Fear will rob you of your creativity and self-worth. It is the enemy of greatness; the antithesis of faith. The longer it lives inside you, the stronger it grows. And it’s fertilised by words; not just the words others say, but the words you say to yourself. When you tell yourself, ‘There’s no way I’m going to make it,’ you’ve dented your armour and undermined your effectiveness. And if you let it fester, it will affect you like a plague.

To overcome fear, you must first identify and expose it. It will hide in your motives. It’ll drape itself in overprotectiveness, anger, pettiness, jealousy, and boasting so you don’t get overlooked. It’ll weigh you down with the responsibility of feeling like you have to look out for yourself, protect yourself, and defend yourself.

So when you’re fearful, what should you do? There’s only one guaranteed course of action: stand up to your fears—within and without. Here’s a promise from God’s Word that’s as true today as it was when He first spoke it: ‘Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’

In Scripture the term ‘God’s right hand’ speaks of His willingness and power to work on your behalf. Two chapters later in Isaiah, God told the same people, ‘Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine.’ (Isaiah 43:1 ^NKJV) And what God owns—He takes care of.