by Jennifer Greene-Sullivan
As a follower of Jesus, I feel like I should address the elephant in the room: fear. If faith is the only way to please God, then why would I allow fear to take up space in my mind and body? “Without faith it is impossible to please Him” (Hebrews 11:6, ESV), and yet fear so often tries to sit beside it. These are not easy questions, but they are honest ones.
The truth is, I do not want to be afraid. Yet even as I write this, fear lingers quietly in the background. It does not come loudly or boldly; it whispers its what-ifs and waits for me to listen. In those moments, I remember, “God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control” (2 Timothy 1:7, ESV).
My eldest daughter, Anya, is on her way to South Africa on a mission trip. For days, I have prayed for her safety, her strength, and her victory in the calling God has placed on her life. I have placed her at the feet of Jesus more times than I can count, trusting that “The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore” (Psalm 121:8, ESV). Still, as a mama, I have cried out to Him in moments of fear.
I know that He invites me to bring every care to Him. “Casting all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7, ESV). I am not meant to carry these burdens alone, and I am not expected to shoulder it alone. In fact, “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18, ESV), which means He meets me even in these moments.
As I sit with that thought, I begin to see it differently. Fear itself is not the failure; agreement with fear is where the battle is lost or won. The presence of fear does not mean that faith is absent because even Scripture calls us to choose: “Choose this day whom you will serve” (Joshua 24:15, ESV). I am standing at a crossroads, deciding which voice I will follow.
I know whom I have believed, and I know that my Redeemer lives. Like Paul wrote, “I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that He is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me” (2 Timothy 1:12, ESV). I have placed my sweet Anya Claire in His hands, and she has willingly placed herself there as well. Her confidence amazes me as she steps into her future with hope, love, and surrender.
At the same time, I see fear showing up in other places close to home. My son Liam has recently begun to struggle in the batter’s box after being hit by a pitch.
Now, when he steps up to bat, he often steps back out again even though there is no success outside of staying in place. In those moments, I remind him—and myself—“Be strong and courageous…for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9, ESV).
His struggle is not about ability; it is about what is happening in his mind. We pray together before each game, and I have him speak truth over himself as he waits his turn. “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You because he trusts in You” (Isaiah 26:3, ESV). Courage for him will not come through pressure, but through patience and learning to remain.
My husband carries his own version of fear. He avoids needles at all costs, and even something small can become a real battle for him. It reminds me that fear does not always respond to logic, but Scripture still calls us forward: “When I am afraid, I put my trust in You” (Psalm 56:3, ESV). That trust is not forced; it is formed over time.
As I look at my family, I see something that humbles me deeply. Fear is not selective, and it does not skip over those who love Jesus. It looks for a place to attach itself–often in the areas we care about most. Yet the Word reminds us, “In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us” (Romans 8:37, ESV).
Victory, then, cannot mean the absence of fear. Victory must mean that fear does not get permission to lead; it must mean that even when fear is present truth has the final say because “Perfect love casts out fear” (1 John 4:18, ESV). That kind of victory is lived out in daily choices, not one-time decisions.
So today, I return to where I began with this quiet wrestling in my heart. The question is no longer whether fear will show up because it will. The question is what I will do when it does.
As Anya flies across the ocean today, I will not pretend that fear does not try to rise. I will feel it, and then I will place her—again—into the hands of Jesus. I trust that “The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent” (Exodus 14:14, ESV).
As Chris faces the things that unsettle him, I will not dismiss his fear or force him past it. I will stand beside him with patience and truth, remembering that “Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (1 Corinthians 13:7, ESV). His courage will grow step by step.
As Liam steps back into the batter’s box this very evening, I will not measure success by whether he gets a hit. I will look for something deeper than performance. I will look for the moment he chooses to stay because “Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us” (Hebrews 12:1, ESV).
And as for me, I come back to the truth that steadies my heart. Fear may still whisper, and it may still reach for my hand in quiet moments. However, I am no longer asking how to eliminate it completely.
I am choosing something better. I may feel fear, but I refuse to come into agreement with it. Today, I will walk in faith—not because fear is gone but because “we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7, ESV).
Challenge: Refuse the Agreement
This week, pay attention to where fear is trying to speak in your life. It may not come loudly; it may whisper through worry, control, or hesitation. When you recognize it, do not ignore it, but do not agree with it either.
Instead, answer it with truth.
Choose one Scripture—write it down, speak it out loud, and return to it when fear tries to take hold. “Take every thought captive to obey Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5, ESV). Let that be your practice this week.
Then take one small step of faith in that area. It does not have to be big or visible to anyone else. It simply needs to be an act of trust.
Prayer: Choosing Faith in the Presence of Fear
Father God,
I come to You honestly, knowing that You already see every place where fear has tried to take root in my heart. You know the thoughts I wrestle with and the concerns I carry, and I thank You that You invite me to bring them all to You. Your Word reminds me that “You have not given me a spirit of fear, but of power and love and self-control” (2 Timothy 1:7, ESV). Help me to walk in that truth today. When fear rises, teach me to recognize it without agreeing with it.
Lord, give me the strength to take my thoughts captive and to replace them with Your promises. Remind me that You are faithful, that You are present, and that You are in control of every detail of my life and the lives of those I love. Help me to trust You more deeply. Help me to release what I cannot control and rest in the truth that You are holding it all together. Let Your perfect love quiet my heart and lead me forward in peace.
Today, I choose faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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