How to Walk by Faith, Not Fear: You’re Not Alone – Life Is a Journey, part 20
Feel alone? This message is an encouraging reminder that you’re not alone. God is fighting for you! Do you believe his promises? Do you actively walk by faith, not fear? Learn how today.
Through this series, you’ll learn how to live well & enjoy God's promises. You are loved by God; He knows your name. He has a plan for your life. Get helpful advice, encouragement, and hope for a life well lived in 2021 and beyond.
Are you walking in faith and victory? Set your eyes on the promises of God. You only have one life journey; say yes to Jesus. Like the parables of the buried treasure and the valuable pearl, stop at nothing to gain your entry into the kingdom of heaven.
No need to fear today with God in your corner.
YOU’RE NOT ALONE
When troubles come and you can’t see a light at the end of the tunnel, don’t be afraid. You are not alone when you know Jesus as your Lord and savior. If worry and anxiety has gripped your heart and you have no sense of peace, don’t fear, remember you are not alone, Jesus sent the Holy Spirit, the comforter, and he is with you.
“You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. 10 But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. 11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you” (Romans 8:9-11, NIV).
Healthy vs unhealthy fear
We have learned that there is a healthy fear and an unhealthy fear and that it is good to have a healthy fear. A healthy fear is having a reverence and respect for God Almighty, and it brings spiritual blessings of the Lord.
Unhealthy fear can rob you of the peace of God if you allow it. Unhealthy fear can steal your joy. Unhealthy fear can keep you from being all you can be if you refuse to put those unhealthy fears in the hands of God.
At the end of Matthew’s gospel, we read of the great commission. It is a word Jesus told to the disciples and it is a word for each of us today. Matthew writes “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:16).
The words, “I am with you always” must have been reassuring to Jesus’ disciples. Let those words echo in your heart and spirit. Let them be reassuring to you in a time of trial.
In other words, know you are not alone and you have no reason to be afraid.
Be encouraged, God is with you
Along life’s journey we will each encounter times of ups and downs. We will endure physical and spiritual trials along life’s journey here on earth, but I want to emphases to you that the person who has faith in Christ, you as a child of God, have no need to fear or be afraid, for Christ is in you, the hope of glory.
Never lose sight that Christ is in you and know that God loves you and you are not alone.
Know that the testing of your faith is not to harm you, but rather to develop you to be the person of God he desires you to become. Endure and persevere in faith and hope in Christ during trials. Know his love and hold on to the promises of God that are yours, in Christ. Sure, we may stumble at times, none of us are perfect, but as we choose to seek the Lord with all our hearts, as we pray and persevere in faith, we will see victory and have no need to fear.
Last week we talked briefly about the twelve spies and the promised land from Numbers 13 & 14. The bad report and lack of faith in God that the 10 spies displayed influenced others to embrace unhealthy fear rather than faith. And an entire generation of Israelites died in the desert.
Faith has no place for unhealthy fears.
Joshua and Caleb were the two spies who believed they should enter the land and were rewarded for their faith. They were able to enter the promised land and witnessed the victory God promised them years earlier. And then God promised to be with them.
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9).
Those words of “for the Lord your God will be with you” must have been reassuring to Joshua and the people of God. I believe every Christian should take those words to heart.
Do not be terrified, do not be discouraged.
Do not worry or have unhealthy fears.
Do not turn back or retreat. Stand firm in the Lord all your days.
Trust the Lord and acknowledge Christ and you will see spiritual victory.
The people of God were about to face an enemy on the enemy’s own turf. The enemy had home court advantage. The people of God were not warriors like those who possessed the land, but the people of God had God on their side. God was going to fight the battles. The Israelites believed God.
Do you believe the promises of God?
When you believe and trust God and allow God to fight your battles for you, you are on the winning side, and you will experience victory.
Remember, God already:
Parted the Red Sea.
Provided water and meat in the desert.
Kept their shoes form wearing out.
Gave victories to the Israelites.
Showed that he was faithful.
Joshua believed the promise of God, both for that day and the future. Why? Because Joshua believed God and in the promise of God.
What about you? Do you believe the promises of God? What has God done in your life? Consider his blessing, recall his faithfulness.
Do you believe Jesus’ words “I will never leave or forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5)?
Can you, like David, say: My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken (Psalm 62:1-2).
How about: I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have preserved my life. Save me, for I am yours; I have sought out your precepts (Psalm 119:93-94).
Can you say with confidence that you believe or that you will never forget? Or what Jesus promised about being with us:
“And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).
As you read through scripture you will find that God has always kept his word. He kept his promise of a savior back in Genesis and throughout the scriptures. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. His love is everlasting. His promises are sure, and he has never gone back on his word. So, you can be sure that what he says of being with you always to the very end of the age is true.
God fights for you
Jesus died but he also rose again on the third day. Jesus, after he had risen from the dead, was seen by many. Jesus was later taken up into heaven and he is alive and well. Jesus is with you, right now, where you are and he is interceding for you.
One more point, Jesus told his disciples:
“A time is coming and in fact has come when you will be scattered, each to your own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me. 33 I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:32-33).
But soon Jesus would be arrested. Shortly after that, many of Jesus’ disciples and followers would scatter and return home. Some of the disciples returned to their previous profession of fishing.
The disciples may have walked away and left Jesus alone, but God the Father didn’t, and Jesus reassures his disciples that he would not leave them alone. In fact, when everything appeared to be lost, and Jesus was placed in the tomb the disciples must have had a sense of loss, fear, disappointment, maybe even doubt. It seems that they did not remember the words of Jesus until after Jesus arose from the grave and appeared to them. Only then, the words “I have overcome the world” and “I will never leave you comfortless” and “I am with you always, do not fear or be afraid” became real. From this point on the disciples’ faith in Christ displaced any doubt or fear in their hearts.
Be encouraged like the disciples who all rejoiced and were renewed in faith when they saw the risen savior.
Jesus helps you walk by faith
What about you? Be spiritually encouraged. Allow your faith to be renewed today. He is risen. Jesus is alive. Jesus is victorious.
The promise Jesus spoke to his disciples is to you as well: “So that in Christ you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
The word trouble refers to affliction, tribulation, distress. It is a feeling that many of us have experienced and may feel again. It is a feeling you may get when the difficulties of life appear overwhelming, and fear begins to arise in your heart. But take heart, Jesus has overcome the world. You have no need to fear; no need to be afraid or discouraged. Jesus is alive. He has overcome. is risen! Rejoice and be glad that the enemy is, and will forever be, defeated. No matter how bad things may appear; no matter how impossible things may look in the natural; no matter the trial, lift your head up. Lift your eyes to the horizon. Let your hearts be glad.
God’s got this. He can defeat whatever giants may appear. You are not alone.
In 2 Kings you will find that the prophet Elisha’s servant awoke and saw that an army had surrounded them. he became fearful. He did not see in his spirit what Elisha knew in his heart. Elisha’s response was: “Don't be afraid…Those who are with us are more than those who are with them” (2 Kings 6:16).
Remember, you are not alone. Pray and ask the Lord to open your spiritual eyes. Ask the Lord to increase your faith and know that Jesus has overcome and is with you to the very end of the ages.
It is my hope and prayer that your spiritual eyes and hearts will be opened so that you will see and know beyond any shadow of doubt that Jesus is with you.
I understand fear and anxiety exist. I realize troubles will arise at times and some things may appear hopeless but do not allow unhealthy fears to rule your heart. Recognize those unhealthy fears and give them to God. Refuse to worry about tomorrow. Allow the peace of God rule in your hearts. Let faith in Christ arise.
Fear not.
Your sins are forgiven. Your debt was paid in full at the cross. You became a child of God when you placed your faith in Christ. Choose today to walk by faith and not by sight.
Refuse to allow fear to rule in your heart and know beyond a doubt that you are not alone when you are in Christ.
Suggested Praise and Worship
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