Life Ministries

Life Preservers 1 – “In Times of Fear”
Joshua 1:1-9 and Psalm 100

    Today I am going to start a new series focusing on the promises of God which I call “Life Preservers”. When the boat starts to rock; when our faith begins to waver; God’s promises are like a life preserver we can grab on to that will help keep us afloat spiritually, emotionally, even physically. A life preserver is something that gives us a sense of security in times of fear.

    The scriptures contain 8,810 promises from God. I don’t think there is a life situation for which God has not supplied specific and practical promises that give us mercy, grace, faith, and hope in our time of need. The worst thing is that – like the Israelites – we tend to forget that God remembers His promises.
    The words “I promise” can be empty words in our world today. 1 Kings 8:56 says “Praise be to the Lord, who has given rest to His people Israel just as he has promised. Not one word has failed of all the good prom ises he has given!” We have a Heavenly Father who cares about us; who is always true to His Word; and who has sacrificed more than anyone on our behalf. When He makes a promise that is meant for you and me, we can count on it; we can stand on it; we can grab hold of it like a life preserver in times of fear!
    Do you know that we are born with only two fears? We have a natural fear of falling, and a fear of loud noises. All other fears are learned or acquired in various ways as we grow and experience life. As we approach adulthood, our fears become more sophisticated, and we call them “phobias”. If they are not conquered, our fears can control or even enslave some people. They can hinder relationships, and prevent us from living life to the full. Some fears are warranted of course, but many are not. Many people go through life with the constant fear of “what if” or a fear of the future – which no one knows anyway, and it literally paralyzes their life.
    There are two different kinds of fear; one is good like the fear of God, which is a reverent and honorable fear. There is also a self-preserving fear that God built into us that gives us the good sense not to play in the street or go near the edge of a cliff! These are good, and we teach them to our children. But, I am talking about the other kind of fear – fear of the unknown.
    Satan is a master at using our fears; it is one of his primary weapons. He will use our fears to cause us to be ineffective and unproductive as Christians. As it concerns our testimony of Christ, he will plant thoughts in our minds like; “What will they think? What if they laugh? What if they reject me? What if they ask something and I mess up? Will I lose my friends?” It is better to not say anything and keep my faith secret than risk failure!
    Listen, you have already failed many times in your life; you fell down the first several times you tried to walk …you may not remember it, but you got up time and time again, and eventually you learned succeeded and you overcame your fear. You may have fallen the first time you rode a bike, but you got up and tried again. You probably didn’t hit the ball the first time you swung a bat, so you see, the only time you fail is when you stop trying. That’s what Satan does. He convinces you to “give up” or “don’t even try!” Satan will use past failures as well as a fear of the future to scare us to death!
    In times of fear we need to grab hold of life preservers like; “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you!” Or, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness!” Or, “Never will I leave you nor forsake you!” Quite often, conquering fear is not a matter of self-determination, it is a matter of dependence upon God, and believing His promises.
    Fear imprisons; Faith liberates. Fear paralyzes; Faith empowers. Fear disheartens; Faith encourages. Fear makes us sicker; Faith heals. Fear makes us ineffective; Faith rejoices in God, who can do what He says he can do!
    Psalm 27:1 says “The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life, of whom shall I be afraid?”
    There is a good story in 1 Samuel 17 that concerns a boy named David. There was Goliath, nine feet tall, shouting at the Israelite army…Saul, the King, and all his army it says were “terrified”! Along comes David and says “Why do you fear this uncircumcised Philistine? I will go and fight him!” Was David’s courage in his size or his abilities as a warrior? No, it says “The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the bear will also deliver me from this fool!” In verse 45 David says to Goliath – “You come against me with sword and spear, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defiled!”…”And, all those who are gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lords!”
    Saul tried to convince David that he needed armor and a sword, but David had something even greater…he had a life preserver! He had experienced the faithfulness of God and he had God’s promises! David just looked that ole giant in the eye and said “You are going down!” Find a promise from God today and tell your fear in life –
“You are going down!”