By Dr. Charles Stanley

Some fears are healthy. They help protect us from danger and costly mistakes. For instance, a fear of rattlesnakes can help hikers avoid poisonous bites. But unhealthy fear paralyzes us. It restricts our activities, destroys peace, interferes with sleep, and hampers relationships. Such panic can even prevent someone from obeying the Lord. Here are eight principles for dealing with debilitating fear:

1. Acknowledge your fear.

Ask God to help bring the apprehension to the surface of your consciousness. Once you identify your fear, you can talk about it with the Lord.

Also, don't deny that you feel fear or think that you are too "mature" to be afraid. We never get to the point that we completely overcome the natural fear that helps in our protection or the fear brought on by spiritual attacks.

2. Ask for God's help immediately.

Go to your heavenly Father right away to petition for help in conquering your fear. Request that He cleanse your mind of anxious thoughts and protect your mind from gripping fear. And ask Him to help you counteract apprehension in positive, strong ways.

The psalmist wrote:

I sought the Lord, and He heard me,
And delivered me from all my fears (Ps. 34:4).

3. Determine the root fear.

Sometimes other emotions are linked to fear:

Greed: Fear of not having enough
Rejection: Fear of not being accepted
Guilt: Fear of being found out
Lack of confidence: Fear of failure
Anger: Fear of losing control or esteem, or of not getting your own way
Jealousy: Fear of not having what you believe is rightfully yours
Indecisiveness: Fear of criticism or of making a wrong decision

One woman felt wary of going outside after dark, although she lived in a safe neighborhood. Through counseling, she realized that beneath her obvious fear was the dread that God would fail to watch over her. Because she believed she was responsible to protect herself from evil, this woman felt more at risk at night. In order to overcome this fear, she had to learn to regard the heavenly Father as present with her at every moment and capable of protecting her.

4. Go to God's Word.

The Bible has dozens of "fear not" verses. I especially like Isaiah 41:10:

Do not fear, for I am with you;
Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God
I will strengthen you, surely I will help you,
Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.

In fact, I suggest you read the entire chapter to yourself. Read it repeatedly, if necessary. Let the words sink deep into your spirit. Two other faith-building passages are Psalms 56 and 91. If you read and memorize verses that deal with fear, you will build up your faith.

5. Praise the Lord.

As you read and speak God's Word, accompany it with praise—both vocal and frequent. Here are some of my favorite passages to use in confronting fear:

The Lord is my strength and song,
And He has become my salvation (Ps. 118:14).

The sound of joyful shouting and salvation is in the tents of the righteous;
The right hand of the Lord does valiantly.
The right hand of the Lord is exalted;
The right hand of the Lord does valiantly (Ps. 118:15-16).

6. Take a positive step.

Jesus often asked those He delivered or healed to take positive action as part of their healing. A paralyzed man was told to pick up his pallet and leave the pool of Bethesda (John 5:8). A blind man was told to go wash in the pool of Siloam (John 9:7).

Do something that gives God a chance to reveal to you that He is greater than the fear you are feeling. At times you need to confront a frightening situation in a very direct and practical way. For instance, one woman who felt an irrational dread of falling through sidewalk grates made a deliberate choice to step on them and trust the Lord to free her of fear.

7. Make a decision.

Decide to believe and rely on God more than your emotions. You may not get to the place of complete trust immediately. The growth of faith takes time and testing to see that the Lord is faithful in crisis after crisis. When fear strikes, start saying to Him, "God, You are in control of my life—not just some of the time, but always."

Choose to believe in God, who not only loves you and cares for you, but is always available to you. Remember: He is sovereign over all things. As you learn to trust the Father, I have no doubt that He will melt away your crippling fears so you can truly experience the depth of His abiding peace.

Adapted from Finding Peace: God's Promise of a Life Free from Regret, Anxiety, and Fear" (2003).

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