The way to keep your fear from paralyzing you.

Cast your burdens on the Lord. Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall. (Ps. 55:22) Just as in fishing what does it means to cast something? It means to hurl it away from you using force. You grab that pole and you swing it hard so the hook goes far from you. But where are you supposed to hurl your cares? To the only one who can handle them. The LORD. And what will happen if you do this? The promise is HE WILL SUSTAIN YOU. He will hold you up. He will keep you in place. He will make sure you have the nourishment you need.

Sometimes you’re called to stay put and battle the enemy head on – but sometimes when you feel weak you need to realize God has invited you to run to Him for refuge.
So God instructs you to CAST your fears His way, and to run to Him as your place of refuge. But you also have a way to fight back against fear, and that is to…Replace anxiety with thoughts of God. (Phil. 4:6-8, Ps. 23:4, Ps. 46:1-3)

It is the most natural thing in the world to be scared, and the clearest evidence that God’s grace is at work in your heart is when you do not get into panics….The remarkable thing about fearing God is that when you fear God you fear nothing else, where if you do not fear God you fear everything else.

God has given you the way to keep your fear from paralyzing you – and it involves changing your focus from the things that are causing you fear to thoughts of God.

Philippians 4:6-8
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, 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.
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-- think about such things.

These verses promise you that if you can cast all your anxieties and fears at Him in prayer, then your heart and mind will be guarded by the peace of God. A peace that passes understanding. A peace that doesn’t make sense. A peace that God brings to those who offer Him all that they are anxious about and let Him take it.

And then Scripture instructs you what you SHOULD think about, instead of all the things that are causing you fear. Whatever is true, or noble, or right, or pure, or lovely, or admirable, or excellent, or praiseworthy?

Psalm 46:1-3 God is your refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore do not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.

This passage is to remind you that sometimes you just have to CHOOSE not to give in to fear. You need to fill your mind with the picture of God as your refuge. God is your strength. God is your Good Shepherd. And say, “I will NOT fear.”

One of the reasons you fear is that you forget that this life is not all there is. You were created for ETERNITY. 2 Corinthians 5:6,8 Look forward with confidence to your heavenly body. And do not be afraid, but be quite content to die, for then you will be at home with the Lord.

Death, for Christians, is a transfer, a promotion. It’s on to better things. No more problems. You’re not ready to live until you’re ready to die. You don’t know how to live until you’re ready to die. Only a fool would go all through life, totally unprepared for something that everybody knows is inevitable. You’re going to die - someday. If you have accepted Christ, then you’re going to go to heaven.

"He will wipe away all tears from their eyes, and there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying, nor pain. All of that has gone forever." Rev. 21:4

Doesn’t that make you a little homesick for heaven?

2 Corinthians 4:16-18
Therefore do not lose heart. Though outwardly you are wasting away, yet inwardly you are being renewed day by day. For your light and momentary troubles are achieving for you an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So fix your eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

The next time you feel the fear grip your heart – change your focus to eternity!