Silencing Your Fears

"The disciples went and woke Him, saying, 'Master, Master, we're going to drown!' He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. 'Where is your faith?' He asked His disciples." Luke 8:24-25b

So often when storms and trials arise, and the least bit of fear sets in, we forget Whose we are, and Who is in control. He has always been faithful, but how quickly we forget. Most often the anxiety that results when the winds and waves pick up is rooted in fear. Fear of death, fear of disease, fear of the unknown, fear of ________________.

We must remember that Christ has power over all things, even the wind and the waves. And all things serve His purposes. Satan raises the storm, but Jesus lays it down. He can bring calm, even in the midst of it. That calm comes from trust rightly placed in Him as we cast our fears and anxiety on Him, and results in the peace that passes all human understanding (Philippians 4:6-7). It is a choice to live by faith and not by fear.

"The way to have our fears silenced is to bring them to Christ, and lay them before Him." (Henry) The Freedom in Christ ministry offers an incredibly effective prayer that helps recognize and silence the fears in our lives:

Dear Lord, 

I confess and repent of the fear of _______________. I have believed (state the lie you've been believing related to this fear) _______________. I renounce that lie, and I choose to believe the truth (state a truth from God's Word that opposes such a lie) ________________. I also confess any and all ways this fear has resulted in living irresponsibly, or compromising my witness for Christ (be specific, listing ways you've lived according to the lie vs. how you should live believing the truth) ________________.  I now choose to live by faith in You, Lord, believing Your promise that You will protect me and meet all my needs as I live by faith in You. 

                                                                                                  In Jesus' trustworthy name, 
                                                                                                  Amen

Once we give our fears a voice by openly admitting them to the Father, choosing to lay them down and replace them with the truth of God's Word (2 Corinthians 10:5), He sends the calm. He may not take the storm away, but He will give the peace needed to endure it as long as we are trusting in Him, with our minds fixed on what He says is true. How thankful I am to have an option! I'd rather live according to God's Word, in peace...

*** Freedom in Christ is a ministry of Bell Shoals Baptist Church. Prayer excepted from Ministering the Steps to Freedom in Christ by Neil T. Anderson. For more information on this 7-step discipleship process, please feel free to message me.