7 Biblical Ways to Become a Fearless Mom

Fear is a four-letter word that everyone in this life will eventually be faced with. We all start out naïve to fear, not really knowing that we should be afraid of anything at all. Hence, the many bumps and bruises that sometimes follow us into adulthood that make for interesting conversation starters.

Fear is something to has to be taught. I remember my nephew seeing a spider for the first time (to my knowledge) and it wasn’t until he saw his mom scream that he then followed suit and became afraid. If she wouldn’t have shown her fear of the spider, he would not have been afraid.

But all fear is not bad. When it comes to the Bible, there are 2 main types of fears that are spoken of:

• Fear of God
• Fear of anything/anyone outside of God.

Fear of God is a healthy fear and speaks of having a holy reverence of God for who He is. Reverence simply means having deep respect for someone, which in this case is having a deep respect for God as the Holy Creator of all things. His position commands respect. The Bible has several verses that command the reader to have this type of fear of the Lord.

In Deuteronomy 31:12, as Moses transitions out of leadership of the Israelites, he wrote down what is referred to as “The Law of Moses” which was to be read to everyone in Israel.

“Assemble the people—men, women and children, and the aliens living in your towns–so they can listen and learn to fear the Lord your God and follow carefully all the words of this law.”

This type of fear is the only type of fear that we as Christians are commanded to have.

The other type of fear is and ungodly one, one that we are commanded not to succumb to. This is the type of fear we need to learn to conquer.

In this post, I will share a few tactics on how to overcome ungodly fear. After all, as Ephesians 6:12 says, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms”

What is ungodly fear?

If you look up references about fear in the Bible, you can easily spot ungodly fear by the commands attached to it. For instance, any time you see “do not be afraid” or “fear not” that is the type of fear we should look to overcome.

Reasons People Feared in the Bible:

Guilt

• In Genesis 3:10, Adam hid from God in the Garden of Eden after he disobeyed God’s command to not eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. His disobedience caused his eyes to be open to sin and to the fact that he was naked before God. His guilt/shame caused him to fear God. “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”
• Exodus 2:14 tells us that Moses fled after being (rightfully) accused of killing an Egyptian slave overseer who was abusing his slave. His guilt caused him to flee to a foreign land where he eventually married and had children!

Other people

• There are many instances in the Bible where the people of God were up against people who were bigger and seemingly more powerful than them. A well-known example would be between the newly freed Israelites against their Egyptian oppressors. God provided a way for the Israelites to cross over the Red Sea, allowing them to pass through to the Promised Land while drowning the Egyptians who were armed for battle.    No matter how the odds look, Proverbs 29:25 says “Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.” With God fighting your battles, you can’t lose so give it to Him and rest.

Death

• Jesus empowers his disciples in Matthew 10:28 warning them to not be afraid of persecutors because they can only kill the body. But instead he warns them to fear God who is the only One who has the power to not only kill the body, but the soul as well. God is the only one who has a Heaven or Hell to put us in, so we only need to worry about what He says and His consequences.

As you can see, fear is nothing new to mankind. The people of the Bible dealt with the same fears we deal with today.

So, what can we do to overcome the enemy of fear?

1. Prayer

Now I know this may sound cliché or obvious to some, but believe it or not, many Christians don’t turn to prayer as their first line of defense against an attack of the enemy. We often run to our friends and/or family before even taking it to God. But God is the only One who knows all the solutions to your problems and He can fight on your behalf. Take all your problems to Him in prayer and partner with God against all your problems.

2. Scripture Memorization

You must be ready at all times to fight the enemy back through God’s word. Remember the word of God says “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 6:12).

We can’t expect our enemy to fight fair or give us a chance to look for our weapons. We must be armed and ready, on guard at all times because as 1 Peter 5:8 says “…Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”

Every action starts in the mind and if you allow the devil to attack your mind without any spiritual armor, you are liable to fall into the hands of the enemy. Memorize scripture that speak to the issues you find yourself facing.

For instance, if you find yourself paralyzed by fear, a good scripture to memorize is 2 Timothy 1:7 which says “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”

So whenever fear of any kind creeps in, you can remind yourself and the enemy what God says about this kind of fear and know that this is not of God. Pray that God will allow you to walk in the power, love, and soundness of mind that He has given you.

3. Ask the Bigger Question

Sometimes we need to ask ourselves exactly WHY we are afraid. When we get to the root of the issue, we can then better understand how to disarm the enemy. Usually it has to do with fear of failure or rejection. Whenever we are doing the work of the Lord, we can rest assured that nothing we do will go to waste. You may not see the fruit of your labor now, but everything you are doing for the Lord is preparing you for things yet to come. Lean on the promises that God has given you and rely on the Holy Spirit to empower you  to do what it is that He has called you to do regardless of what your flesh is speaking to you.

4. Seek Godly Council

Talk to other Christians who have been in your situation or have experienced what you have. Speak to someone who will point you back to God’s word. This is why I feel small groups in church are so important. You get closer to a group of like minded people who are rooted in Christ who can give you a biblical perspective and advice for what you are going through.

5. Do it Anyway

There’s always something we will be worried or anxious about. The thing is, we cannot let fear paralyze us from doing what needs to be done. Sometimes you will just have to “do it scared”. I’ve had plenty of those types of experiences and in that moment, I prayed to God to help me get through them. You’ll only come out stronger by facing your fears and pushing through to the other side. Honestly, I usually end up overexaggerating the outcome in my head and it’s almost never as bad as I thought it would be after all. So like Nike says “Just Do It.”

6. Listen to Encouraging Music

Find songs about overcoming fear and about strength. Music has the power to change your mood and influence your actions. I’m sure we’ve all had that day when we’d gotten to the gym and realized we forgot our headphones (ugh!). What a sad day it was knowing our workout just wouldn’t be the same without our music in our ears being able to motivate us to keep going. We need that music to push us through to the other side. So whenever you’re feeling afraid or anxious about what lies ahead, put on your favorite song of encouragement to motivate you to conquer your fear.

7. Consider the Consequences

What will you lose if you don’t do what you’re afraid of doing? Will it cost someone else something if you don’t do it? Or, what will you GAIN if you put your fear aside and go for it? You may be blocking your blessing that lies in your obedience if you let fear dictate what you do in this life. I’ve learned that there’s usually so much more to gain than to lose when it comes to facing our fears.

The next time you are faced with fear, I pray you will take the time out to consider what it is costing you. Again, I think Paul puts it best in his letter to Timothy, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7). Always remember that God is bigger than anything you are facing and with Him, all things are possible!

What fear has God helped you overcome? Comment below 🙂