Overcoming Your Fears | Jonathan Cahn Sermon

When God Stands With You: The Journey to Living Fearlessly

Fear is something every one of us faces. Paul himself knew what it meant to be surrounded by opposition—forty men once vowed they wouldn’t eat until they killed him. Yet he declared a truth so powerful that it still shakes fear at its core: “If God is for us, who can be against us?” If the Almighty stands with you, everything else loses its power.

In New York Harbor sits a ship named The Intrepid. The word means “fearless”—one who stands without trembling. Though we don’t use the word often, its meaning speaks to the very battle we live every day. Because all of us deal with fear. Fear of danger. Fear of failure. Fear of rejection. Fear of losing what we love, our livelihood, our place in life. Some fears are dramatic—heights, spiders, closed spaces. Others are subtle, like constant low-level anxiety, a steady pressure pushing your heart down day after day.

Many people live not by purpose, but by fear: “I have to do this or something bad will happen… I must control this so nothing goes wrong…” And without realizing it, fear becomes the master of their decisions. Scripture tells us plainly: except for the fear of God, we were never created to live this way.

Fear drains joy. Anxiety crushes the spirit. Even the Hebrew words for fear reveal this:
“Ama” — fear that becomes an idol you end up serving.
“Deagah” — a heaviness that weighs the soul down.
Fear doesn’t just trouble you—it breaks you.

But God has called you to something entirely different. Zechariah prophesied that God’s people were created to serve Him without fear. The fruit of the Spirit—love, joy, peace—contain no fear, no anxiety, no dread.

Paul writes in 2 Timothy that God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind. Fear and soundness of mind cannot exist together. Modern psychology now affirms what Scripture declared 2,000 years ago.

So how do you overcome fear?

1. Thanksgiving destroys fear.

Studies show you can’t truly give thanks and feel fear at the same time. Real gratitude lifts the weight from your spirit. When you thank God—even while presenting your concerns—your focus shifts from the problem to the One who holds the answer.

Philippians 4 says:
“Be anxious for nothing… but in everything… with thanksgiving… let your requests be made known to God.”
And then the peace of God will guard your heart.

When you pray, don’t end with the problem. End with gratitude:
“Lord, thank You that You hear me, You care for me, and You will answer.”
Thanksgiving flips the entire atmosphere of the soul.

2. Perfect love casts out fear.

1 John says plainly: “There is no fear in love… perfect love drives out fear.”
When you know you are right with God—when your life is surrendered to His will—fear loses its grip. Anxiety thrives where uncertainty about God’s love exists. But when your heart rests in His grace, fear has nothing left to feed on.

3. Faith overcomes the world.

Whatever is born of God overcomes the world—and faith is the victory. Fear grows when you believe your problem is bigger than God. Faith grows when you shift your gaze from the problem to His goodness.

David didn’t ignore Goliath’s size—he simply measured him against God. Compared to David, the giant was enormous. Compared to God, he was nothing.

Every problem becomes tiny when measured against the Infinite.