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Have you ever wondered where fear began? Possibly, it originated in the Garden of Eden the day Satan planted a seed of doubt into Eve's ear. Fear has many faces: The fear of rejection, anxiety, depression, not being known, never being valued, never being loved, never having enough, fear of being “just like our parents”, fear of others seeing our weaknesses.

Almost every kid has a story about being afraid of the dark, do you? Maybe you had a sibling who would jump out of nowhere to scare you coming around the corner. Did you lie in bed and imagine the monster in the closet or under the bed, putting a face to it? Once the lights turned on, the monster did not exist! Instead of being riddled with fear and imagining a real monster, turning on the light would have made it clear there was nothing of which to be afraid.

What do the monsters look like as an adult? The fear of "I'm never going to have enough" instead of believing that God is the one who supplies all our needs? Do you worry about the stability of your job? The feeling of defeat that your career is not what you wanted for your life? Not making the amount of money you hoped to make? Maybe you’re afraid of vulnerability and it holds you back from meaningful relationships with others. Instead, you push everyone away. We imagine these "monsters" getting bigger and bigger instead of applying faith to the lies we hear in our heads to eliminate them. 

What lies have you heard? What lies do you need to dismantle with the Word of God? Isaiah 55:11 states, "So is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it." The Word of God is an anchor. It is something you can hang your coat on. Three hundred sixty-five passages in the Bible refer to the phrase, "fear not." Every day we have a reason to "fear not’"!

Romans 8:31-32 says, "What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own son, but gave Him up for us all—how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?" 

Romans 8:37-39 goes on to say, "No, in all these things, we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Take a moment where you are, name the fear you are facing, and release it over to Jesus. He will come and meet you where you are. The Lord will surround you with His peace and joy. As you hand these fears to Him, may He fill your hands with courage and endurance to run this race that is before you.