Transcript
- God tells us not to be afraid BUT to trust Him--so fear and faith are opposites.
- "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go" (Josh 1:9).
- "Say to those who are fearful-hearted, 'Be strong, do not fear! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God; He will come and save you'" (Isaiah 35:4).
- "Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." (Isaiah 41:10).
- "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you" (Isaiah 43:1-2).
- "For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control." (2 Tim 1:7).
- "Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you" (Deut 31:6).
- "The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?" (Ps 27:1).
- "I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears." (Ps 34:4).
- Faith (and trust) work through love, and when we understand His love, we cannot also fear (or doubt):
- "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?" (Romans 8:31-32).
- "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love" (1 John 4:18).
- "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid" (John 14:27).
- "...but faith work(s) through love" (Gal 5:6).
- "...cast(ing) all your care upon Him, for He cares for you" (1 Peter 5:7).
- "And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him." (Heb 11:6).
- "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths" (Prov 3:5-6).
- If you REALLY believe that you have what you ask when you pray, there will be no fear... because you believe you already have it.
- "For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them" (Matt 11:23-24).
- "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (Heb 11:1).
- So you should be in rest, no matter what happens between when you ask and when you see it. Even if trials arise, you should still be in rest:
- "Count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work. that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways" (James 1:2-8).
- "There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His" (Heb 4:9-10).
- When Satan comes to try to steal from you, resist:
- "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you" (1 Peter 5:8-10).
- "Resist the devil and he will flee from you" (James 4:7).
- "Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and depart from evil. It will be health to your flesh and strength to your bones" (Prov 3:7-8).
- "Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore" (Eph 6:13-14).
- Lack of fear (and thus, faith) is evidence to Satan that you're going to win:
- "and not in any way terrified by your adversaries, which is to them a proof of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that from God" (Phil 1:28).
- "For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith." (1 John 5:4).
- If it's been a long time coming, do not give up:
- "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when the desire comes, it is a tree of life" (Prov 13:12).
- "Let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart" (Gal 6:9).
- But instead, keep your eyes on the Lord, and not on your problem:
- David did this, when he encouraged himself in the Lord after Ziklag and his men threatened to stone him: 1 Sam 30:1-8
- "Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” (Matt 11:28-30, Msg translation)
- "Be still and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10)
- "Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God" (Heb 12:1-2).