I have a confession to make. I used to be horribly afraid of the dark. Not just as a child, but as an adult into my twenties.
When I was little, I always wanted to sleep with a night light on. Blessedly, my mother didn't mind this and even kept a night light on in the bathroom.
I never wanted to go outside alone after dark. I hated looking out windows at night that didn't have blinds or curtains, especially when all I could see was my own reflection and not what was beyond the glass.
My bed was always laden down with stuffed animals. And every night I lined them up along the outside edge of the mattress. If anything tried to grab me, they'd get a stuffed animal first.
If I had to get out of bed during the night to use the bathroom, I did a running jump to get back in the covers. Who knew what might reach out and grab my ankle?
As an adult, I tried to reason with myself. I tried praying. I tried ignoring it. But the fear was still there, waiting to appear when I'd almost fallen asleep. When my guard was down and slumber slipped in.
I knew spiritual warfare was at play. I rebuked the enemy, the fear, asked God to send His angels, but it never completely alleviated the fear.
Then I started reading my Bible on a daily basis. And I read this verse.
You shall fear only the LORD your God; and you shall worship Him and swear by His name. (American Standard Version) Deuteronomy 6:13
Of course I'd heard this verse before.
But in the dark of the night, when my fears started to rise with the hairs on my arm, this verse marched through my mind.
And with it, came sweet freedom.
I want you to think about this for a moment. I want you to say it aloud, “I will fear only the Lord my God, and nothing else. When I give into the fear, I'm not worshiping Him.” Tweet this
Recently, I was asked to write for a non-Christian publication. A lot of their content I agreed with, but there were a few things I absolutely did not. I considered not following through with the offer.
But then God re-affirmed this message to me. We're to be His light in the darkness. We're to worship Him and I will only fear not following His teaching. We are to lead those in the dark into the light of salvation through Jesus Christ, and we can't do this if we're afraid of the dark.
Your dark might not be literal, as mine was, but we all have a dark.
Whatever your dark is, I pray that you accept the freedom Jesus offers today, and you'll be like me, not afraid of the dark anymore.
Where you ever afraid of the dark? What fears has Jesus set you free from?
Wow that verse is really something, especially the part about “when I give into fear, I’m not worshiping Him.” And its amazing that it not only goes for the darkness in your life, but for being afraid of actual darkness as well. I have been scared of the dark in my room, or just dark places in general for a long time. My mind creates all these things that are waiting for me in the dark. I have a big reading light next to my bed, and even with that on, the fear is still there. I have prayed fervently before falling asleep, but the fear is still there also. The fears are worse after I watch a scary movie, but even when i haven’t watched anything, my mind still plays tricks on me. But I will try this verse. It really struck a chord with me. Thank you for sharing your experiences and encouragement!
Joshua, so glad this helped you. And yes, scary movies definitely will increase the fear. I don’t watch them at all anymore and won’t allow my kids to either. Here’s to God’s light!
I have not always been afraid of the dark and am still not afraid of the dark. But in recent years I have found that I sometimes have unexplained panic attacks at night. I am sure it is an attack of the enemy (or menopause), but it is very disconcerting. I also quote scripture:
Proverbs 3:24 When you lie down, you shall not be afraid: Yea,you shall lie down and your sleep shall be sweet.
Proverbs 3:25 Be not afraid of sudden fear…
Bless you dear sister.
I was afraid of the dark as a child and also into adulthood. But then the lights went out during a Bible study I attended, and I had to ‘fess up and be prayed for. That was the start. Deliverance came as I embraced it over time. Now at night I can walk through the house without turning on the lights. Every once in a while when that old twinge of fear comes, I pray and relief always follows. God is my song in the night.
God is our song in the night. So aptly put and a beautiful reminder.
I love this, as I am also afraid the dark … but I have a real reason, I was attacked (during a burglary) when I was only 8 years old. Yes, I live with the fear but I am also not afraid because I know that our Lord protects me and I just go to Him in prayer when I’m going to be in situations that will leave me in the dark (literally). Thank you for this verse, I am saving it to my phone as a “go-to” verse.
Lori, I pray that God will use this verse to bring you freedom. How scary, but how awesome to know He can deliver us. Blessings!
Leslie,
What a smart Momma to write out the verses for her. I also like that you’re helping her address the issue instead of telling her it’s silly to be afraid of the dark.
Praying that God continues to keep your cancer free and that He gives you peace about it. May He always keep you in His light. 🙂
My 13 yr old daughter has struggled with being afraid of the dark and even being in parts of the house alone in the past. In our last house she especially had problems so we wrote Bible verses on fear and the Lord taking care of her onto index cards. We placed those index cards in the places where she had problems – by her bed for at night, on the piano which was located in our den and she was afraid to go in by herself (even though it was well lit), etc. It really helped her and while she still sleeps with a night light on, she doesn’t have quite the fear she used to and she knows the Lord takes care of her.
For me! I have had melanoma skin cancer three times. After my first spot was found/removed in 1999, my aunt died of it (2003) and then a couple of years later (2005) my mother-in-law died of it. So needless to say, if I let it, then the fear of me dying of it OR better yet my kids having it since it’s on both sides of the family now could leave me living in worry and fear. I will admit after my second time of having it, I was somewhat of a wreck. I praise the Lord that each time it has been caught early and I’ve never had to have treatment. The first time it was caught I was very close but they were able to remove it all. I am seen every 3 months by a dermatologist/melanoma specialist and probably will be the rest of my life but I no longer live in fear. Now, I do have the occasional, “Is that a new mole?!?” or “Has that mole grown?!?” thought but then I just keep check on it, pray for peace, and trust in the Lord.