Fear tends to be the greatest influence on most of our lives for some of you um there's just this
low-grade worry that you've lived with for a long time for some of you um there there's it's like
around a specific fear like you you're afraid of of being alone like you you're finding love and
and ending life alone some of you are afraid of never being as successful as you would hope um
some of you fear is always around financial things others it's always around physical health
here's the reality um you're going to experience fear in life that's just part of living the
question I want to kind of pose to you today is what is your fear costing you I personally
feel like that life's toughest questions have to be brought to scripture for answers
and um and if you were to take the whole breath of scripture and you may be surprised to learn
that what God's number one command is to us his most repeated command to us is found in two words
fear not more than anything else God says to humanity is fear not I mean why is God so focused
on this um and immediately I think some of us go well he he cares about our emotional state
and he does but I don't think that's the reason he's saying that and the reason I don't think
that God's total goal is to make sure you never kind of have a heart race is because most of the
time in scripture when he says fear not he then tells someone to do something that's very scary
but like David fear not now face a giant you know Peter fear not now walk on water
I believe that God says do not fear more than any other phrase to humanity because
more than any other factor fear diverts us from God's directives for our lives
what does fear cost you your God-given destiny and that's the reason he says do not fear
you know the command the command to fear not is one of the most oft-repeated commands in scripture
somebody said there are 365 times the bible says fear not 365 times one for each day of
the year how many times do you think God has to tell us something before we ought to listen to
it the most common command in all of scripture is just two words fear not fear not don't be afraid
be strong and courageous you can trust me that's what God says over and over again why out of all
the commands and all of the instruction human beings need in life why is the injunction to not fear
number one because generally God asks people to take some adventure some step they don't want to
take he calls people to acts of extraordinary obedience to risky faith and generally it all
comes down to this will they go with their fear or will they go with their faith God says trust
me and he does it so often because the number one factor keeping people from a life of adventure
is fear it's just plain old fear so fear has a high price tag so in scripture there are two kind
of mindsets laid out as possibilities for you and for me and for the human race one mindset
is based on faith the other is based on fear the faith-based mental attitude is I can trust God's
goodness and power to be sufficient in my life and live with a sense of relaxed confidence in
him that's a mindset of faith or I can live with a mindset of fear I'm on my own unless I'm real
careful and real cautious something real bad will happen to me and I might not be able to handle it
again and again in the bible two different sets of people face the same situation and respond
in two different ways for example Moses sent 12 spies to explore the promised land ten came back
and said we be not able yeah the land is great but the enemies that live there are so powerful
we could never defeat them we should go back but two of the same spies Joshua and Caleb look at the
same land the same enemies and say we should go up at once for we are well able to possess the land
with God's help two guys two groups same thing two different responses or a young shepherd
boy named David brought food to his brothers who were serving in the Israeli army he sees what his
brothers see giant Goliath taunting and tormenting the Israeli army mocking God day after day
and all the soldiers of the Israeli army see him but they won't take him on David sees the same guy
goes after him with a slingshot same enemy same place same time two different responses what's
the difference well it's not the circumstance it's your mindset because if you live in fear
you're never going to realize the potential that God's put in you growth always involves risk
and risk always involves fear living with a mindset of fear will lead to a mountain of regret
at the end of your life for all the risks you never took all the challenges you never embraced
all the times God said to you come on trust me and for those who shrink back in fear and say
no to the call of God they end up sitting in a chair in a waiting room with a mountain of regret
and what's sad at the end of your life that thought's going to come to you what might
have been what might have been if I had trusted God but you're never going to know
you're never going to know that he's trustworthy because you didn't confront the fear why would
God provide the answer before you step out to do the right thing it doesn't take any faith
so why would anybody stay in a job killing them why would anybody that has no passion for the job
they're just punching the clock and treading water and I'll tell you the answer is simple fear
their fear they won't get another job fear of failure and maybe some of you right now what if
you try to do something and it doesn't work out well what if you don't make enough money what if
people see you make a switch at this point in your life and they think you're foolish
well here's what you'll do you'll wait until you can get an iron-clad guarantee that everything's
going to work out the way you want it to you will never get this iron-clad guarantee
that's why faith has risk to it what makes you afraid what are you afraid of see some of you
are are doing a job you hate because you don't have the courage to go find the job you'd love
because fear is actually holding you back because you feel inadequate to actually receive the career
you long for you know one of the huge lies in my own life was that I didn't deserve that
right you know why would you get that have you ever had a dream or an ambition a longing in your
life but there's a little voice inside they're just telling you why you why should you have that
why why should you have someone who loves you unconditionally why should you have a career
that's so fulfilling that it actually becomes an expression of your passions
why should you have that that accomplishment that that everyone else thinks you're incapable
of but you just keep knowing inside of you that this is something you should try see everything
inside of you that God has placed in you is going to send you right into the ocean of fear
see I think sometimes when we're followers of Jesus we go what's God's will for my life
and we think that God's will will move us around fear right wouldn't that be great
wouldn't it be great you go oh I know what I'm supposed to do because there's no fear there
see here here's one way I can help you all right a lot of people what do I do I don't
know what God's will for my life is if it doesn't make you afraid it's not your calling
the space between you and the life God imagines for you
the space between you and the life God wants you to live the space when you and the life
God created you to live the space between you and the life you long for is filled with fear
and that if you live your life navigating away from your fear you will never get to the place you
you long for you will never get to the life you imagine you'll never get to the life you hope for
because no matter what you dream of I don't even need to know your dream see if you have
a dream of a different life if you have a dream of a different you if you have a dream of a different
future I know that what fills the space between you and that dream is fear and you have to figure
out how not to go around that fear you have to figure out how to navigate through that fear
it's not the fear of failure it's not the fear of death it's not the fear of of getting sick
it's not the fear of losing the job it's not the fear of losing the relationships the fear
that you're not enough and the reason you're limited for living the life God created you is
is not because there's any real limitation holding you back but it's these self-imposed narratives
that you've allowed fear to write inside of your soul the fear that is currently in front of you
is not actually about the thing in front of you there's a bigger something going on in your life
but like there's something bigger at play here there's a battle for who's going to have the most
influential voice in your life though it looks like it's about your job or your kids there's
really something bigger at play here and and it's it's a war over who's going to have the influence
when it comes to your life and and listen this is so clear because when you read scripture what
you're going to find is most of it could be labeled promises from God I mean promises for
abundant life promises for peace promises for joy most of the scriptures are God's promises to you
most of your fears are the enemy's promises to you he's promising you that you're you're not going
to make it that your family's not going to make it that you're not you don't have what it takes
the enemy fear is nothing more than the enemy promising you it's what he uses to this to to
deceive you into taking the steps he wants you to take versus the ones God's calling you to take and
and that's the reason every time God says forgive fear says but you'll be letting them off the hook
every time God says open up fear says but you'll be rejected every time God says hey
now is this time to step in faith fear says you don't have what it takes to take that step
you see there's a big there's a bigger battle at play for the influence of your life which
means the greatest decision you make daily is whose voice will have influence over your life
it's fear and its faith your father it's fear and your father it's fear and your father
and fear says you can't jump because he's not trustworthy
he can't he can't put this marriage back together he he can't heal heal your body he can't
he can't do the things you need him to do you need to fight this battle alone is what fear says and
if you choose to follow what fear says what you're going to find is you never experience the joy of
the adventure God has set for you and you do not get to know the arms of your heavenly father more
let me just say what I found fear is proof God's got something better
fear is proof that God's about to open a fresh season that he's about to do
something new that he's about to unfold a new part of his plan for your life so jump
I really believe you can make the right choice and trust the right voice
and you would be astounded at what God wants to do in your life see no matter what your circumstances
fear is whispering God can't do it God can't can't heal God can't you know uh redeem that God can't
make better that God can't put back and that his limitations are why you can't trust him
now I'm not going to act like the world's not a crazy place there are some real scary things going
on in our world I mean very scary but there is yet to be something that is more powerful than the God
you serve and you have to remember that I don't know what you're facing but here's what I know
nothing in time or space or nature or sin or lack or in leader or in death or in disease
is more powerful than your God and that's the reason Romans says that what shall we say of
these things these scary things if God be for us who can be against us how can fear have a place
if God are all powerful God is for us God is more powerful than any enemy will ever face he's more
powerful than any enemy will ever face when we look at what the bible teaches us about God
we see that he's not just a better version of us he is completely different than us
we sometimes exercise wisdom he is all wise we have some degree of knowledge he is all-knowing
we try to manage a lot of different things at the same time often not very well
he's everywhere present we might be strong in body compared to someone else he is all-powerful
sometimes we get convinced that the enemy or the danger we're facing
is bigger than God is or bigger than he can handle John wrote greater is he who's in you than he
who's in the world when we're fearful we need to remember that God is greater and more powerful
than any enemy will ever face we also need to remember that God is with us God is with us
to you and me God says don't be afraid for I am with you don't be discouraged for I am your God I
will strengthen you and help you I will hold you up with my victorious right hand two things to
remember when fear keeps us up at night number one God is more powerful than any enemy will ever face
and number two this all-powerful God promises to be with us no matter what you're going through
no power on earth can separate you from the loving care and protection of your father
nothing not loss not failure not rejection not cancer not loneliness not sickness not even
death itself there's nothing that has the power to separate you and I from the love and care of our
heavenly father in this world and in the world to come I'm with you God says and the ultimate fear
of people is I can't handle it something bad is going to happen to me I won't be able to handle it
but the ultimate promise of God is there's nothing you and I cannot handle together I will always
give you grace for that moment or that issue and if you get a hold of that it changes your life
and so God says fear not fear not the past it's forgiven fear not the future I'm already there
fear not sickness and disease I'm still the great physician fear not loneliness I'm a friend that
sticks closer than a brother fear not death I have defeated death hell and the grave fear not a
business failure I am the Lord God that gives you power to get wealth I will supply all your need
according to my riches in glory I will plant you by rivers of living water your leaf won't wither
and whatever you do will prosper don't worry folks the cost of fear is too high a price to pay and
I hope you'll make this decision this morning to say whatever I need to do whatever things I need
to learn whatever I need to put into practice I will never live in fear any longer in my life