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Pastor's Points - August

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Dear Church Family,

As we enter August and the unknown of this strange new reality that we are living in, I want to encourage us to live our lives free from the spirit of fear.  Let me first say that I know that some people can get very upset when you talk about not living in fear.  Right away they get offended or say that they are not fearful, they are just very concerned about things that are going on. But I believe the reality is that there are many people living in fear of a lot of things.  Some live in fear of the unknown, others live in fear of Covid 19, others live in fear of government overreach, and still others live in the fear of not being in control.  People are very concerned and often rightly so, but we must never allow fear to set in and be the controlling factor of our lives.  Fear is real and we all experience it at some point and time in life.

But the good news for us is that God’s Word speaks to the reality of fear. There are many places in scripture where we can find insight as to how to approach fearful times, or feelings of fear that can paralyze us.  But let me just point you to two simple verse for now.

First Isaiah 41:10 reminds us…Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will hold you up with my victorious right hand. (Isaiah 41:10These are not suggestions.  These are commands for us to follow.  We are to not fear or be dismayed!

But I must admit that I have recently participated in both.  I have been afraid. For me it is the fear of the unknown, and fear of not making right decisions. I have been distressed over the events going on in our world.  What does all this mean?  What facts are to be believed?  Which experts are right? I love what one pastor reminds us though about Isaiah 41:10…
“God is calling all of you to not be afraid. Fear not, because God is with you. Fear not, because God is your God. Fear not,
because God will strengthen you. Fear not, because God will help you. Fear not, because God will support you and hold you up by his victorious right hand.

“I am your God.” That is, I am above you. I am over you with my mighty hand. Over you. I am with you. Beside you. I will help you from whatever angle the enemy may come — or the attack or threat. I am all around you as your help. I will strengthen you from inside out. I will be your strength. And I will uphold you from underneath you. Do not be afraid.

And there is one great ground for fearlessness: God. You have a God who is infinitely more powerful! He is God! He is God! Do you believe him? Do not be afraid.”

Jesus said, “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God” (John 14:1). What else can we say? “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.”

As we go forward let’s apply both Isaiah 41:10 and John 14:1 and make up our minds that…
1. We Will Not Fear.
2. We Will Not be Dismayed.
3. We Will Not Let Our Hearts be Troubled.
4. We Will Believe in God.
5. We Will Remember that God is With Us.
6. We Will Remember that Ge Will Strengthen Us.
7. We Will Remember that God Will Help Us.
8. We Will Remember that we are secure in His Hand and He assures us victory!

I love you and I love being your pastor!!

Posted by Alan Scott with