The Pathway of Faith - Part 2

MTV intensified The time of birth September 16 competent tend to crumble into uncertainty dating. Today's podcast brings practical instruction that can be responding with bold faith to life's challenges with the roller to paths to walk the path of fear of the path of faith at all from Tom's people say they're walking in faith for the road in theater which can have both.

You can't be in fear and faith.

At the same time. It's like you can't trust God and not trust them at the same time.

And so, which road would you say that you're traveling that in spite of everything going on you walk in the pathway of faith because you've learned what it means someone you turn if you will, to the 41st chapter of Isaiah to the probably the most powerful passage of the Scriptures when it comes to this whole issue of faith and trust in God and while he God is saying this to the nation of Israel.

What he says is certainly true of us individually because it is the promise of God. So if you begin with me in the verse eight of this for the first chapter of Isaiah, but you Israel, my servant Jacob, whom I've chosen descendent of Abraham. My friend, you whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called from its remotest parts, and said to you. You are my servant, I have chosen you and not rejected you that listen to what he says about his relationship to Israel, which is certainly true of us the day, for he says do not fear Brian with you.

Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Behold, all those who are angry that you will be shamed and dishonored and those who contend with. You will be as nothing and will perish. You will seek those who quarrel with you but you not find them.

Those who wore with you will be as nothing and nonexistent, for I am the Lord your God who upholds your right hand, who says to you, do not fear will help you. What an awesome promise from God and the issue here is this number one and that is this promise is only to God's people. It is not the people who rejected him is not our people rejected Jesus Christ. These words are to God's people. Now when you think about the pathway of fear.

For example, what the Lord makes very very clear in his word. For example, the apostle Paul said to Timothy, he said, God is not given us a spirit of fear to come from him. God is not given us a spirit of fear but of power and of love and of a sound mind. We think right and so when you look at how people think and respond to things and so many people are filled with fear this could happen because they see things happening other places they think this could happen to me. That could happen to me.

God does not want us walking in fear and in this passage, which is an awesome word of assurance to us.

He reminds us that he is God. And so when you think about the fact that we are believers we have a reason not to be afraid because he says do not be afraid. Jesus said that many times, fear not fear Nazi or not, but practically listers thing, but from a practical point of view. What this fear due to a person what happens to you when you find yourself becoming fearful about things. One of the first things that happens is this fear stifles our thinking and our actions and stifles our thinking is hard to think very clearly. If you are fearful about the whole situation.

Whatever it might be.

And secondly, it naturally as a result of that it creates within us a feeling that makes us indecisive and so we become indecisive about important things instead of making a very wise decision. We are afraid to make any decision for fear that will make the wrong and a person procrastinates they had rather suffer the feeling that comes as a procrastinator than to get something done.

The words rather than fail. They just keep holding off and holding off and holding up in spite of the fact that it creates all kind of things within that person fear is very damaging, very powerful in a person's life. Likewise, it's naturally going to hinder us from achieving what God wants us to achieve in life or becoming the person God wants us to become because that's the overwhelming power of fear in a person's life they lose opportunities they walk by opportunities because they think will I couldn't do that. I could never be that I could never achieve that and often times when God gives them an opportunity they just walk right by it because of their of fear of failure, and natural. That's going to affect a person's sense of self-confidence and you think, for example, when you going to apply for a job and you having to self-confidence and you walk in, fearful that they're going to say no than a person who is a good interviewer is going to be able to detect in you.

That sense of the insecurity that hesitancy within you that little bit of fear. And so they probably going to conclude will look we don't need people like us working for us because there have a sense of self-confidence are fearful of their holdback and more than likely a procrastinators and so they say no, not because you can't do the job but because you leave that impression. That's what fear does God does not want those living in fear because of its damaging effect upon us and our whole emotional being is affected by every aspect of your life when you fear what people are going to say then you can respond accordingly.

It's going to affect relationships. No question about it. And of course some people they can become so careful about things that they panic about and panic means that they lose their sense of the being to the point they can't control what's going on. Fear absolutely and totally overwhelms sometimes fear drives people to drugs and drinking all the other things in your own without kind of a lifestyle theory is damaging, it is destructive. It is a hindrance and first of all, it doesn't fit who you and I are as believers in Christ we say we are followers of Jesus Christ. What did he say they are not there or not they are not, in fact, that when you come to the sermon on the Mount, Jesus picked up on people's fear and he said you don't need to be afraid and he said look whatever you need. My father already knows what you need before you even asking look at the lilies of the field look at the birds of air to give all these illustrations of how God protects and provides for his children and was he saying he says, seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things going to be added to you.

And when you read the New Testament, all the Old Testament and you find that how God worked in both the Old Testament and the lives of his saints, and the New Testament the lives of the saints what happened God's doing awesome things because they are trusting him, not because they're fearful. So asking this question, what is it in your life at this time that you find yourself being afraid about what is it you're fearful of is it a fear of loss is it fear of rejection is it fear that you won't have enough.

Is it fear of death is it fear of some form of poverty. That is what what is it that you're afraid of. Probably most people today are afraid of something in these they fear something.

It may be deep down inside, but it's there. And often times you hear somebody say I knew it was going to happen and it was going to have before happen you talk yourself right into situations and circumstances that God doesn't want you and is what he said I have not given you the spirit of fear, if he has not given us a spirit of fear, where did it come from the income from God. It came from the devil himself is what I want you to. I want you to go back to this 41st chapter of Isaiah and let's look at this first passage we read and think about this. Let's say you're facing some fear you're facing some doubt something going on your life that you can you really can't control it and so you don't know what to do.

I cannot tell you how important this is enough.

I said every Sunday just about if you can live a godly life.

This has got to be the center of your life that a thousand voices calling for you.

Lots and lots of things that that they would distract you and pull you away from God.

This is an anchor. This is the reminder.

This is how God thinks we will know we will know what to do next. The word of God and God will show you what to do now look at this passage is what he says he says. First of all, in the 10th verse. Do not fear, why he says I am with you. We have the victory right there. Don't fear what he says because I'm with you. That is, I have a relationship with Almighty God that cancels out all my fears. Notice what he says now do not anxiously look about you that right is what gets us in trouble instead of focused on God we look at all the circumstance close this post at look at him licking her leg at all these things do not anxiously look about you.

I am your God is Lisa's. I'm with you settlement. Secondly, I am your God. And then he says I will strengthen you work on the strength of that. That's far more than my energy that's divine energy that's divine strength. That's the supernatural power of God, enabling you and me to do things that we could never do. Apart from him.

I will strengthen you, surely. He says I will help you. I'm going to be your help. You remember, in the John 1415 16 when Jesus is talking to his disciples is given to leave them unity and crucified in his what he says he's I'm going to send a helper. The comforter of the Holy Spirit and the different translations it's comforter or helper.

Both of the same. Think about this God says I'm going to send you a helper and who is that help of the Holy Spirit you have the most awesome powerful helper living inside of you, and often times when people face difficulty they get a little and told their friends. They do this they God is the last one listened. He's number one, you won't listen if you want help. It's going to last asked the one that you said you believe then you had control of all things you so yes, I believe the word of God when you need help.

Go to the one who has all power always them all knowledge of your circumstance knows exactly how to deal with every aspect of and can bring you right through it, and yet you know what many people they own a Bible but they just don't read it.

You don't open the word of God, you're in trouble. I'm here today out of it did maintenance of your preacher does millions who you are. You neglect the word of God and you are headed for trouble. God gave us. He says my word is what a lamp under your feet and a light to your path this so I gave it to us. God will use his word to give you clear guidance. For example, I was a dealing with a situation that was difficult and I was saying okay God I will and I need some real wisdom about this some reading. One morning I come across his verse of Scripture and in the verse says it is time for the Lord to act while temper the Lord to act so I meditated upon that for couple weeks in the saying, okay, God, and I know that some is going on here. Then I was really one morning in the verse said the zeal of the Lord will accomplish it.

Arthur will go does it mean that you going to deal with this and I will have to ensure enough in just a few days God to kill the whole situation I'd have to do a thing and I thought I was going have to deal with it which would've been little sticky. He gave me a promise. First of all he knew some is going on and he was going to handle it. And if he's going to have that I don't have to hand use it well but you just look to the Bible, found that no I didn't now know where it is now. Look, you can't get what's this now you can go back and get some verse this one of your favorites. And so Kate Young apply this nothing happens. All I'm saying is this, God loves you enough take his word and use it in your life to give you direction. That's the best direction.

You can ever find and therefore if you going to walk in faith.

You gotta be feasting upon God's word are you going to get seven trouble and know no one is beyond getting in trouble.

So think about this also not the only feeding upon the word but forging ahead no matter what other people say forging ahead in difficult times, and if you read the second printing Chapter 11 and the apostle Paul is talking about his escapades in the things that happened and I will read them all, but just to give you little idea when he starts off by saying five times I received from the Jews 39 lashes three times beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times a shipwrecked night day in the city, and then he says I've been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangerous robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren. I've been in labor and hardship for many sleepless nights and hunger and thirst, often without food: exposure apart from such external things as the daily pressures of me are concerned for the church that there is a guys mentor trouble. What did he do when he got his first beat and it is okay Jesus I've had that's it. Here I'm here serving you. Look what you've allowed to happen to me know. The apostle Paul also is a one who wrote God causes all things to work together for good to those who call the court's purpose in a civil what good could that be listen carefully, all these things that he went through 2000 years later we're still talking about.

And when I read that it encourages me. In fact, when you read God's word and you walk in by faith is what happens. There is a sense of boldness and fearlessness and courage and determination that comes into your life because what because you doing what God said do and you not listening to all the people out there who is say no. All the people who saying it's impossible all the people who would derail you from God's will and purpose and plan for your life if you listen to them and so the people out there.

For example, when they see you getting ahead. You know what they get jealous. Is that what you know I don't I wouldn't do that a lot power you you don't listen about people tell you less you listen to godly counsel.

What I want you. This is when you're walking by faith. You gonna forge ahead.

You want to keep going no matter what the negative voices are that are out there trying to pull you down and pull you away from what God wants you to do so think about even walk by faith. You keep your focus on him. You got to stay in the word of God. In other words, when you depart your on your own, so to speak.

When it comes to your thinking about how many people would lead you in another direction. If you would allow them we had to be obedient to God walking in righteousness before him, and when we do, they're not going to be interferes because we know who is in control of our life and who says he will never leave us nor forsake us in all those questions we ask, we had the right answers that would mention one last thing that simply this, and that is faith. Listen faithfully obeying God faithfully obeying God and doing so with courage, with confidence, and as you heard me say every week obey God leave all the consequences to him when we are committed to being obedient to him. We'll have to be afraid of anything, because whatever may appear to be a loss. He's an attorney for again the pathway of faith does not tolerate fear but a moment. You don't have to be afraid if you will go back to Psalm listen hundred and third verse 19 God has established his throne in the heavens and his sovereignty rules.

Overall, he rules over every aspect of your life as you obey him. He will bless you as you disobey him.

You suffer the consequences as God change know that's just his law that's his room. This way operates, what is he allow me to suffer consequences get me back on track. Get me back in the center of his will so he can bless me and use me that the reason he does. So what are you afraid of is put it this way, what you afraid of that God can handle, then you should stand up and be strong and courageous and bold and tell God I'm available for whatever you want whatever you want. Have you wanted, I am your obedient servant and watch what he does in your life. Amen father how grateful we are when you said I will never leave you nor forsake what comes with you is everything, will ever need. And most of all that awesome love of yours that wraps around us and will do so for all eternity. I pray the Holy Spirit has and will speak to people as they listen as they hear as they watch people who going through all kinds of Harding father that you understand this appointment full of fear and doubt and suffering and pain. Would you just encourage the hearts and help them to understand you love them and near their use sufficient for all their needs. We pray this in Jesus name Amen.

Thank you for listening to part you have the pathway of faith. If you'd like to know more about child family for intense ministries that might enhance data lighting. This podcast is the presentation of intent to gain advantage of