When people think of a new year, some people love it, some people hate it, some people are indifferent. But whatever you feel, I want you to think of a new year like this: A new year is a new opportunity to choose.
I will be less afraid than I was last year.
Fearful people don’t make good decisions. – True – global – Personal.
True in big global contexts, but also true in your personal life.
People think they’re being smart, what they’re really being is scared.
The problem for me is that sometimes I convince myself that fear is helping me make the smart choices. It’s not. You can be wise without being afraid.
Are you formed by faith or are you formed by fear?
I know how everybody WANTS to answer that question. “I’m formed by faith.” But ask ourselves “Is that really true?” A lot of what goes around masquerading as faith can only be properly described as a fear.
Fear and Faith are the same thing.
They’re at the opposite ends of the same spectrum. So in one sense, they’re polar opposites, but they’re the same ‘kind’ of thing.
They’re both a way of perceiving the future. One is believing that God will come through, the other is believing he won’t.
Shared Fears
I was doing a little reading on what people are most afraid of. And not some dumb list like ‘the fear of public speaking’.
But that really humans tend to be afraid of the same handful of things: The fear of dying, the fear of being alone, the fear of rejection. The fear of pain.
I wonder if you wouldn’t mind taking a second to identify what a 1 or 2 of your major fears. And hold that in your mind. You’ve carried those fears around with you everywhere you’ve gone and they haven’t done you a bit of good.
Simple Idea: What Jesus said is Mark 5:
“Don’t be afraid; just believe.”
Here’s a simple sermon: ‘Don’t be afraid. Instead, have faith’.
One Central messages : “Do not be afraid.”
I’ve followed God my whole life, I’ve been preaching for over a decade now, and if you were to ask me what I believe one of the central message is of the gospel it would be those 4 words: “Do not be afraid.”
That’s the only posture God has towards us “Don’t be afraid.”
And if I can just be honest for a second, and a say after all these years following God, if there’s anything God is doing in me, it’s that.
- I’m tired of being afraid of so many things.
- I’m tired of being so motivated by fear.
- I’m tired of always thinking of the ‘what ifs’ and not entering into a simple faith that God’s watching out for me.
Solution:
Spend more time with Jesus and less time with the fear-mongers of the world.
Prioritize coming – Jesus – hearing “Peace be with you.”