through better habits, diet, medicines or counseling.
Sometimes we can experience an imbalance in our bodies and need assistance to regulate. Seeking help is a good thing!
1 Peter 5:6-9
Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you,
7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.
Remember that God is almighty, loves you and you can trust Him. He is your protection, safety and security.
Give Him your anxieties because He cares for you. You cannot handle such strong emotions alone.
God wants you to cast your anxieties on Him not only because He cares fo you, but also because only He can handle them.
Our bodies were not meant to carry such heaviness. We fall prey to stress, depression, oppression, suppression and all the horrendous feelings that can keep us from moving. Those feelings can further manifest in our bodies with hormone imbalances, health issues and the inability to be productive.
God tells us to “throw” those on Him.
No one else can handle your fears and anxieties. We can try to give them to someone, but they are struggling to deal with their own issues. Sometimes trying to give someone else your fear and anxieties can leave you feeling alone because no one seems to understand what you are experiencing.
We can make others aware of the issue, but only God can bring true peace.
He does tells us that we can help by sharing our physical burdens with others.
Galatians 6:2
Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
Throw your fears and anxieties on God and let others share your load. By carrying each other’s burdens, we lighten the load and spread the weight out amongst other Christians.
We can pray together for the burdens to be lifted, or we can help one another with the physical things that cause us worry, fear and anxieties.
Alone, no one can carry what makes you afraid, but we can share the burden by supplying the need of food, clothing, shelter, job, and counsel.
Help kids identify their fears and what to do with them by asking the questions:
Remembering the Lord in all things, is what a Christian is training to do. God is not a part of your life, He should be your life. Looking for Him in every situation, emotion and the simplest things is how we get to know God better and develop a deeper and closer relationship with Him.
Help your child learn to communicate and rely on God through prayer. Hearing their words being spoken to the Lord and seeing them trust Him is humbling and special. Allow them to put in their words what is on their heart and mind.
Help them memorize Bible verses to remember when they are afraid. This helps them put into action what the Scripture tells us to do, “use the weapon of God’s Word.”
Memorizing Bible verses about fear is not enough. Knowing what those verses mean and how they apply in their life is how we learn to trust God.
Find ideas to help kids memorize Bible verses and you too!
Our Freebie Library has printables, worksheets and coloring pages to help all learning styles learn and memorize God’s Word.
Psalm 139:23-24
Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting
Philippians 4:4-7
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,
present your requests to God.
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
1 Peter 5:7
Cast all your anxiety on him
Psalm 42:5-11
Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.
6 My soul is downcast within me; therefore I will remember you from the land of the Jordan, the heights of Hermon—from Mount Mizar.
7 Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me.
8 By day the LORD directs his love, at night his song is with me— a prayer to the God of my life.
9 I say to God my Rock, “Why have you forgotten me? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy?”
10 My bones suffer mortal agony as my foes taunt me, saying to me all day long, “Where is your God?”
11 Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.
John 14:27
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
May we all remember that God is God. He is with us, our safety, trustworthy, holy and loving. When times are dark, He is always Light. He can handle our fears and when we are afraid, He is our strength!
Visit our Freebie Library for Bible verse coloring page, worksheets and printables to help you forget not the Lord!
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Art can be a great way to refocus when we are afraid. We love to find creative ways to memorize Bible verses for all occasions and situations. The 7 Bible verses for when I am afraid are used in an Art…. or we should say HeART series of videos we’ve made.
Worksheets and printables for this lesson are in the Freebie Library.
You can learn the Elements of Art, do some doodle therapy and memorize Bible verses to help you when you are afraid! The first one is doodling straight lines and remembering that the Lord is our helper.
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