Lesson 3 - Preventing fear with His presence
Read Psalm 23 - www.bible.com/bible/59/psa.23.esv

One of the greatest ways of conquering fear is to be aware of the presence of God. Many times we read this – see Genesis 26:24; Deuteronomy 31:6, 8; Joshua 1:9; Isaiah 41:10; Matthew 14:27; and Acts 18:9-10, just for a few.

If I cannot see God, how can I know for certain that He is with me? It is easy to say “He has promised,” but what can we do when we are in deep trouble and we cannot sense His presence and it doesn’t feel like He’s hearing our prayers?

The best answer I know is to place His word into our hearts. Psalm 119:11 says, I have stored up Your word in my heart that I might not sin against You. This is one of the reasons this study asks you to memorize one verse each day.


Some years ago there was a person in our church who seemed to fear everything. Sometimes it was loss of a job, sometimes it was fear of what the future would bring, sometimes it was the possibility of disease. This friend lived in constant fear of something. One day a visiting speaker came to town and this friend heard a message never understood before. The testimony given to the church a few weeks later showed how much this friend’s life was changed when Jesus brought freedom from fear. “I am building a fortress against fear,” we heard in the testimony, “I build it brick by brick, each brick is a promise from God I memorize. I know where each is found. Then when the storm comes and I cannot see through the darkness and the winds of fear make it hard to feel, I know each brick of my fortress by memory, and I can rest there without fear for I know He is as near as His promises.”

Being conscious of God’s presence in our lives is also a choice we must make. When I go through my day I sometimes think of being on a raft in a swiftly-flowing river. I can choose to let the water take my raft where it wants, or I can grab a pole or an oar and use it to guide my way around obstacles. It is less work to let the river take me – to let my circumstances in the day determine if I am happy or sad or angry or fearful or joyous. Or I can intentionally face my day watching for things that might upset me and have that oar of His word handy to push me away from the rock that would toss me into the river.

*Verse to memorize:
He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Psalm 23:3 (ESV)