Most of us have had moments in life when we faced situations that almost paralyzed us with fear. What do I mean? For a moment you were indecisive and uncertain. You did not know what to do or where to turn.
Have you faced one of those moments when you may have said: “This is so out of character for me, but I don’t know what to do?” In those times, we need to know that God is on our side and He will not abandon us in the time of need.
When Timothy went through one of those moments, the Apostle Paul wrote these words to him.
2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
In the Book of Isaiah, God told His people 38 times not to fear. This is the heart of an invincible champion. We are fearless people.Our very character and nature rises up against the spirit of fear.
Benaiah was one of David’s five fearless champions, (2 Samuel 23:20). He was valiant and did many notable deeds. One snowy day, he went down into a pit and slew a lion. He snatched the spear of a huge Egyptian from his hand and killed him with his own spear.
The Psalmist David spoke about this kind of courage and fearlessness.
Psalm 27:1-3 NLTThe Lord is my light and my salvation— so why should I be afraid? The Lord protects me from danger— so why should I tremble?
The Lord our God is the reason for our strength and stamina. We will not fear because God is our light and salvation. We will not fear because the Lord our God protects us from danger. He is a shelter and a shield to those who trust in Him. We can be invincible in the day of conflict and trouble because God is on our side.
Listen to the Prophet Isaiah.
Isaiah 43:1 NKJV But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine.
Before we read any further, we need to settle these fact.
- Do you know that God is your Maker?
- Do you know that God formed you?
- Do you know that God has redeemed you?
- Do you know that God knows you? He knows your name and He knows how you were made.
- Do you know that God claims you?
These things are important for all of us to know. If you are going to be an invincible champion, you must be strong. Nothing can make you stronger than knowing that the Lord is your God.
- He has created you.
- He knows what you are made of.
- He knows every detail of your form.
- Even when you fall and sin, God has taken the necessary steps to redeem you from destruction.
- He is the Lord God your Savior.
- He knows you.
- He knows your heart, mind, and body.
- He knows your past and your future.
Things that are hidden from you are open and known by the Lord our God. The good news is that even though God knows us perfectly, He claims us as His own. After giving us this assurance of God’s intervention and care, Isaiah tells us some facts that we need to hear.
Isaiah 43:2-3 NKJV When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you. For I am the Lord your God…
This verse tells us something about our future. We are going to pass through waters. Rains of trouble and crossings of flooding rivers of uncertainty are going to come. There will be Red Sea crossings of impossibilities. There will be stormy seas of personal fears and doubts.
God said, “I will be with you!”
It is comforting to know that God will be with us through everything that we face. In the good days and the bad days, God is a very present help. When we are stymied and don’t know what to do, God knows the way that we should take.
God is not a silent partner. The reason the water does not overflow and the flame does not consume is He is the Lord our God. He has subdued kingdoms, stopped the mouths of lions, and quenched the violence of fire, (Hebrews 11:33-34). We cannot do this without the Lord on our side.
God does not want you to go it alone through your life. He will be your Comfort and Strength. He will be your Waymaker, Miracle Worker and Light in the darkness.
God said, “I am the Lord your God.” Do you understand the gravity of what God is saying? He is not waiting for you to be perfect, invincible, or mighty champion. He claimed you before your were born.
Psalm 22:9-10 NLT Yet you brought me safely from my mother’s womb and led me to trust you at my mother’s breast. I was thrust into your arms at my birth. You have been my God from the moment I was born.
God saw what Jeremiah was going through.
His nation and people had lost their freedom and had turned away from God. Their fortresses had been destroyed and they were vulnerable to any enemy that would come. Their walls of defense around their cities were broken down and the temple, their houses and places were burned. That is the time when the Lord God Almighty spoke to Jeremiah.
Jeremiah 1:4-5 NIV84 The word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”
You need to know that God is looking on. He sees things that you do not see. Before you ever came into this world or drew your first breath, God said, “I knew you.” He knows your frame and He remembers how you are made, (Psalms 103:14). I will not fear because the Lord our God knows. If you are going to be an invincible champion, you need to know that the Creator of the universe is fighting for you. You need to know that, “No weapon that is formed against you shall prosper.”
Isaiah 54:17 NKJV No weapon formed against you shall prosper, And every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, And their righteousness is from Me,” Says the Lord.
I will not fear!
When you are faced with situations that bring the spirit of fear, fill your mind with the POWER-FILLED WORD OF GOD. Remind yourself of God’s faithfulness. Rehearse in your mind what God has given you. Remember the ways God has blessed you and used you.
Isaiah 40:28 NKJV Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, The Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable.
Circumstances and situations change, but God remains the same. I will not fear because the Lord my God is fighting for me.
Malachi 3:6 NKJV For I am the Lord, I do not change; Therefore you are not consumed…
If God does not change, the source of our faith, strength, power, victory, life… does not change. Take another look at what God has done for you.
Lamentations 3:22 NKJV Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not.
Do you see how God has shown you His power in your time of trouble? You can face that giant, since God is on your side. You can be an invincible champion since nothing that is formed against you will prosper. God will bring you through.
- Are you facing a giant or a lion kind of problem?
- Have you come to a dead-end and you cannot find a way through?
- Have you been tossed and driven by contrary winds and waves and you do not know if you will survive?
When King Darius threw Daniel into the lions den, Daniel knew that God is still God.
Daniel 6:20 NIV84 When he came near the den, he called to Daniel in an anguished voice, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to rescue you from the lions?”
Some people do not know what you know. The king did not know if God was able to keep Daniel. He did not know that God could shut the mouths of lions.
Daniel 6:21-22 NIV84 Daniel answered, “O king, live forever! My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, O king.”
How big is your God compared to what you’re facing? You may face a raging flood of trouble and trial. You may come against a giant of affliction, sickness, or attack. You may even be boxed in by your circumstance. You need to know that the God who created you is still fighting for you.
Isaiah 43:1 NKJV But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O (PUT YOUR NAME HERE), And He who formed you, O (PUT YOUR NAME HERE): “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine.
God is making some promises here. Cast off that fear and doubt. We know and are fully persuaded that God is able to keep us.
Deuteronomy 31:6 NKJV Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.”
Deuteronomy 31:8 NKJV And the Lord, He is the One who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you; do not fear nor be dismayed.
That word is still powerful for you today. God has prepared wonderful things for you in Christ Jesus.
