Has fear ever thrown a little party in your head? Fear seems to be an innocent houseguest, but it always brings LOTS of friends, and within moments, your mental real estate is overrun with toxic transients. The first to arrive are worrisome thoughts, and they seem innocuous enough to be allowed to linger. But close behind are anxiety, control, paranoia, panic and more. When fear comes knocking, we must be ready because he slides in unaware, disguised as a necessary preventative. It appears wise to count the cost, and that’s true, but often we allow that stream of consciousness to flow farther than it should and suddenly a panoramic picture of what-ifs is scrolling through your mind. Eventually, we reckon that if it’s dangerous, then it should be avoided altogether, and fear steals our lives away one adventure at a time. We opt for the safe path, the one with no frills, no memories, no legacy, and in the end when we are old and gray, we understand the phrase “nothing ventured, nothing gained.” Fear is a liar, creating scenes that probably will never play out on life’s stage, and if they do, they will be far less dramatic. So when it floods our minds, how do we fight back? Well, in that fear is a spirit (II Timothy 1:7), we must counterattack spiritually, with the Sword of the Spirit from Ephesians 6. When a thought bubbles up to the surface, we replace fear’s lies with God’s Truth. If we suppress thoughts and emotions, they will erupt at some point, so I try to remember this— address instead of suppress. For every problem, God’s Word has an answer, so we must renew our mind to God’s Word so that satan’s tall tales don’t muddy the waters of our grey matter. It’s best to keep the door of our heart and head dead-bolted and trust none of fear’s compatriots.