30
Dec '24
In the New Year Without Fear
30
Dec '24
Introduction: Are you afraid? Fearful? Why? If the enemy has his way, many will go into the New Year with FEAR. Look at those who could have been afraid but overcame their fears. God will give us faith in His Word and His will to go into the New Year without fear.
1. Joshua could have been fearful! (Joshua 1:9) – “Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.”
Think about it. You are leading a nation of about two million people who had been wandering in the wilderness for forty years. Imagine the complaints! Naysayers! Doubters! Skeptics! What a daunting task. Yet, God knew that Joshua would need to fight his fear. Stepping into the overflowing Jordan River without a bridge required great faith. Shouting down the walls of Jericho without firing a shot, after marching around it for seven days, seemed ridiculous—until the walls fell flat!
2. Esther could have been fearful! (Esther 4:16) – “Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish.”
Esther could have taken the easy route and looked after herself. But she trusted the Lord no matter what. God honored her faith.
3. The three Hebrew boys! (Daniel 3:16-18) – “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.”
They could have easily taken a knee to please the king. But contrary to their fears, as well as their rational thinking, they overcame their fear with faith in God.
4. Peter could have shrunk back with fear! (Acts 12:1-3) – “Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church. And he killed James, the brother of John, with the sword. And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also.”
Remember, Peter had witnessed Jesus Christ being arrested and beaten until He was ultimately nailed to a cross.
5. Paul could have been defeated with fear! (2 Timothy 1:7) – “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”
Look who is saying this: a man who had been stoned and left for dead, beaten numerous times with rods, jailed, shipwrecked, bitten by a poisonous snake, and eventually beheaded.
Conclusion: Over and over again, Jesus told His disciples not to be afraid. Can you hear His words? In the storms of life, He told His disciples, “fear not” (Mark 4, Matthew 8, 14, Luke 8, etc.).
You can start off on the right foot by fighting your fear and feeding your faith as you go into the New Year. How about it? Why not go into the New Year without fear?
Love y’all,
Pastor Randy Reese