For the thing I greatly feared has come upon me, and what I dreaded has happened to me. Job 3:25 (NKJV)
Fear never produces goodness in our lives.
One time, I remember listening to the audio of a pilot going down in a plane. Even as the aircraft continued to fall, the pilot maintained a business-like tone in his radio communications: “The plane is uncontrollable. We’re not able to save it. We’re at ten thousand feet and descending with no working controls.” And then, in the same controlled manner, he asked if someone would tell his wife and family that he loved them. Even while facing imminent death, that pilot had learned in advance that letting fear take over helped nothing.
Job discovered this truth the hard way. In today’s verse, Job explains the results of allowing fear to run rampant in his life. Fright caused him to cave into attitudes and actions he wouldn’t have normally given into. Anxiety caused him to lack courage and to avoid dealing with situations appropriately. His worries attracted the very things he feared.
As believers, we do not need to hand over the reins to fear. We can submit to God and resist the devil (James 4:7). We can combat fear the same way we resist Satan because distress and worry are the enemy’s tools.
How do we resist fear? Keep your attention focused on God and His power—not your problems. Faith accesses God’s promises and all of His supernatural ability within you. Faith stands up—even on the darkest days—and chooses to declare God’s promises.
The more you stand firmly in God and His promises for you, the more fear bows in submission and retreats. That’s how active faith works to overcome fear!