Spiritual Tools to Help You Wrestle With Fear—And Win

Recently, I was wrestling with a problem that seemed overwhelming.

I’d been procrastinating on facing it for a while, even though resolving it would take us to the next level.

Can you relate to wrestling with fear?

I finally decided to ask advice from someone who knows more than I do about solving this business problem because I felt stuck. Right now, I’m answering his questions and will act on his advice.

However, taking action will probably stir up a new round of fears.

But you know what? I’ve decided to wrestle with those fears too. Bring ’em on!

I was able to wrestle with fear through:

1. Deciding to get and stay in the ring. In the Bible, I love Jacob’s attitude in wrestling with the Man: “I’m not going to let go until you bless me!” (see Gen. 32:24-32).

2. Reminding myself that God is with me. Even when my heart was pounding, and I felt muscle tension in my body (very uncomfortable at times), I was determined to stay with it. Keep moving forward in spite of it.

My goal was to get just a little bit closer to my solution than I was at the start of the day.

My thought was “Just advance the ball down the field.”

While I didn’t get far, I did get farther. Mission accomplished.

3. Write about the experience. That’s one of the reasons I wrote this post and why I recommend you start a journal—either a hand-written journal or a journal at Evernote.

Journaling helps to keep life in proper perspective. You can keep the big picture in sight. Otherwise, your perspective can get skewed with dramatics—and dramatics never help.

The proper perspective is that this is just a day in your life—nothing more, nothing less.

Some days are easier to get through than others. However with each day comes lessons to learn, wisdom to gain.

You can get wisdom by asking yourself the right questions. Usually “Why is this happening to me?” questions do not help.

Why? Because they often open the door to self-pity. These type of questions are practically guaranteed to keep you stuck and re-creating the same negative patterns over and over.

What are some better questions to ask yourself to find courage in the midst of fear?

Here are three questions:

• How is this situation drawing me closer to God?
• What did I learn today that can help me improve tomorrow?
• What good awaits me when I come out on the other side of this victorious?

Confronting fear can feel physically uncomfortable. Accept that truth.

However, don’t let the enemy use that truth to stop you.

You can push through the physical symptoms of fear to get to the next level—if you don’t allow it to keep stopping you.

Embracing God in the midst of fear will help you get closer to Him. Think of Him holding you through it and know that He will never let you go.

Be confident that you will obtain the good that He has stored up for you on the other side of fear! {eoa}

Once 240 pounds and a size 22, Kimberly Taylor can testify to God’s healing power to end binge-eating. She is an author and the creator of the Christian weight-loss website takebackyourtemple.com. Visit today for inspirational health and weight-loss tips.

This article originally appeared at takebackyourtemple.com.