"They threw me into a pit and dropped stones on me. The water rose over my head, and I cried out, 'This is the end!' But I called on your name, Lord, from deep within the pit. You heard me when I cried, 'Listen to my pleading! Hear my cry for help!' Yes, you came when I called; you told me, 'Do not fear'" (Lam. 3:53-57, NLT).
Fear is the No. 1 problem most people face—fear that they're not going to make it, fear of the future or fear of what others think of them.
The prophet Jeremiah had a lot of reasons to be afraid. His job was to deliver a very unpopular message to his nation. He knew he was putting his life at risk. But in his fear, Jeremiah turned to God. What did God say to him? "Do not fear!"
You might be dealing with a circumstance right now that has made you fearful. You might even be feeling hopeless. But there are several ways you can overcome fear.
- Fill your life with the truth. The more you fill your mind with God's Word, the more it will drive fear out of your life.
- Fill your life with love. The more you get to know God, the more you will understand His unconditional love.
- Fill your life with faith. As you begin to trust God and His perfect love for you, you will begin to overcome your fears.
No matter what you're going through, and no matter how bad your circumstances appear, turn away from your fear and expect Jesus to restore your life. 
Rick Warren is the founding pastor of Saddleback Church, one of America's largest and most influential churches. He is the author of the New York Times' bestseller The Purpose Driven Life. His book, The Purpose Driven Church, was named one of the 100 Christian books that changed the 20th century. Pastor Rick started The PEACE Plan to show the local church how God works through ordinary people to address the five global giants of spiritual emptiness, self-serving leadership, poverty, disease and illiteracy. You can listen to Daily Hope, Pastor Rick's daily 25-minute audio teaching, or sign up for his free daily devotionals at PastorRick.com. He is also the founder of Pastors.com, a global online community created to encourage pastors.
For the original article, visit pastors.com.
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