Only a short time ago, I felt I was plagued with many fears across all aspects of my life. I had fear surrounding this blog and my ability to write. Fear surrounding motherhood and my inability to be good enough. Fearful of being an adequate wife. Fearful about completing my degree or, actually not completing it. Fearful of starting a business. Fearful of the unknown. Fearful of failing all of the above and therefore failing at life, failing my family, failing myself and failing God. What an enormous amount of pressure to place on myself! Not only does all this fear create a perfect breeding ground for worry and anxiety, it also emphasizes that I must try to do all of this in my own strength. Can you only imagine? Scripture tells us that;

“The enemy comes only to steal and kill and destroy”

John 10:10

And for good reason! Fear is the enemy’s number one weapon of choice because fear is paralysing. Fear stops you moving forward, it cripples you with anxiety and it transcends into every aspect of your life. The enemy needs us to focus on our fears to keep us in a dark place so that we stop trusting in God. When we live in fear, we lose sight of our relationship with God and our faith in an almighty God who is all powerful and who will make the impossible possible.

The thing about fear is that God does not promise to take our fear away. He never intended us to be fearless however He is the only way in which we can fear less. God gives us His love and the self discipline to embrace His truth. He gives us the strength so that our hearts no longer allow the fear to shake us. All He asks is that we cast all our worries and anxieties to Him. Philippians 4:6-7 says;

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, 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 minds in Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 4:6-7

We need to start living in God’s Word and declaring our strong hold over the enemy. Regardless of our feelings, regardless of our situations, regardless of the uncontrollable, our God has everything in our lives already sorted. All we need to do is lean into our faith, draw Him closer to us and trust in Him.

When my husband and I were about to marry, two weeks out from our big day, we were a few thousand dollars short and were still yet to finalise payments to our suppliers. This meant we were in quite a bit of financial trouble. Fear crept in and surrounded us and what was supposed to be a joyous and exciting time turned into a time of worry and concern. We were at the point of having to ask for a loan and we began trying to look for a way in our own strength. I remember my husband at a loss saying, ‘I don’t know what to do but pray.’ What a great idea! So we decided to put our faith in God and thank Him that He already had it covered. When we leant into Jesus, something miraculous happened. Dear friends of ours called to say that they had deposited a wedding monetary gift into our account. They wanted to bless us early. Literally the next day, two family members did exactly the same thing! And guess what?! God ordained it so we had exactly the amount of money that we required to finalise our outstanding debts! Praise the Lord. My husband and I reflect frequently on our time of marriage and cannot comprehend how we managed to have the wedding of our dreams without compromise, two honeymoons and money in the bank, when on paper, our finances were in arrears. God makes the impossible possible! God knows about your situation whatever that may be. He knows your fears and worries. He also loves you so very much and wants you to overcome it. He wants to carry your burdens and fill you with peace. The Lord says in John 14:27,

“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives you. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

John 14:27

If you have never prayed before and unsure of what to say, I just encourage you to have a conversation with him like you would with a dear friend. Our God is so awesome that He does not love you any more or any less if you have prayed one million times before or never before. You can start with something basic like;

“Lord Jesus, I have never prayed before but I ask you to fill my heart with Your peace and surround me with Your presence. I pray that You give me strength today because the burden I carry is too heavy for me. I rest in You.

Pray for peace today. Pray for courage and confidence. Ask Him for guidance. Give your worries to Him and thank Him for His presence within you.