Dear Fear

DEAR FEAR,
I only refer to you as “dear” because of our long-term, intimate relationship, and certainly
not because you are dear to me in any way. In fact, you have been a tormenting influence
from start to finish. You have told me lies and prevented me from doing the things I wanted to
do and should have done. You are indeed a miserable, wretched companion and one that I
no longer am willing to be involved with.

I am writing you this letter to let you know that from this point forward, I will not fear!
Although I may feel your presence, I will not bow down to your demands. I have a friend
whose name is Jesus, and He has promised to never leave me nor forsake me, but to be with
me always. He is indeed a powerful friend and although you do have some power, His is
by far much greater than yours. You can come against me, but Jesus lives in me, and the
power of the one who is in me is greater than you are (see 1 John 4:4).

Although I cannot prevent you from coming to visit, I do want to give you notice that you
will be ignored. I am far too busy now fellowshipping with my friend Jesus and developing
an intimate relationship with Him to give you any of my time. The more time I spend with
Jesus the more courageous I become. He is teaching me a new way to live, one that is
exciting and adventurous—one that is fearless.

I also want to inform you that since I have so much experience with you and know how
self-defeating it is to listen to you, I now intend to tell as many people as I can what a thief
and a liar you are. The years I have wasted with you will be redeemed and I will bear
much good fruit. Thank you for driving me to Jesus. You see, you made me so miserable
that I sought a way to be free from you, and Jesus met me where I was and set me free.
Should you decide to waste your time and try to visit me even after my letter, I am letting
you know ahead of time that you will be met by faith in God and a determination that I WILL NOT FEAR!

SINCERELY AND DETERMINED,

(YOUR NAME HERE)

This is an excerpt from LIVING COURAGEOUSLY: You Can Face Anything, Just Do It Afraid by Joyce Meyer. Copyright © 2014 by Joyce Meyer.