So I thought that this week I should write on something I have honestly been struggling with lately: fear. You can call it whatever you like; paranoia, having anxiety, being a "scaredy cat", whatever, but no matter what you call it- it's real. It's fear of the unexpected, fear of the unknown, fear of other people. It's fear and it is no fun having to deal with. We all have some sort of fear in our lives, some more so than others, but we need to figure out some way to overcome it. And TRUST ME, I know better than anyone that this is much easier said than done.

The bible says that God did not give us worry and fear, that is unfortunately brought on by the evil forces in our world. God did, however, give us the power of love, courage, and peace to help with fear. It is up to us to use these gifts from our Lord in the fight against fear and anxiety. How do we do this? I'm still trying to find out, honestly. But the main thing we should do in any moment of fear, is pray. Pray for protection and for God to put His arms around you and let you know you are going to be alright, that you are safe, that everything will work out, and so on. God hears our prayers and we just have to believe in the things we are praying for. We must have faith in the Lord that He truly is watching over us and will protect us and guide our lives.

I have been doing my best to get through the times of fear when they come on, and I try many different things to try and relax, but nothing has helped or comforted me other than the word of God. And as I said before, God did not give us the spirit of fear, He gave us ways to fight it, so instead of praying that we become free of fear, let's just pray that God gives us strength and bravery in the face of fear. Pray that we can think rationally and to not let fear overcome us, but rather we fight to overcome it.

Whatever those of you readings' fears might be, here are some bible verses that have helped me:

"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me." -Psalm 23:4

"Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself." -Matthew 6:34

"When I am afraid, I put my trust in You." - Psalm 56:3

"Do not be anxious about anything, instead pray about everything, and the peace of God will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."- Phillipians 4:6-7

"Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord will be kept safe."- Proverbs 29:25

"Jesus told him, 'Do not be afraid, just believe." -Mark 5:36

These are just a few versus that I've come across that have helped with my peace. We are only human, and we will all always be fearful at times, and we must fight every single day to overcome it. However, there is only one true way to do so- and that is through God. So I pray that whatever any of you are worrying over, stressing about, or are frightened of, that the Lord will watch over you, protect you, and give you amazing peace.