Overcoming Fear Through Surrendering to God's Love

Devotional

Day 1: Life on Earth is Brief—Eternity is What Matters

Our lives on earth are incredibly short compared to eternity, and yet we often find ourselves clinging tightly to the things of this world—our possessions, our time, our relationships—forgetting that all of it is fleeting. The Bible reminds us that our days are like a mist, appearing for a little while and then vanishing, and that even the greatest achievements and treasures under the sun are ultimately meaningless when viewed from the perspective of eternity. Let this truth encourage you to loosen your grip on temporary things and invest your heart in what lasts forever. [39:37]

James 4:14 (ESV)
"Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes."

Reflection: What is one thing you are holding onto tightly today that, in light of eternity, you could begin to release to God’s care?

Day 2: Where Your Treasure Is, There Your Heart Will Be Also

What we value most reveals where our hearts truly are. Jesus warns us not to store up treasures on earth, where they can be lost or destroyed, but to invest in heavenly treasures that cannot be taken away. When we fear losing what we have—whether it’s money, status, or even people—we can become controlled by that fear and miss out on the joy and freedom of trusting God with everything. Consider what you treasure most and ask God to help you align your heart with His priorities. [41:17]

Matthew 6:19-21 (ESV)
"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

Reflection: What is one earthly treasure you are tempted to prioritize over God, and how can you take a step today to treasure Him above all?

Day 3: Fix Your Eyes on the Unseen, Not the Seen

The things we see and experience in this life are temporary, but the unseen realities of God’s kingdom are eternal. When we focus on what is seen—our problems, our fears, our losses—we can become anxious and overwhelmed. But when we fix our eyes on what is unseen, trusting in God’s promises and eternal perspective, we find hope and courage to let go of our fears and live for what truly matters. [44:29]

2 Corinthians 4:18 (ESV)
"As we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal."

Reflection: What is one fear or worry you have today that you can choose to view from God’s eternal perspective instead of your own?

Day 4: Don’t Be Afraid to Give—God Will Provide

Fear of loss often keeps us from giving our time, resources, or even ourselves to God and others. Yet, God calls us to trust Him, just as the widow trusted Elijah and gave her last bit of food, only to see God provide abundantly. When we release what we’re holding onto and give generously, we open ourselves to God’s blessings and experience His faithfulness in ways we never could if we held back in fear. [52:13]

1 Kings 17:13-16 (ESV)
"And Elijah said to her, 'Do not fear; go and do as you have said. But first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterward make something for yourself and your son. For thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, "The jar of flour shall not be spent, and the jug of oil shall not be empty, until the day that the Lord sends rain upon the earth."' And she went and did as Elijah said. And she and he and her household ate for many days. The jar of flour was not spent, neither did the jug of oil become empty, according to the word of the Lord that he spoke by Elijah."

Reflection: What is one area—your time, your finances, or your talents—where fear has kept you from giving, and how can you trust God to provide as you step out in faith?

Day 5: Surrendering All to Jesus Breaks the Power of Fear

Jesus teaches that if we try to save our lives, we will lose them, but if we surrender our lives for His sake, we will truly find life. The antidote to the fear of loss is full surrender—placing our time, our money, our relationships, and even our very lives in God’s hands. When we do this, we discover that nothing surrendered to God is ever truly lost, and we are freed from the grip of fear to live boldly for Him. [59:19]

Mark 8:35 (ESV)
"For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it."

Reflection: What is one thing you are afraid to surrender to Jesus, and what would it look like to trust Him with it today?

Sermon Summary

Fear of loss is something that touches every one of us, whether it’s the anxiety of misplacing our keys, the dread of losing a job, or the deeper ache of losing relationships or loved ones. Yet, God’s perfect love is the answer to every fear that tries to take hold of our hearts. His love not only saves us but also drives out fear, inviting us to live with open hands and hearts, trusting Him with all that we value.

We often hold tightly to things—our time, our money, our relationships—because we’re afraid of what might happen if we let go. But Scripture reminds us that our lives on this earth are just a brief moment compared to eternity. The things we cling to so tightly are fleeting, and when we fix our eyes only on what is seen, we miss the eternal significance of what God wants to do in and through us. Jesus’ parables about lost things—the coin, the prodigal son—remind us that God’s heart is always for restoration, not for us to live in fear of losing what we have.

Our values are revealed by what we fear losing most. Sometimes, we’re so afraid of missing out or losing control that we miss the opportunities God places before us. Whether it’s our time, our finances, or even our relationships, God calls us to trust Him enough to let go. When we do, we find that He is faithful to provide, to bless, and to use us in ways we never imagined. The story of Elijah and the widow is a powerful example: when she let go of her last bit of flour and oil in obedience, God multiplied her resources and met her needs.

Ultimately, the only way to overcome the fear of loss is to surrender everything to God. Jesus said that whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for His sake will find it. When we give our time, our money, and our relationships to God, we place them in the safest hands possible. Nothing surrendered to Him is ever truly lost. Instead, we gain freedom, peace, and the joy of seeing God work in our lives and the lives of those around us. Let’s be people who live with open hands, trusting God with all we have, and refusing to let fear dictate our choices.

Key Takeaways

1. God’s Love Drives Out Fear The foundation for overcoming fear is not our own strength, but the perfect love of God. When we truly grasp that God’s love is for us and that He desires our good, fear loses its grip. His love is not just a comfort; it is a force that actively pushes out fear and invites us to live boldly and freely. [16:56]
2. What We Fear Losing Reveals Our Values The things we are most afraid to lose—whether time, money, or relationships—shine a light on what we treasure most. This is a spiritual diagnostic: our fears can show us where our hearts are fixed and what we might be holding above God. Recognizing this gives us the opportunity to realign our priorities with God’s eternal perspective. [33:01]
3. Life Is Short, Eternity Is Long Our earthly lives are but a “hand breadth,” a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. When we live as if this brief life is all there is, we become anxious and controlling. But when we remember that eternity stretches far beyond our present moment, we are freed to invest in what truly matters and to hold loosely to temporary things. [38:07]
4. Surrender Unlocks God’s Provision The story of Elijah and the widow teaches that when we let go of what we’re afraid to lose and offer it to God, He is able to multiply and bless it beyond our imagination. Surrender is not loss, but the gateway to experiencing God’s faithfulness and provision. Every act of trust becomes a testimony of God’s sufficiency. [52:13]
5. Nothing Surrendered to God Is Ever Truly Lost Jesus’ call to lose our lives for His sake is not a call to deprivation, but to ultimate security and fulfillment. When we entrust our time, resources, and relationships to Him, we find that He gives back abundantly—sometimes in ways we never expected. The enemy cannot steal what we have already placed in God’s hands.

** [59:19]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[16:56] - God’s Perfect Love and Prayer
[20:43] - Children’s Ministry and Community Growth
[22:01] - Janie Chapman Offering and Missions
[24:09] - Faith and Blue: Supporting First Responders
[28:28] - Introducing the Fear of Loss
[30:43] - Personal Stories of Loss and Change
[33:01] - Parables and the Fear of Losing What Matters
[37:03] - The Rope Illustration: Life and Eternity
[39:37] - The Fleeting Nature of Life
[41:17] - Where Your Treasure Is
[44:29] - What Our Fears Reveal
[45:56] - The Value of Time and Money
[51:00] - Elijah and the Widow: Surrender and Provision
[54:34] - The Fear of Losing People
[59:19] - The One Solution: Surrender to God
[65:27] - Welcoming New Members and Closing Prayer

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

1 John 4:18 (ESV) — > There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.

2. Matthew 6:19-21 (ESV)
> “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

3. Mark 8:35 (ESV)
> For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it.

Observation Questions

According to 1 John 4:18, what is the relationship between love and fear? How does God’s love affect our fears?
In Matthew 6:19-21, what does Jesus say about where we store our treasures, and how does that connect to our hearts?
In the story of Elijah and the widow (referenced in the sermon), what did the widow have to let go of, and what was the result? [[52:13]]
The sermon used the illustration of a rope to show the difference between our short life on earth and eternity. What point was the pastor making with this illustration? [[37:03]]

Interpretation Questions

The sermon says, “God’s perfect love drives out every fear that is in our life.” What does it mean for God’s love to “drive out” fear, and how is this different from just feeling comforted? [[16:56]]
The things we fear losing most reveal what we value most. Why do you think our fears are such a good indicator of our true priorities? [[33:01]]
The widow in 1 Kings had to surrender her last bit of food. What does her willingness to give up what she had teach us about trusting God with our resources? [[52:13]]
Jesus says that whoever loses their life for His sake will find it (Mark 8:35). What does it look like in real life to “lose” your life for Jesus? [[59:19]]

Application Questions

The pastor said, “We often hold tightly to things—our time, our money, our relationships—because we’re afraid of what might happen if we let go.” What is one thing in your life you tend to hold onto tightly out of fear? What would it look like to trust God with it this week? [[35:05]]
Think about your calendar and your bank account. What do they reveal about what you value most? Is there an area where you feel God is asking you to loosen your grip and trust Him more? [[45:26]]
The rope illustration showed how short our life is compared to eternity. How does remembering the “big picture” of eternity help you deal with the fear of losing things in this life? [[37:03]]
The story of Elijah and the widow shows that surrender unlocks God’s provision. Can you share a time when you let go of something and saw God provide in a way you didn’t expect? If not, is there something you sense God is asking you to surrender now? [[52:13]]
The sermon said, “Nothing surrendered to God is ever truly lost.” Is there something you’re afraid to surrender to God because you worry it will be gone forever? What would it take for you to trust Him with it? [[59:19]]
When it comes to relationships, are you holding onto someone so tightly that it’s hard to trust God with their future—or your own? How can you begin to “live with open hands” in this area? [[54:34]]
The pastor encouraged us to “refuse to let fear dictate our choices.” Is there a decision you’re facing where fear is playing a big role? What would it look like to let God’s love, not fear, guide your next step? [[16:56]]

Sermon Clips

We can misplace a lot of stuff. And we can have a fear, though, of losing things, actually. And sometimes it's a little bit more personal, right? We don't want to lose a job. We maybe fear financially, we're in a difficult spot. We don't want to lose the house. Right. We want to be able to pay all the bills. You, as a student Sometimes you don't want to lose the big game. As a kid, that's important to you and it can weigh heavy on you. Those kinds of losses can be real. And on a more, I guess, closer, heavier note, sometimes we don't want to lose friends. We don't want to lose those people we're closest to. [00:30:37] (51 seconds) #FearOfLosingWhatMatters

This fear of loss sometimes precedes everything that we do in life. And for some of us it's a little bit harder. It could even honestly be afraid of losing someone to death. And that happens sometimes. We lose someone that we're close to and the thought of losing someone else now is built into, into us. We have this anticipation, we have this fear, we have this thing that's going on. And so loss can be real, it can happen. And I think it reveals something about us, the fear of loss before and even in the midst of the loss, that fear can show us a little bit about who we are. [00:31:54] (44 seconds) #LossRevealsOurTrueSelf

I don't want to make light of anybody's fears today. I don't want to give a simple solution because some of you really struggle with this. And I get that you've visited with counselors and there's all kinds of things that you're trying to work through. And I'm praying for you. I hope that I can be of some kind of a help to you. I hope that what I'm talking about today will hopefully help you a little bit. But what I'm talking about more is today, those of us that we hold on to some things just too tight because we're afraid of what we might lose that we've gained. [00:35:03] (36 seconds) #HoldingOnTooTight

This rope is pretty long. This part that's in red, this is your life on this earth, okay? This one little part of this whole entire thing, this is your life on this earth. This very part here on my left is the beginning. And this end part, where the red ends is when you pass away. For some of us, that red part could be very short lived. We know people that have passed away as kids or teenagers or young adults, and that doesn't represent very well. But for the rest of us, for some of us in typical life, age, I don't know, 85, 90, now that represents all of that time here on this earth. [00:37:25] (54 seconds) #EternityBeyondEarth

And the rest of this from here all the way, and we could extend it, we could wrap it around the building a few times, we could send it down the street to Jeff's house. We could take it all the way to Fort Mill, we could take it to New York, we could take it across the world. And it's never going to fully ever end. What eternity looks like for you and I. And that's why they call it eternity Right. It's never ending. And yet this small part, these things that we hold onto that happen here is what I want to talk about today and what we're doing with that. [00:38:50] (39 seconds) #MeaninglessChasing

Don't be afraid. Don't be afraid to give to God and to allow him to use the things I hate for you to miss out on opportunity. Every person that I've talked to that has made a sacrifice for God in some way has always come back and said, I can't tell you how blessed I am that I got to experience that. I'm stronger in my faith for It. I'm not afraid of the future. I'm not afraid of what God wants to do in my life. There's not a single thing that I'm holding on tight to now because I was willing to trust God with it. [00:53:30] (42 seconds) #PrioritizeGodAboveAll

So what do you value over God? One of the things that I haven't mentioned that kind of held off to the end is maybe it's not money and maybe it's not time, but maybe it's a person. Maybe there's people that you're afraid of losing. It could be family, but it could be friends. It could be those things that we hold tight to. [00:54:16] (23 seconds) #OvercomingFearThroughFaith

Who are you afraid of losing so much that you're holding on so tight and you're not allowing them to be just in God's hands and to trust their future and your future and your time together allow him to do that. Sometimes when we hold them too tight, we end up putting them above God even. And I would warn us not to do that. [00:56:14] (28 seconds) #FreedomFromPastLoss

The last thing I wanted to mention to you is that Jesus even took that step to make sure that you wouldn't be lost. He went, he died on the cross for you. And it says, like a shepherd, even if there's one that's not found, he goes after them. And so today, maybe that's what's going through your mind, is I haven't given my life to Christ, and he's calling you and he's saying, I found you and I brought you here today because you needed to hear this message and I'm here for you and I paid the price for you, and you're no longer lost. And so what do you do? You just come back and you bring and give your life straight back to him. There's no more fear for the future, no more fear for the things that are in front of you. [01:01:06] (53 seconds)

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