How to Overcome Fear

This is Derek Prince with a word for you from the Word.

“When I am afraid, I will trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?” (Psalm 56:3–4 NIV)

One thing I’ve always loved about the Bible since I came to know it is its honesty. It faces facts, it pictures life as it is, it knows us in our weakness.

The psalmist does not say boldly, “I’ll never be afraid.” He says, “Sure, there will come times when I may be afraid; but when I’m afraid, I know what to do. I’ll trust in God. I’ll trust in the Word of God, the unfailing Word of God, the sure promises of God.”

You see, in the spiritual life often there is a conflict between two areas of our being. In our emotions we go through all the feelings of fear, maybe of panic, it grips us. But there’s another area of our being – the spirit – that will not yield to panic, that does not accept the dictates of the emotions. It says, “I’ll not accept the verdict of my emotions about this situation. I’ll turn to God; I’ll remember what the Word of God says. I’ll find the promise of God that meets my need. And though in my emotions I may feel fear, in my spirit I trust. And that trust brings me into a security, a peace, and a confidence that’s much deeper than my emotions.

The emotions are just like the waves on the surface, but deep down in the spirit, in the depths of our being, there is settled peace and confidence.