You Are Still Strong 3

So uh the Bible says in Hebrews chapter 12, and I know that’s not where you turned, but Hebrews chapter 12 it says this that anything that can be shaken, it will be shaken. Anything that can be shaken, it will be shaken. But there is an unshakable kingdom that we’re a part of, and that’s called the kingdom of God. And we’re in a series that I have entitled You Are Still Strong. Why don’t you turn to a neighbor and tell them that? You are still strong. Come on, turn to your other neighbor and say that you are still strong.

And we are in this series, we’re exploring a particular time in the life of the Israelite people, and I believe that it’s a timely word for our church for sure, but I believe it’s specifically a timely word for God’s people in a very peculiar time in a very peculiar season in the world. And in the first week, we talked about how God’s people, because they were careless with their ears and what they were careless with their words, they went on a grand detour that could have been avoided. And then last week we talked about three keys that you are going to need to embrace if you’re going to enter into the future that God has for you. We talked about alignment, preparation, and expectation. And man, I’m excited for this message.

Numbers chapter 13, to catch you up. We’ve been here all month, but Moses has sent his twelve spies out into the promised land. This is the land, it’s known as Canaan. It’s the land that God promised his people. And so the twelve spies go to assess the situation, and then they come back. And this is their report beginning in verse 26.

They came back to Moses and Aaron and the whole Israelite community at Kadesh in the desert of Taran. There they reported to them and to the whole assembly and showed them the fruit of the land. They gave Moses this account when we went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey. Here is its fruit.

So the spies come back and they’ve got these giant grapes and they’ve got these giant figs. And basically what’s happening is it’s this is a confirmation that this is the land that God promised them. So they’re coming back and they’re saying, Hey man, Moses wasn’t lying, y’all. Like God wasn’t lying. Like this is real.

Verse 28 But the people who live there are powerful.

If you are familiar with the story, it’s weird that they’re shocked about this because God already told them that there would be enemies in the land. And so it’s not a shock, but they’re coming and saying, But we have a problem, but it’s something that God already said would happen. And the cities are fortified and very large. So again, God already said this was gonna happen. In fact, he said that the cities that were in Canaan were there for their blessing. He tells the Israelites that he was going to give them cities that they didn’t build. And now here they are, they’re shocked at the terrible news. But this is really God’s provision. We’ve talked about this before, but God’s promises are preoccupied with opposition. And if you’re going to enter into the promises that God has for you, well, that requires that you have to be willing to drive the Canaanites out.

Verse 30. Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it. But the men who had gone up with him said, We can’t attack those people. They are stronger than we are. And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored. They said, The land we explore devours those living in it.

Wow, the land eats people, y’all. It’s like people eating dirt. It’s incredible. It’s like the worms in dune. They just come up and eat people. It’s amazing. The land devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size.

James Kaufman, he’s a cool theologian. He talks about how there are contradictions in the spies’ report. Here’s just a few. So they said the land is abundant. But they also said that the land devours the inhabitants in it. So which one is it? They say the people are powerful and numerous, but the land devours the inhabitants. Which one is it? The land flows with milk and honey, but the land devours its inhabitants. There’s huge cities, but the land devours its inhabitants. And it’s like they say, they say we seemed like grasshoppers to the people that live there. And it’s like, weren’t you all spies? I thought you were spies. Like in fact, there’s no account, there’s no record that there was ever a conversation with these people. And so there’s all of these different contradictions in the story.

Fear is a liar

And I want to preach from a few for a few minutes from this subject. If you’re taking notes, fear is a liar. Fear is a liar.

So, Heavenly Father, this morning we say thank you. We believe that you’re with us today. We believe that you’re here to offer us comfort, offer us help, offer us and offer us your spirit, but also offer us correction and guidance and wisdom. And we ask that you speak, and we ask that you help us to listen. And it’s in your son’s name we pray. Everybody said? Amen.

Well, the definition of fear is the expectation of danger. The expectation of danger. And let me just say if you didn’t know this, this is where our culture is right now. This is where our nation is right now. This is where our world is right now. This is what society is teaching our children right now to expect danger. And so while fear is the expectation of danger, faith, listen to me, is the expectation of God doing good. Fear is the expectation of danger, and faith is the expectation of God doing good.

I’ve told you this before. But faith and fear are the same thing. Like they’re on the opposite sides of the same spectrum. So in that regard, they’re polar opposites, but they’re the same kind of thing. Both faith and fear, let me see if I can perk you up with this, are both ways of perceiving the future. Faith is believing God’s gonna come through, and fear is believing he won’t. Fear believes something bad’s gonna happen. Faith believes God’s gonna cause something good to happen. Right?

Where am I living?

And so the question I want to ask if fear is the expectation of danger and faith is the expectation of God doing good, the question I want to ask you is this where am I living? It’s a question I would love for you to ask yourself this coming week. Where am I living? Am I in fear or am I in faith? What am I expecting? What am I preparing for? What am I anticipating?

And see, most of our culture is living in the expectation of danger. That’s just where we are. Right? It’s what culture is cooking up for us. It’s what we’re fed, it’s what we eat. It’s what floods our eyeballs all day long. It’s what floods our ear holes all day long. The expectation of danger. But I think that God wants to remind someone in here that fear is a liar. And just because it feels right doesn’t mean it’s right. And just because it feels accurate doesn’t mean it’s the thing that you’re supposed to be filling your mind with. Right? That you have a choice.

You know, scientists tell us, it’s interesting, they tell us that humans have two innate fears. Two. Funny, but mean. The fear of falling and the fear of loud noises. Now I want you to think about all the things humanity collectively are scared of. Here’s some I wrote down. The fear of public speaking. The fear of rejection. The fear of failure. Here’s my daughter, the fear of spiders. My wife, the fear of snakes, the fear of tight spaces, the fear of clowns. The fear of being. Anybody? Here’s a new one I learned. The fear of being without your phone. It’s called nomophobia. It’s real.

I think if you ever became a self-aware, I think the average person would be shocked at the amount of things you’re afraid of. But every fear that you have besides falling and loud noises, listen to me, is a learned fear. A learned fear. You learned it. You weren’t born with it. God didn’t give it to you. You learned it. Someone taught you to be afraid of that. Someone taught you to be afraid of them. Someone taught you how to expect danger.

The good news though is this. If you learned it, you can unlearn it. If you believed the lie, you can replace the lie with God’s truth. And even though we live in a culture of fear and worry and negative expectations, like I can unlearn that. Even if that’s the story, it doesn’t have to be my story. In fact, Jesus says in John chapter 15 and 17, he says this, that we’re in the world, but we’re not of the world. I don’t have to live in the same bondage as everyone else. I don’t have to expect the same thing as everyone else. Like we live in a fear-filled world.

And did you know? Did you know that Jesus told us that would happen? In fact, in Luke chapter 21, Jesus tells us this that in the last days, people will faint from terror. Faint from I think it’s the King James says this. Their heart will fail from terror. And I think that’s where we’re at right now. It’s all people talk about, it’s all people think about just fear, fear, fear, fear, fear, fear, fear. Like if you were to go to lunch today and you were to eavesdrop on someone else’s conversation, I don’t know if you should, but you if you did, what you would probably hear is a couple people talking about the bad things they’re expecting to happen. That’s just what you’re gonna hear. Bad things that people are afraid are gonna happen. It’s just fear, fear, fear, fear, fear. All day, every day.

I have a different spirit

This verse in Numbers, I think is an excellent example for us because the ten spies come back, and ten spies come back and they are terrified. But listen to me, there’s two that come back and they’re not terrified, Joshua and Caleb. And so everyone said they said, No, man, we can’t take the land, like we can’t, we can’t do it. And Joshua and Caleb says, we can take the land. We can do it. And you know, in the Bible, I don’t know if you know this, but but faith and fear are both described as spirits. And look at what God says about Caleb in Numbers chapter 14.

But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit,

everyone say this. I have a different spirit. I have a different spirit. Say it again. I have a different spirit. I just think you I just think you need to believe that. Like I know what’s going on in the city, but I have a different spirit. I know what’s going on in the country, but I have a different spirit. I know what’s going on in the world, but I have a different, I know what people are thinking, but I have a different spirit. I know how worried everyone is, but I have a different spirit.

Again, verse 24, but because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring them into the land I went, he went to, and his descendants,

listen to me, will inherit it. Is that amazing? So he’s saying this that not only because he has a different spirit, not only is that going to change his life, his different spirit is going to benefit his children for generations to come. So listen, my ability to unlearn fears doesn’t just benefit me. It benefits my daughter Grace. Parents, did you know this? Did you know that you your kids can inherit your fears? They can inherit your bad habits. And so by you defeating the spirit of fear doesn’t just benefit you, it benefits them as well.

And I don’t have time to get into it, but I just want to say this that there is for sure a place to voice the things that you’re afraid of. Like I think that that’s true, right? It may be a trusted friend, a trusted advisor. But I want you to know this. I think it’s just a part of a much larger process, which is dominated by confessions of faith. And so if I’m talking to a trusted advisor, let’s say John Woods here. I go out to lunch with him. He’s a trusted friend of mine, and let’s say I sit with him and I tell him, here’s three things that I’m afraid of. I’m afraid of this, I’m afraid of this, and I’m afraid of this. I’m gonna do that. And it’s like, okay. And then you know what I’m gonna say? But you know what? I believe God’s gonna come through. I’m gonna, and look what I’m doing with my words. But I believe God’s gonna come through, but he’s my provider. But we’re gonna get through this. And so, like, maybe I’ll tell him, man, I’m super scared of the diagnosis from the doctor, man. That’s super scary. But then I’m gonna also say, but you know what? God’s my healer. But you know what? God has a plan for me. God has a future for me. And so it’s okay to express your fears to people that you trust. But that’s just part of a process, a bigger process, which is also confessing faith.

And so I want to declare this over this church is that we will have a different spirit. We will not be people who go around communicating our expectation of bad things happening. Right? This church has and will continue to have a different spirit. Right? And I don’t care what some other church does. This church will not adopt the ways of the world. People will walk, listen to me. People will walk into this church and say, Man, this place feels different. This place doesn’t, this place doesn’t feel like Albuquerque. You know what I mean? Like there’s something different here. They have a different attitude at that church. They sing different. They feel different, they preach different. When they’re talking in the hallway, they talk different. Why? Because we have a different spirit. And I’m not talking about living in denial. I’m not talking about being foolish. I’m not talking about being careless. I’m talking about having the spirit of faith instead of having the spirit of fear. Can I get a good amen there? And can I get a water, sweetheart? I always try to bring a water up, and I never remember to.

Fear is an influencer

So I’ve got for you this morning, briefly, three things that you gotta know about fear. If you’re taking notes, I’d like you to write this one down. Number one is this fear is an influencer. Fear is an influencer. Listen to me, fear does not just want to visit. Fear wants to influence your life. Wants to dictate your life.

If you think about the Israelites, in Numbers chapter 13, the verses that we just read, I don’t know if you know this or not, but at this point in time, the Israelites had been in the wilderness for less than a year. And the entire time that they were out there was miracle after miracle after miracle after miracle after miracle. So these were not just like grandpa’s old stories about God. This was their miracles. It’s like this stuff happened like last month for them. Listen, here some of the miracles. The ten plagues. They were delivered from Egypt, the parting of the Red Sea. And they’re like, man, we’re hungry. So God makes bread fall from the sky. And then they say, We’re tired of bread, like too many carbs. We need some protein. And so birds start falling from the sky. And they say, we’re thirsty. And so God makes water start gushing from a rock. Did you know it’s not just that? Did you know that Paul says in 1 Corinthians chapter 10 that they drank from the rock that accompanied them? So it’s like, isn’t that weird? It’s weird that you got a rock that’s water’s gushing out of. It’s extra weird if it’s following you around all day. It’s like a soda machine. Do you guys just like it’s amazing. Miracle after miracle after miracle after miracle.

The Israelites had supernatural favor. Did you know this? That there was two million Israelites that left Egypt. And the Bible says that God gave them favor, and Egypt gave them all of their gold and all of their silver. I know that didn’t make it into the cartoon adaptation. But these people had favor.

Verse 30. Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can.

Can you say that those two words? We can’t say that with me. We can certainly do it.

But the men who had gone up with him said, We can’t.

Can you say those two words with me? We can’t attack those people. They are stronger than we are. We can, we can’t. That’s faith, and that’s fear. We can’t. Fear limits you. We can’t. And ten men influence two million people with this sentence we can’t. And two million people believe we can’t. And it’s like, it’s like, what about Egypt? Oh, we can’t. What about all the miracles? No, we can’t. What about like the bread from heaven and the birds and the water from the rock that’s following us? That’s we can’t. We can’t do it. And an entire generation dies in the wilderness because they believed the lie, we can’t.

Henry Ford says it like this. Whether you believe you can or you believe you can’t, you’re right. Whether you believe you can or you believe you can’t, you’re right. So ten men come back and say, we can’t, and two million Israelites say, works for me. Right on. Because there’s something comforting. I wonder if you have noticed this. There’s something comforting about living a small life. It’s like, well, we don’t know what might happen. We never know. We don’t know where this place is headed. We never know. Well, you know in today’s world. Yeah. What about it? In today’s economy, yeah, what about it? We can’t live in the spirit of we can’t. It’s like, what if something bad happens? Man, what if something good happens? What if it doesn’t work? What if it does work? What if this is the end? Well, what if it’s not?

You know, and you know what the problem with fear is? It always leads to a dead end. Fear always leads to a no, where everything just becomes no. Everything just becomes those five reasons why this would never work for me. Meanwhile, you’re watching everyone else do great things while you’re taking yourself out of your miracle. Convincing yourself that you can’t. Thinking you’re being wise, but you’re really just being scared.

And I’m telling you, you cannot let fear influence everything you do. Because if you let it, it will not just affect your relationship with the world. Like fear will influence your relationship with your spouse. Fear will influence your relationship with your kids. Fear will influence your relationship with the church. Fear will influence your relationship with this city. I don’t know if you know this, but like what I have in my heart and what we have in our heart for this city requires that you not be scared of them. You can’t reach people you’re scared of. For sure. Ask my parents. It’s painful. It’s painful living with me sometimes. I’m very safety conscious. But listen, I’m so I’m not talking about being careless. I’m talking about being wise and unafraid. You can be wise without expecting danger all the time.

And if you let it, it will bleed into everything that you do. Fear wants to be included in every decision. Fear wants to be included in every conversation. Listen to this. Fear wants to be included in every prayer. And you can’t let it. Because if you’re not careful, you can let the ten voices drown out the two million. You can let the ten naysayers drown out a year of miracles. You can let one podcast drown out a lifetime of God’s faithfulness. You cannot let it. Because fear is an influencer. It doesn’t just want to come for a visit, it wants to influence everything. Number one, fear is an influencer.

Fear is a driver

Number two is this fear is a driver. So fear doesn’t want to just be in the car. Fear wants to be the driver. But I have to tell you, you can’t let it. And the good news is this you don’t have to let it. Look at this. Again, I’m just reading these verses over and over to you.

Verse 30. Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.

So the people have heard these two things. They’ve heard we can’t, and we’ve all they’ve also heard we can. And in that moment, the people had a choice. Two voices. We can’t, and we can. We’re not strong enough, God will be our strength. We can’t do it, we can certainly do it. Ten spies say we can’t. Two spies say we can. And listen, those two voices are still speaking today. The voice that says no and the voice that says yes. And you must choose which to listen to.

Told you this before, but it’s not always, it’s not always easy recognizing the voice of the enemy. It can be really hard. Right? If it was obvious, no one would listen. The problem with the voice of the enemy and recognizing the voice of the enemy is because it sounds, his voice sounds like your voice. He comes subtly, disguised, hidden. Right? So hidden in your own thinking. And so I’ve told you this before. The challenge of recognizing the voice of the enemy is recognizing the difference between the voice of an enemy and what you perceive as a good idea. It just makes sense to you. But you but just understand this. The enemy is always speaking fear. It’s always speaking fear. Always speaking fear.

Did you know the average person, scientists tell us the average person thinks between 50,000 and 70,000 thoughts per day? 70,000 thoughts per day. 70% are negative. And that’s pre-COVID. I guarantee it’s higher than that. It’s probably like 80%, it’s probably 90% now. But what I want to tell you is this, and maybe maybe this is like a life theme for me. I don’t know. I talk about it all the time. You have a choice. You have a choice when it comes to what you think about. And I’m not talking about denial. I’m not talking about everything’s perfect. Everything’s perfect. Oh, everything’s perfect. Everything’s perfect. Like, I’m not talking about that, but you can control your thoughts.

How, Pastor David, with this big hole that’s in your face. With this slimy, like tongue in there. Like you can control your thoughts by your by your mouth. This is how you do it. Like, I know there are giants, but we can do it. What did I do? Well, I just changed my thought. How? By this, by saying, I know the cities are big, but we can do it. I know the enemies are large, but we can do it. I know the world’s a little crazy, but we’re gonna be okay. I know everyone’s scared, but we can do it. And I’m not talking about living in denial. I’m talking about having faith in the midst of imperfect circumstances. You just you just can’t, listen to me. You can’t live your life with the expectation of danger, clouding every decision you make. So you’re gonna have to think about what you think about. You’re gonna have to think about what you talk about. You’re gonna have to think about what you listen to.

Now Jesus says it like this, Matthew chapter 6, verse 31.

So do not worry saying.

Oh, that’s the key right there, isn’t it? Do not worry saying.

What shall we eat? What shall we drink, or what shall we wear? Do not worry saying.

Right? Yes, things are scary, but you galvanize fear deep in your heart by what you say.

For the pagans run after all these things.

It’s the fruit of this world, the spirit of the world,

and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

So all the concerns you have, they’re real. They’re not fake. Right? So God isn’t saying like you just don’t worry about the like just forget about all that. Those are those are fake concerns. They’re real concerns, but it’s about believing that God is gonna take care of it.

Acts chapter 18, verse 9 says this.

One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision. Listen to this. Do not be afraid, keep on speaking. Do not be afraid, keep on speaking. Do not be silent.

Wow, don’t be afraid, but keep speaking. You fight fear by what you speak. You might think, oh, Pastor David, you always talk about that. You talk about it. Well, you need to hear it again. Like I will, I will continually tell you that the course of your life is dictated by the words that you speak. Like there’s different different people have different revelations. So, like there’s gonna be pastors that have different revelations than I do. Hopefully, we’ll we’re broadly speaking true across the board. But I can tell you that for me, one of the reasons that my life has turned out up to this point, 41 years, pretty okay, is because a long time ago I got a revelation that I control my life with this thing. So y’all know, like if you’re like a negative, you know, complainer, like it’s cool. But you know we’re not close. Like that. That’s not how I do it. That’s not how I direct my life. And that it’s not how I steer my life. And that’s not my language.

Look at this, James chapter 3, verse 2.

We all stumble in many ways. Listen to this. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect.

Wait, what?

Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check. But when you put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants them to go.

So he’s saying the the words that you speak, just like a bit in the horse’s mouth, just like the rudder of a ship, our mouth steers our life. But it’s not just your mouth, because fear is a driver. And the enemy knows that. The enemy knows that your life is dictated by what you say. The enemy knows, you could write this down where your mouth goes, your life goes. Where your mouth goes, your life goes. And so, and so he wants to be the driver. And he knows that I’ve got to get fear in your mouth.

But did you notice what it said? It said this that a boat is steered, steered by a very small rudder. Wherever the pilot wants it to go. The pilot. So the boat is going wherever the pilot wants it to go, and you might be thinking, oh, that’s God, the pilot. That’s God. No, that’s you. Like I don’t know how to tell you this sensitively, but but you’re the pilot of your own life. You are. And sorry, people don’t want to think that. Like it’s easier to blame the winds. It’s easier to be the victim. It’s easier easier to blame the giants, blame the walls, right? But at the end of the day, you’re the driver. And you steer the ship with the rudder. Isn’t that amazing? People don’t think about that. Right? That you steer your life with your mouth. You do.

Jesus take the wheel. Like Jesus is like, man, I just gave you the wheel, man. I put it front and center of your face. It’s the wheel. Right? So, like, I’m not, Jesus is saying, I’m not taking the wheel, Carrie. But he’ll teach you how to drive. He’ll give you the words to say that will steer the light your life in the direction that you want. But God is saying this man, you’re the pilot. You’re the pilot. You live in the reality that you have created with your words. Only that? No. But largely, right? That the boat, James says, the boat of your life is steered with your words.

And remember you remember that old bumper sticker. God is my co-pilot. Remember that? God is my co-pilot. It’s kind of funny, but that’s actually true. And then, like the the real religious folks wanted to knew it was like, no, God is the pilot. It’s like, no, he’s the co-pilot. Right? You’re the pilot. He has given you the ability to choose. Deuteronomy chapter 30. I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing. Therefore, choose life, but you choose it. You choose it. You’re the pilot. You’re the driver. And your life goes in the direction of your words.

James 3 3. Again, when we put bits into the mouths of horses, we make them obey us. We can turn the whole animal or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. Likewise the tongue.

So those are the metaphors. He’s talking about the tongue.

Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark.

Your life is going the direction of your words, and you have a choice. Listen to me one more time. I’m not talking about denial. I’m not talking about being a Pollyanna. I’m talking about having faith. Speaking faith. Because fear is a driver. It wants to take over and control your life. How does it do that? By taking over what you say. Number one, fear is an influencer. Number two, fear is a driver.

Fear is a liar

Number three, and I’m done. Fear is a liar. You might be thinking, didn’t you already do that one? Well, I did, but it’s just the title of the talk. I’ve actually never heard, I’ve been doing this a long time. I’ve never heard anyone do a title and their third point be the same thing. But that’s what we’re doing. Fear is a liar.

God has not given you the spirit of fear. But of power and of love and of a sound mind. So listen, fear and a sound mind are on opposite sides. Fear is the opposite of a sound mind. Fear is a chaotic mind. A confused mind, a conflicted mind. And remember the contradictions that were the men were speaking when they were in fear. Like, oh, the land devours everyone. Y’all is quicksand, right? But the fruit’s awesome. Like the cities are awesome, the people are awesome, but flows of milk and honey. But yeah, if we go in, we all gonna die. It’s like, it’s like, yeah, it’s all quicksand here. It’s like, okay, well, then how did they build cities? How’d they build cities on the quicksand? It’s like, oh, yeah, yep, yep, it’ll eat us up. Oh, yeah. It’s like, weren’t there grapes? How do grapes grow in quicksand? It’s like, oh yeah, we’re gonna die if we go in there. Fear is a liar. Fear is a liar.

It’s like, it’s like uh it’s like James chapter one, verse eight talks about a double-minded man. It says this, that a double-minded man is unstable in all they do. It doesn’t even make sense. Like when fear grips your heart, logic doesn’t even matter. Right? You cut you come in here and you sing about the goodness of God and the faithfulness of God and the love of God and the grace of God, and then you go to lunch and it’s like, man, we’re all doomed. It’s like, well, which one? Which one, man? See, but fear, with fear, you don’t have to choose. You can live double-mindedly. But understand this that God has not given you a spirit of fear, but a sound mind. A single-mindedness, not a double-mindedness.

Fear’s a liar, and it turns you into a liar. Like, man, I’m just gonna be honest. I refuse to let fear be the theme of my life. I’m telling you. Like there, there’s there’s certain conversations I’m not gonna have with y’all. Because fear will not be the theme of my life. Fear will not be the driver of my life. Fear will not be the focus of my life. I’m choosing to believe God. Anyone else? I’m choosing to believe God. I’m choosing to stand on the promises of God. I’m choosing to think about things that are good and lovely and praiseworthy. That’s where I’m at. Dave, what y’all, what are you thinking about all hours of the night? I’m thinking about things that are good. That’s what I’m doing.

I’m gonna have a different spirit. And you can say I’m you can say I’m foolish, you can say I’m irresponsible, you can say I’m in denial, you can say my head is in the sand. None of that’s true. But I refuse to adopt the spirit of the world. I refuse to have the mentality that the world has right now. I refuse to live my life bound and bowing to the spirit of fear. It’s gonna steal my joy. It’s gonna steal the joy from my marriage. I ain’t gonna do it. It’s gonna steal the joy from my family. It’s gonna limit God’s work in my life. I refuse it. This church refuses it. So we’re gonna think different. We’re gonna pray different. We’re gonna talk different. We’re gonna feel different. We’re gonna sing different. We’re gonna praise different. We’re gonna gather different.

Like, I know. I just I just want to say this. I know. I know it’s out there. I know what’s out there. Like, I don’t watch the news, but I know. Y’all tell me. I know it’s out there. Right? But but you have a choice, man. You have a choice. You can listen to the ten or you can remember the last year of miracles. And no one’s gonna drive that ship but you.

One last thing I want to point out. You know, we when we go into scripture, we read the words of the ten, right? The ten. That’s what we call them the ten. Because you can’t name one of them. No one remembers critics. Right. No one remembers fearful people. No one remembers the words of fearful people. And if you’re not careful, you can be someone who believed the liar and no one remembers. But you know what? We’re still naming our sons Caleb. We’re still naming our sons Joshua.

Look, I’m telling you, I know what’s out there. I know it. I understand it. But I’m telling you. As a pastor in your life, don’t let fear get on the inside of you. Like you’re gonna, you’re gonna hop out of this room. It’s like full of faith here and God and victory and more than conquerors and God’s faithfulness and all that, then you’re gonna go out there. It’s gonna be different. And fear is gonna be trying to get in, trying to steer the ship. Right? Don’t let the devil make you live a small life. Just don’t do it. Don’t live scared. Don’t buy into the fear of the day. A day will pass, a week will pass, a month will pass, a year will pass, and there’ll be something new to be scared of. Fear will always be there. Oh you can live with peace now. And you’re not.

Can I can I tell you why the devil uses fear? Because he’s afraid. Right? That God’s gonna use you to change the world. And I and I’m I’m begging you, fight that lie with the truth. With God, all things are possible. God’s going to see me through this. Like you, I don’t know exactly what it is that you’re going through, but I know that the solution is the same. And it’s this, you can take over, you can take over the direction of your life, the direction of your mind by what you’re choosing to say. But I do plan on outlasting them. And when the fear of the day is gone, I’m still be here. I’m still believing God. I’m going to still be confessing faith, not fear. Right? And the world can, it can, it will seem like foolishness to the world. But to us, we understand it’s the power of God. To have faith and to look at the future, uncertain as it may be, to look at the future and still say, I’m believing for God to do something good.

Here’s my closing statement. Fear is the expectation of danger. Fear is an influencer. It seeks to control your life, blind you to God’s provision, and convince you to live small. Fear is a driver. It tries to steer the direction of your life by shaping the future you create with your words. Fear is a liar. It distorts truth, exaggerates danger, and creates double-mindedness. The good news is that fear is learned, and with God’s help, you can unlearn it. Instead of fearfully expecting danger, you can live with faith, expecting God to do something good.