What is your pocket of fear? One thing we know from scripture is that fear is not of God. Second Timothy 1:7 assures us that God does not give us a spirit of fear, so whatever you are I are fearful about, it's not coming from the Lord. Of course, we have an enemy who loves to scare us to death about anything he can, because when we are fearful, it means we're not trusting God.
Remember, we may have great faith in some areas, and still have pockets of fear where we find it difficult to trust God. What is your pocket of fear?
Maybe it's money; it often is. Are you fearful of not having enough, of losing your job, of losing your house, of going bankrupt, of not being able to afford what you need or want? Frankly, this often is a pocket of fear for me. I am responsible for this ministry, and we depend on financial support from our listeners. Sometimes I find myself thinking: "What if enough money doesn’t come in? How will you pay your staff? You could lose your house, all your assets, and everything you own–you could go through all that in no time flat. What in the world will you do then?" That's a pocket of fear for me.
Here's what I've learned to do with this pocket of fear, when it starts to possess me. I say, "Okay, imagine the worst–no money, have to shut down the ministry, no income, no house, no savings. Will God desert you then? Do you not believe He can and will take care of you even if you experience total financial loss?" Then I make myself–and note that it is usually an act of my will, not my emotions–I make myself claim a promise from the Bible.
Some good ones to use for this pocket of fear are:
"Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear... Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet you heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?" (Matthew 6:25-26)
"And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:19
By exposing that pocket of fear to the light, by bringing it out in the open and forcing ourselves to face the fear, it loses its teeth. It can't bite us any longer, because we've accepted that the worst may and could happen, and if it does, God's Word is still steadfast and He will deliver us.
A good first principle in dealing with pockets of fear is to bring them out in the open and talk to God about them. Then find a verse of scripture to counteract that pocket of fear.
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