Overcome by Fear – 5 Things You Need to Do Now
Not long ago, I saw a short video that brought to mind memories of a time of deep pain and heartache.
And oh, how the enemy used that opportunity to strike. Suddenly a list of past pain and present problems flooded my thoughts and I was overcome by fear … tears rose up and then flowed freely.
I am thankful the Spirit quickly prompted me to run to Jesus and I cried…
“This feels like too much, Lord.”
I was overcome by fear of Rev being called home to heaven and Sadie reaching the end of her life. And the enemy continued to pile on … he used that moment to taunt and tempt me with images of an empty quiet house and all I could think to do was cry out.
“I can’t bear the thought of my love suffering! I can’t do this. Lord, I can’t. I need You. Please help me.”
By grace, He answered and quietly whispered, “Just trust me.”
I replied, “I will. I do.”
Then a couple of mornings later, I read Psalm 142…
I cry out to the Lord;
Psalm 142:1–3a
I plead for the Lord’s mercy.
I pour out my complaints before Him
and tell Him all my troubles.
When I am overwhelmed,
You alone know the way I should turn.
Have you been there? Have you ever been so overcome by fear that all you could do was cry out to God and plead for His mercy?
David wrote those words while he was hiding from a jealous King Saul who was determined to kill him. The enemy was telling David that he was all alone and that no one cared and no one would help.
Wherever I go,
Psalm 142:3b–4
my enemies have set traps for me.
I look for someone to come and help me,
but no one gives me a passing thought!
No one will help me;
no one cares a bit what happens to me.
But then, David quit listening to the enemy and turned to God who had promised to always be with him and help him…
Then I pray to you, O Lord.
Psalm 142:5
I say, “You are my place of refuge.
You are all I really want in life.
As terrified as you and I might be, I believe the Lord is calling to us, too. Hear Him saying…
“Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”
Matthew 11:28–30
When we have a burden that’s too heavy to carry, our Savior says… Bring it to me. I will hold you and help you. I will be your place of refuge. And I will give you everything you need when you surrender your life to me.
Honestly, there are burdens that feel too heavy. We can count on the enemy to use those circumstances to tempt us to doubt God’s ability and willingness. But that’s when we need to remember the Lord’s promises and His past faithfulness.
Because when we remind the enemy of our souls that our God is greater than his lies. When we remind him that he has already been defeated. When we stand up to him in faith … he flees.
So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come close to God, and God will come close to you.
James 4:7–8a
And in God’s presence, we are safe and secure. He will give us the peace that passes understanding. He will give us the strength we need. He will carry us and lighten our burdens.
Let’s pray…
A Prayer for Moments When You are
Overcome by Fear
Father, We need you! Sometimes our fearful circumstances feel overwhelming. Sometimes the journey feels too hard. Sometimes the state of the world and our personal pains and problems feel like a burden that is too difficult to carry.
So, I cry out to You. Your Word says, “Call on me when you are in trouble, and I will rescue you, and you will give me glory.” (Psalm 50:15) I am calling on You. I am trusting that You are greater than my circumstances. I am running to You in faith, believing that You are my place of refuge.
I will remember all the times you have helped me carry difficult burdens in the past. I lift up my thanks and praise as a sacrifice to You, my Lord and my Redeemer. With Your Spirit’s help, I will resist the enemy with the belt of truth and the shield of faith. I will hold tight to the sword of the Spirit and I will depend on You to give me everything I need to walk this path one moment at a time. I pray this in the precious name of Jesus. Amen.
Finally, here are 5 Things to Do When You are Overcome by Fear
Go to God…
- Repeat His promises.
- I am with you always. (Matthew 28:20)
- My grace is sufficient. (2 Corinthians 12:9)
- He gives you strength and peace. (Psalm 29:11)
- He will rescue and protect you. (Psalm 91:30)
- He will help you. (Isaiah 41:13)
- Remember who He is.
- He is Creator. Savior. Spirit of Truth. Shepherd. Father. Friend. King of kings. Lord of lords. Alpha and Omega. He is Awesome and Wonderful.
- Recall worship songs and hymns to calm.
- Amazing Grace.
- It is Well with My Soul.
- I Know that My Redeemer Lives.
- Abide with Me.
- I Can Only Imagine.
- (We’d love to know your favorite in the comments.)
- Remember His past blessings.
- Start a blessings journal or jar if you don’t have one already. Remember all the ways He has helped you in the past.
- Reach out to Him in prayer.
- Yes! Cry out to Him. Pray about everything.
- Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. Philippians 4:6–7
- Yes! Cry out to Him. Pray about everything.
And one more verse to hold close to your heart.
Don’t be afraid, for I am with you.
Isaiah 41:10
Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you.
I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.
Thank you friends for walking this journey with me. You bless me more than you will ever know. May the Lord fill your heart with His peace, faith, hope, and much love!
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“Great is Thy Faithfulness” is a hymn that comforts me. Thank you so much for your posts; they always speak to me in a beautiful way.
He is faithful! We can trust His promises and count on Him to help us carry our fears and burdens. Thank you so much for visiting and for joining the conversation. God be with you and bless you!
The song “Even If” by Mercy Me touches me deeply.
Thank you for sharing.
One of my favorites, Tharecia. It always brings tears to my eyes but it always encourages my faith and hope as well. Thanks for visiting and for stopping to join the conversation. God bless you!
Thank You FOR SHARING Deb 👍🏼♥️GREAT INSPIRATION ❗️G-d♥️Bless😊
Thank you, Cheri! Blessings!
Thank you so much for the article today❤ I hope you have a wonderful and blessed day.
Thank you, Teressa. God bless you!
Thank you for this encouragement today, Deb. It’s only because of God that I can live each day without fear because of His presence.
Blessings!
Thank you, Martha! Your visits and encouragement always bless me. In His presence there is no fear … just the peace that passes all understanding. Have a wonderful day, dear friend.
I’m so glad I found you on here! I know I was Divinely guided! Your words have been so spot on! Thank you for your posts!!!
Thank you, Kim. I’m glad you found us here, too. I truly appreciate your kind encouragement. May the Lord be with you and bless you!
Thank you for this today. You don’t know how much I needed this and how much you have helped me more than you know today. My God bless you today as you have blessed me.
Thank you for visiting, Karen, and for taking the time to say “hello.” The Lord be with you and bless you and fill you with His perfect peace.
God bless you
Amen, my favorite song right now I just want to speak the name of Jesus powerful like the world you have shared with us today. Thank you so much.
His Elisabet. There is power in the name. I love theses words of Jeremiah … Lord, there is no one like you! For you are great, and your name is full of power. (Jeremiah 10:6) Thank you so much for visiting. God bless you as well.
Once again your words have come at the perfect time! Fear and anxiety have been my nemesis lately. It is like a vicious circle. Fear brings anxiety, anxiety brings fear. I really needed to be reminded to purge my fears to the Lord. Thank you for giving me the nudge to let go and let God! It is hard sometimes when you get so caught up in the vicious circle, to stop and be still to listen to the Father whisper “Let not your hearts be troubled neither let them be afraid”.
One of my favorite hymns is Because He Lives. Definitely going to sing that one today!!! I hope someone looks this hymn up today and gets great peace from the beautiful words!!!
Thanks again you are a great instrument of the Lord,
Emmie
Oh, thank you, Emmie! The enemy knows that fear and anxiety are weaknesses of mine. He has attacked in those areas for most of my life. Praise God, I’ve learned that I can give it all to Him and trust Him to give me His peace. I may have to surrender my fear many times a day but when I do … the Lord is faithful. And Because He Lives is always a favorite. Yes, because He lives I can face tomorrow … all fear is gone. Thank you! God bless you!
Be still and know that I am God…
Psalms 46-10
My favorite Bible verse!
That’s one of my favorite verses, too, Bonnie. It’s such a wonderful reminder to rest in the One who is able whatever our circumstances. Thanks for visiting and for joining the conversation. God bless you!
Thank you for this reminder! It seems like just when things seem calm something else pops up! It really is a constant fight. Jesus will give us that peace and calm though if we let Him. I also love the song “I just want to speak the name of Jesus.” Bless you!
I agree, Christina. What a great song! Just speaking His name brings peace to a restless fearful soul. Blessings and hugs!
Hi Deb, thank you for this wonderful devotional! One of my very favorite songs that the Holy Spirit brings to mind when I am struggling is Great is Thy Faithfulness.
It brings peace and joy to my heart every time. God is faithful and good!!
Great is They Faithfulness is a wonderful reminder of who He is and all He does when we are struggling with fear and difficult circumstances. Thank you so much for visiting, Ken. May the Lord faithfully encourage you and give you His peace.
Today I felt led to share this with my Facebook friends. Your devotionals inspire and encourage me everyday. I feel so blessed to be connected. One of my favorite hymns of encouragement is “What A Friend We Have In Jesus.”
God’s peace 🕊️….. Judy
Thank you so very much, Judy! I am so thankful that you are being blessed by your visits here. I’ve always loved that hymn as well. I remember learning it as a little girl. May the Lord be with you and bless you!
Deb, I do remember when you were going through that time with Sadie and also with you husband. I could sense your pain and fear. We are all so human and no matter how strong we feel about the Lord and our love for Him, we have our times when we are weak and that is when the enemy does strike!! I am so glad for your faithfulness. It is an inspiration to me and to all of those who follow you. I too, love Matthew 11:28-30. Years ago when I was led to those verses, I was in so much pain and fear. When the Lord led me to them, oh the comfort they brought to me. So much so that I had Christmas cards printed with those verses. I sent them to all of my friends who encouraged me. Mercy Deb! I am so grateful for you. I know I tell you that a lot, but I mean it from the bottom of my heart. You are so kind and so compassionate. This past year has been so hard for me and the enemy has attacked so many times at my weakest points. But, holding on to the promises of God and being led to this site has been a great comfort.
I will continue to pray for you and for Rev and Sadie.
I love the song “In the Garden.” I picture myself there with Jesus, enjoying the beautiful flowers and the little spring with a sweet little bridge going over it. Just Jesus and me!
God Bless You the way you bless us!! Hugs
Your words are such a beautiful blessing, Sue! Thank you! Your prayers and kindness always lift me up and encourage me. God is faithful and I trust that He is able to sustain us through whatever He allows. His grace is sufficient even on the hard days. “In the Garden” is such a beautiful song. There is a sense of peace that comes in the truth of those words and the beautiful melody. God bless you as well. He certainly blesses me through you!! Hugs!
Lovely words and prayers knowing God is always with us to help us overcome our fears so long as we seek and trust him. Amazing Grace is my favorite song that touches me feeling God love and presence. Thank you Deb and all the persons that follow your podcast. Have a blessed day!🙏
Thank you, Ana! Amazing Grace is one that comes to mind often for me too. He is so very good and gracious. In His presence we have nothing to fear. God be with you and bless you!
There are so many songs but recently “Faithful Still” by Kingsporch and “That’s the thing about praise” by Benjamin William Hastings and “Faithfully” by Toby Mac. And the hymn “Jesus Name above all Names”. They remind me of how He is faithful (even when I haven’t been so faithful) and that He is everything I need and desire.
Thank you, Shay. I’m not familiar with “Faithful Still.” I have to check it out. I also love “Jesus Name Above All Names.” He is King of kings and Lord of lords everything we need and desire. Amen!! God bless you!
Thank you so much for this post, it has really helped and encouraged me.
I’m very glad it blessed you! Thank you so much for visiting and for stopping to say “hello.” God bless you!