For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (of cowardice, of craven and cringing and fawning fear), but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control.
(2 Timothy 1:7 AMP)
Fear and anxiety are from the enemy, they have no place in a spirit filled Christian’s life. When the feeling of dread and despair come upon us, we have to shut it down immediately before it spreads.
Using the Amplified Bible, I searched the keyword ‘fear’ and there were 485 instances throughout the Old Testament and the New Testament. God knew fear would be a problem for us, so He wanted to make sure we were prepared to fight it.
Fear is a flesh response to a situation or even a possible issue. When we are rooted in God’s Word, we are already prepared to fight, we can rebuke what the enemy has sent and claim scriptures that God has for us. As we call out fear and tell ‘it’ (‘it’ being used in place of whatever ‘fear’ we are dealing with - sickness, financial problems, relationship issues, etc.) that we refuse to accept it in our lives. We are not sticking our head in the sand and denying our circumstances; we are claiming God’s protection over what the enemy is throwing at us.
When we are tempted to be fearful, cling to the rest of the verse and remember we already have this within us:
spirit of power
But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world. (1 John 4:4),
spirit of love
Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. (1 John 4:18)
and of self-control
But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
(Galatians 5:22-23)
Remember to cling to God’s promises not the problems from the enemy.
Be strong and courageous.
Be not afraid or dismayed before {your FEAR},
for there is Another with us greater than [all those] with {your FEAR}.
With {your FEAR} is an arm of flesh,
but with us is the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battles.
(2 Chronicles 32:7-8, {substituted})