Overcoming Fear

by Lisa Dickenson

Fear was a stronghold that I faced early on as a child. I don’t know why or how it became so prevalent in my life, but it was definitely a force to be reckoned with. I was raised in a Christian home with an outstanding family who loved me, but that didn’t prevent the tight grip that fear had on my mind. I was afraid to go to sleep, afraid of the dark, afraid to be alone, afraid of demons, and afraid of the 10 o’ clock news (because something like that could definitely happen to a little girl like me and to her family). Now, I look back and think… there was nothing to be afraid of. However, as a child, it was very real, so real that I could almost touch it. Even now, I can still feel the overwhelming emotion of it all. Fear seized my heart with such intensity that I cannot begin to describe its paralyzing effects. Each episode was fiercer than the last. Those were terrifying moments that I would never want to relive.

The breaking point for me was when my parents became desperate and grew tired of me banging on their door at night in tears. They had taught me the scriptures, sang songs with me, prayed, and held my hand, but nothing seemed to work. Their desperation finally brought them to the point of realizing that they were dealing with a spirit of fear. “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7) If that fear was not from the Lord, then it was of the devil. “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7) That is what my parents did. They got rid of anything that might have opened the door to allow the enemy to torment me, and they rebuked the spirit of fear from over my life. “Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” (Luke 10:19) This was a significant breakthrough for me and for our family. God heard our cry for help. It wasn't overnight, but He did it. He answered our prayers, and I finally fell asleep in my own bed without the nightmares, and without my mind and the devil playing tricks on me.

Then, in my early twenties, fear reared its ugly head again. My husband and I had been married only a year when I began to experience deep pains in my lower back and hips. Along with this came sensations of numbness and tingling in other parts of my body. At the time, my husband was working construction, and I was finishing my last semester of college while working as a waitress in a local restaurant. Neither of our jobs provided insurance for a doctor’s visit, so my mind played the role of doctor instead. The enemy’s dreams of destruction plagued me, while well-intentioned friends gave their own diagnosis of my symptoms. I would lay in bed at night with my heart pounding, drenched in sweat from the irrational thoughts of death and disease. In a matter of weeks, a few questionable symptoms had turned into a full-blown death sentence. The enemy was once again wreaking havoc on my mind, and I was once again allowing it to happen.

With the help of mentors, my mom and dad, I began to devour the word of God, writing down and memorizing every scripture even remotely connected to healing and health. “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a Discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12) As I renewed my mind with the Word of God, I began to realize that the issue wasn’t really about being healed or not, but it was about me “bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:5) I had let Satan reign over my mind for too long – believing the lies that he spoke instead of believing what God said about me. It was time for the stronghold of fear to crumble. “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God” (2 Corinthians 10:4-5) With the Lord’s help, fear no longer controlled me, and instead I was learning to be led by His Spirit.

Fear is a powerful tool that the enemy uses to paralyze and hinder the children of God. The Bible encourages us to realize that our battle is not “against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12) This is why we must “Be self-controlled and alert” because “Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” (I Peter 5:8 NIV) However, take heart because He has equipped us with the “armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” (Ephesians 6:11)

Am I totally free from all unhealthy fear? No, but daily I surrender my will to God knowing that in my weakness, His strength is made perfect. (2 Corinthians 12:9) Will I ever be tempted to give into fear again? I am sure of it. However, I am also sure of the power of God that rescues us from the trappings of the evil one. And, I have learned to trust in the Lord and ultimately know that my life is in His hands. No amount of worry or fear can take care of me the way that He does!