Fear and anxiety are two feelings that most people are all too familiar with. Personally, I
have struggled with both in the past, and I still war against them today. My fight, however,
looks a lot different now than it did years ago. Why? Because I have come to this realization:
Fear is not an external force that acts on us. It’s an internal force that acts within us. Fear is a
part of our nature as humans. Fear is a part of self. Our fear knows exactly how to get to us
because it knows us. Fear knows exactly the right lies to whisper into our minds because fear
lives in our minds. How should the knowledge that fear is the internal effect the way we choose to
fight against it? The battle strategy is this: In order to conquer fear and anxiety, we have to
conquer self. In Matthew 16:24, Jesus says that we must (emphasis on the must) deny
ourselves and take up our crosses daily if we want to truly follow Him. If fear is a part of self,
then sacrificing ourselves has to include sacrificing our fear. Denying ourselves has to include
denying fear the right to rule over us and influence our lives.

I have also come to a second realization: The words “fear not” aren’t just an
encouragement; they are a command. When we hold onto our fear, indulging it and allowing it
to grow, we are disobeying Jesus’ explicit command to deny ourselves. We are giving into
ourselves and our fear. God doesn’t want this type of life for us – a life lived in fear is not what
God has written in His perfect plan. In fact, 2 Timothy 1:7 says, “For God has not given us a
spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” The moment that we step out of
our sin and into a relationship with God, He replaces our spirit of fear with His Holy Spirit, and
He will continue to do so every day of our lives. Now, instead of being ruled by fear, we have a
Ruler over our fear.

God aids in our fight. He provides us with weapons to use in this war. What’s the best
weapon against fear? A sword. The Word of God. The most effective way to put the lies of fear
in their place is to war against them with truths breathed from the Creator. The Word of God is
powerful. It’s active. It’s alive. It changes things, and it makes things happen. How does God
want us to use this weapon, though? A sword can be used for both defense and offense. We
can speak Scripture over our lives in order to guard our hearts and minds and to defend
ourselves from fear’s attacks. We can also speak Scripture right in the face of our fear, attacking
it head-on. There is no weapon more powerful and effective than God’s Word, and He expects
us to make use of it. With God fighting on our side and His Word in our arsenal, we will win the
fight against fear.

-- Jenna Singletary