The focus of this article is to teach you how to uproot fear from your life. It is vital that you know how to do this, because all of us have deep-rooted fears that need to be dug out in order to walk in victory and receive God's blessings.

Just as importantly, we need to know how to stay free from fear and how to keep new fears from developing in our hearts, minds, and spirits.

The following keys will help you do just that.

Key Number One: Live Right
Living right does not change God; it changes you. When you are walking in God's righteousness, doing what you are supposed to do, talking as you are supposed to talk, and acting as you are supposed to act, you have confidence and boldness.

"Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then we have confidence toward God" (1 John 3:21).

A man or woman who is living right does not have to fear. When you have confidence before God, it is much easier to stay in faith. As we have seen, faith is the only way to function in the law of life in Christ Jesus.

Key Number Two: Speak the Word
When doubt or fear come knocking at your door, it is vital that you avoid speaking the devil's words. We have seen how dangerous that can be. But simply keeping your mouth closed is not enough. You must generate faith by speaking God's words instead, regardless of the way circumstances look around you.

When the rumor going around the place where you work is that people are going to be laid off, do not join the crowd in wringing your hands and crying, "Oh, Lord, what are we going to do?"

Make it your first impulse to jump up and say, "I'll not lose my job, praise God! I'm a tither and a giver, therefore, I'm blessed going in and blessed going out. Everything I put my hand to prospers."

When the newscasts say that children are being shot, abused, and abducted at an alarming rate, make your confession this: "All my children shall be taught of the Lord and great shall be the peace of my children. No weapon formed against them shall prosper!"

You Must Be Consistent
Do not do these things one time and then forget it. Confess what God's word says about your situation over and over again. Do it when you wake up. Do it while you are driving. Confess it to your spouse and friends.

Why is this so important? It is important because, as we have seen, faith comes by hearing the Word of God. Nothing has more impact on your spirit than to hear with your own ears your own voice proclaiming God's Word.

When you are speaking God's promises, the traffic in your mind has to be quiet. The devil has to hush. Your own soul has to hush. The speaking of the Word takes priority.

I remember an occasion before my father had given his life to Christ. I had been praying for him and witnessing to him for some time. One day, I got a phone call.

The voice on the other end of the line said, "Your father has been rushed to the hospital. He has had a heart attack."

Immediately a wave of panic tried to roll over me. I felt fear begin to try to wrap itself around my spirit. A voice inside my head said, "Your father is going to die without Jesus and go to hell."

Then, realizing what was happening, I got a grip on my emotions and said, "No! It is not his time to go yet. I have prayed and claimed my father for Jesus Christ. I have promises in God's Word that say I can have what I say when I ask in faith. I will settle down right now and stand on God's eternal Word. In the name of Jesus, my father will not die. He will recover."

Fear left as suddenly as it had come. I want to the hospital, walked into my father's room, and calmly said hello to him.

He said, "How are you?"

I said, "Fine."

Finally, after a long silence, Dad said, "I've decided to get saved."

In a crisis situation, it is vital that you recognize instantly that fear is your worst enemy and begin to quote the Word of God.

Key Number Three: Stay in the Light of the Presence of God
Fear will cause you to try to hide yourself from the light of God. Remember Adam's response after he disobeyed God?

And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden. And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.
(Gen. 3:8-10)

When you sin, your natural, fleshly reaction is to get into fear and shun the presence of the Lord. The devil will begin to "beat up" on you about how unworthy you are to talk to the Lord or to worship in His house. He will tell you that God is mad at you. The next thing you know, like Adam and Eve, you are hiding out from God in fear, and the devil is having a field day in your life.

Do not fall into that trap. When you miss it - repent! First John 1:9 says it this way: "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

When you make a mistake, move right into the light of God's presence and get it set right. Do not let fear and condemnation make things much, much worse.

As you have discovered from reading this far, a fully developed, oppressive spirit of fear does not appear in you overnight. Usually, it grows over time like a parasitic vine that slowly chokes the life out of a formerly healthy plant.

For a root of fear to begin to grow in you, it must have soil. That soil is your mind.

What are the seeds of fear? They are thoughts. Fearful thoughts enter your mind and, given the right conditions, take root, spread, and grow.

Source: Uprooting the Spirit of Fear by Creflo Dollar
Excerpt permission granted by Harrison House Publishers