Shut Fear Down for Good w/ 21 Bible Verses About Fear

There are lots of Bible verses on the topic of fear. Like it is today, it’s was a pretty common emotion back then. I don’t know how much you know about ancient life, but I know enough (thanks this book) to know that it was a pretty scary time in history.

Fear is one of the tactics Satan uses to control people and keep them from doing God’s will. So, if we desire to be obedient servants of our Heavenly Father, it will help us take control out of Satan’s hands and put it back into God’s if we take a look at what the Bible says about fear.

Fear

Fear can be a good thing. It can keep us safe in dangerous situations. It is what causes the fight or flight response, which helps us defend against or escape from a threat. In these cases, when we are faced with an actual harmful situation, fear is not bad.

But fear can also keep us from learning and growing and making a difference for the Kingdom of God.

When we are afraid, another response can be to freeze, rendering us unable to move forward. When the thing we’re afraid of has to do with something God wants us to do, freezing can even cause us to move backward in our faith. This makes it impossible for us to work on God’s behalf. In these situations, fear is obviously not a good thing.

“Whom have you so dreaded and feared that you have not been true to me, and have neither remembered me nor taken this to heart?”

Isaiah 57:11a (NIV)

Let’s take a look at some scriptures about fear so that we can better understand it and learn how to overcome it when it is standing in our way on our paths to the Kingdom.

What Does the Bible Say About Fear?

In the Bible, there are a couple types of fear. One kind is probably the kind of fear that brought you to this post. According to Merriam-Webster, this kind of fear is defined as “an unpleasant and often strong emotion caused by anticipation or awareness of danger.”

The second kind of fear is the fear of God. This fear is best described as a feeling of intense awe or reverence of the Lord.

Both kinds of fear are super important in our efforts to be more obedient to God, so we definitely want to talk about both of them at some point. Today’s post, however, will focus on the first type of fear.

We often are afraid to obey God because we believe obedience might somehow lead to harm. But guess what? That's not what the Bible says! Share on X

Bible Verses About Anxiety and Fear

Anxiety is another word for worry, which is being concerned about something that hasn’t actually happened. It’s related to fear, but while fear is a response to an actual definable threat (like the mean dog next door), anxiety is a response to a more general threat, often one that hasn’t yet materialized (like a fear of death). Our brains perceive that something bad could happen in a certain situation, triggering worry or anxiety.

Matthew 6:34 – “Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

Luke 12:25-26 – “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?”

Psalms 55:22 – “Cast your cares on the Lord, and He will sustain you, He will never let the righteous be shaken.”

Phillipians 4:6 – “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

What are the lessons we can learn from these scriptures about fear and anxiety?

1. Jesus knew we would have troubles and things to worry about.
2. Worrying is pointless, especially worrying about things that haven’t happened.
3. God is the antidote to fear and anxiety.
4. The way we receive the antidote is through prayer and thanksgiving.

Do Not Be Afraid Verses

Many of these verses contain a direct command to not be afraid. Most of them have something else in common, too. See if you can spot it.

Lamentations 3:55-58 – “I called on your name, Lord, from the depths of the pit. You heard my plea: “Do not close your ears to my cry for relief.” You came near when I called you, and you said, “Do not fear.” You, Lord, took up my case; you redeemed my life.”

Isaiah 41:10 – “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

Isaiah 41:13 – “For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, “Do not fear; I will help you.”

Joshua 1:9 – “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Deuteronomy 31:6 – “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Isaiah 35:4 – “Say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, He will come with vengeance; with divine retribution He will come to save you.”

Psalms 23:4 – “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.”

Did you see the common thread? Yep, no need to fear because God is with us! He comes near when we fear. He takes hold of our hand. He goes with us and will come save us. God knew we would be afraid! This is why He makes sure to say over and over again that He will be our protection, source of courage, and savior.

Let’s look at a few other scriptures that speak to how we can overcome fear.

Bible Verses About Overcoming Fear

Aside from remembering that God is with us, another way to overcome fear is to put our trust in Him. There is nothing else we can trust like God; not money, not people, not a church or any other institution.

God is all-knowing and all-powerful; nothing gets by Him that He doesn’t allow to get by. And anything He allows by is for our good because He loves us. So we can trust Him in all things, even the hard or scary things.

• Psalms 56:3 – “When I am afraid, I put my trust in You.”
• Jeremiah 17:8 – “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him. They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”

“Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.”

Proverbs 29:25

Similar to the verses in the previous section, these Bible verses about fear show us that God’s presence is the antidote to fear. So to fight fear, draw near to God.

• Psalms 34:4 – “I sought the Lord, and He answered me; He delivered me from all my fears.”
• Romans 8:31 – “What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?”
• Psalms 118:6 – “The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?”
• Psalms 23:4 – “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.”

Tapping into the power of the Holy Spirit in us can give us supernatural courage along with strength, love and control of our actions. How do we do this? For starters:

1. Obey God
2. Use scripture. Pray it, share it, live it.
3. Praise God
4. Adopt an attitude of gratitude and humility
5. Fasting and prayer

{Read more about tapping into the Holy Spirit’s power here!}

• 2 Timothy 1:7 – “For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love, and self-discipline.”

According to this next verse, another way to overcome fear is to make sure we are obeying God. His commands are meant to protect and prosper us; therefore, when we know are obeying them, we can live without being afraid of anything that might cause us harm. A benefit of obedience is that the harmful things we fear will naturally not happen.

Proverbs 1:32-33 – “For the waywardness of the simple will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them; but whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm.”

{Related: 35 Bible Verses About Obeying God}

Bible Verses on Fear Wrap Up

As you can see, the Bible has a lot to say about fear. Lots of people in the Bible struggled with it. This is because it is one of Satan’s favorite ways to keep us from being effective for God. Satan knows that if he can keep us scared then He can control us. So in the interest of giving control back to God, let’s sum up what we’ve learned.

1. Although fear can seem very real and can be helpful at times, it is mostly not beneficial and can be overcome.
2. Worrying is typically pointless and changes nothing.
3. Fear is overcome by
   • remembering that God is always with us.
   • tapping into the power of the Holy Spirit.
   • trusting God.
   • obeying God.
   • drawing near to God.

Knowing these things makes it much easier to live a life free from fear, which makes it much easier for God to work in our lives and in the lives of others through us. And that’s what it’s all about, people!

Catch ‘ya later!

PS What do you like to do to fight fear and defeat the enemy? Comment below and let us know!

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