Allowing Faith to Replace Fear

Saul wanted King David dead. He pursued David for a lengthy period of time, which needless to say probably wasn’t the best of situations for King David. Being on the run had to be a terrifying situation, knowing that not just Saul, but his entire army was out to hunt him down.

How did David respond in his posture and trust in God?  See Below:

Psalm 56:2-4:
My adversaries pursue me all day long; in their pride many are attacking me. When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise—In God I trust and am not afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?

There is an army out to kill him and he displays unwavering confidence and trust in the Lord by proclaiming “What can mere mortals do to me!?”. That’s bold. That’s trust. That’s faith in God’s provision.


Don’t dig up in doubt what you planted in Faith.

It is honestly tough for me to relate to the amount of faith that David placed in the fact that God would fight this battle for him. I have struggled navigating the day when something (or someone) is consuming my thoughts, and can be paralyzed by fear.

Thoughts such as:

  • The thought of something harming my children
  • Issues in the office that seem insurmountable
  • Relationship issues with family members that seem hopeless
  • My talents and abilities being insufficient to rise to the specific challenge at hand
  • (Insert real fear here)

No matter how hard I’d try to let go, the looming concern finds its way back to the forefront of my thought patterns – and rids any enjoyment from the present moment and those who are in my company.

Because of life’s ongoing demands, I previously wrestled with constant stress and anxiety over “big rocks” that seemed larger than life. I regularly and often allowed my mind to develop a half-baked thought, just to find 20 minutes later that the thought had spiraled out of control and wound up in another stratosphere – far from anything that would actually unfold in reality.


Sometimes a delay in your plan is God’s protection.

Fear was in control.
If anything, it’s assuring to know that one of God’s greatest vessels in the Bible and I have some common threads. (See below)

Moses, after killing an Egyptian, ended up fleeing only to hear the audible voice of God coming from a burning bush (this is not the common thread I share with Moses). The message being delivered from the bush was that he was the chosen one to deliver God’s people from the bondage of Pharaoh. 

How did Moses respond in his posture and trust in God?  See below:

Exodus 4:1
But Moses protested again, “What if they won’t believe me or listen to me? What if they say, ‘The Lord never appeared to you.’”

My guy! Playing out life through a series of “What if’s” and worst-case scenarios. Story of my life.  It’s easy to glance through both of these verses and completely overlook this concept.  Moses, completely human, was seeing the obvious and seemingly impossible challenge in front of him and calling the spade a spade. Arms up, questing how in the world God planned on moving this mountain. This, unfortunately, is something I can completely relate to. Even as a devout Christian, sometimes some things just seem too big for God for handle, so I want to take these challenges on head first by myself as opposed to leaning into Him.

It was on the way to work one morning in my usual hour and ten-minute commute when I was listening to the Craig Groeschel Podcast. In his leadership message, Craig proclaimed,

“What you fear the most reveals where you trust God the least”.

For me, this was prophetic and profound.

Through different seasons of my life I have struggled with fear, doubt, stress, anxiety – you name it. This simple message helped jump start a major course correction in my life. The major trials and tribulations I had in my life weren’t presented to the Lord though prayer, because I was attempting to carry that burden on my own strength and accord. When the onion layers were peeled back, I realized I didn’t have unconditional faith in God where it mattered most.

After being inspired by the Life.Church message and Craig Groeschel Leadership Podcast, I found some supporting scripture that helped me change my thought patterns and awareness in my prayer life. 

Philippians 4: 6-7
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Psalm 37:4
Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

2 Timothy 1:7
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

Fear is not from God; therefore by the help of God we can and will overcome the fear that has held us hostage. Unfortunately, I’m still not perfect in this area but I’m certainly more aware and leaning in to God’s favor just as David did. This simple awareness makes me think twice about areas where I am trying to carry the burden on my own. I notice these moments when I feel stress and anxiety and get caught up in the moment. However, isolating these instances and viewing them from the balcony level allows me to recognize it’s not as important as I’m making it out to be. From there I can more easily give it over to God and pray that He take control of the situation and also pray for His will to transpire.

Fear is faith in the wrong things. It’s placing your faith in the “What if’s”.

Fear causes you to forget. Faith causes you to remember.

So, how do we move forward and how to we step into a place of peace and assurance?

No matter the circumstance; whether first time in a new role or pivots caused by pandemics, it’s important to win the battle in your mind.


  1. The first step is to be self-aware enough to recognize the areas where we are not giving up to the Lord. “I’m not trusting God with ___________”. “My greatest fear is ___________”. Is it future, finances, children, career? You will not defeat what you cannot define. If you neglect what is an issue, you will never be free.
  2. Acknowledge it and make a conscious decision to trust God with it. He already knows our hearts and our concerns; He is simply waiting for us to catch up. Recognize the enemy doesn’t have any new tricks. He will continue to speak lies and tear down anything that brings you closer to Him.
  3. Pray into that area.
  4. Meditate on His word. God often uses His word to speak to us as we go throughout our days. If we don’t take the time to study and remember scripture, we are eliminating a huge opportunity to hear and feel God’s presence in our daily lives.

When I look back at my life, it’s easy to recognize that He ultimately is in control and He is for me; not against me. Try taking steps on a daily basis to be more like King David in this area and have an abundance of faith that He will steer the ship where it needs to go. For me personally, I hear God so clearly when I can recall specific scripture throughout the day. I notice I struggle the most when I don’t have His Word available at the forefront of my mind. The more I meditate on scripture, the more peace and assurance is readily available.  


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