Fear and Faith by Pastor Mark Jensen

Good morning friends and family of God Honor Strength. It is the beginning of a new week, a week where we may not know what tomorrow holds, but because we have Faith and Hope, we know that God is guiding and directing our steps. It is my hope and prayer that each of you had an amazing and blessed weekend and were able to spend time with family and friends and those that you love, including our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

I was sitting here this morning, reading through my journal when I felt God showing me a particular entry from a few months ago. It had to do with fear, fear of failure, fear of rejection, fear of the unknown. What I have to remember and you have to remember as well is that fear is a product of the enemy.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; Thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Psalm 23:4

There are times that we allow fear into our hearts and if we allow it to, it will control our day, it will control our lives. It can be a constant battle for some because of past mistakes, past failures, past rejections, past situations. The enemy knows your past as well as you, perhaps maybe even better for we have the tendency to forget or to bury things we do not want to remember, but the enemy remembers and he will use that against you whenever he can, whenever he knows it will cause fear and worry and doubt and pain. Just as it is written in John 10:10, the enemy comes to steal, to kill and to destroy, and he will do whatever he can to accomplish that. He will lie, he will deceive and he will use your past to instill fear in your heart, doubt into your mind and worry into your life. But listen to me my friends, my bothers and sisters, we have the one thing that can defeat the enemy, and all his wicked ways, we have the word of God.

Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.
Joshua 1:9

What you have to remember, and what I have to remind myself on a daily basis, is that fear and faith, fear and hope, fear and belief cannot reside in you at the same time. Fear can have no place in your heart; doubt can have no place in your mind and worry can have no place in your life, when you have faith and when you have hope. You have to get into God's word every morning, every day, every night. You need to dust off that Bible, open it, read it, study it, memorize it and live it. When the enemy comes against you, you can defeat him with God's word. If you are unsure where to start, open your Bible to Psalm 119, which is filled with verses expressing the way in which David treasured God's Word, then so to can you express yourself with His word, and you can do that by knowing Him.

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:6-7
Fear is the product of the enemy. Fear and Faith cannot reside in you at the same time. The enemy cannot instill fear into you if your faith is strong in Jesus Christ. We all struggle with fear, with worry, with doubt, it is human nature. But we need to strengthen our faith, we need to know God's word and we need to fill ourselves with prayer each and every morning and again throughout each day. The enemy has nothing but time and unlimited resources to come against you, but you have and I have the promise of God's peace through his son, Jesus Christ.

As I speak a blessing over each of you this morning, always remember, I am here for you if you ever need to talk or get something off your chest or if you need prayer for yourselves, your family or your friends. Please do not hesitate to send me a message.

May the Lord bless you and keep you; may the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; may the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.

Dear Father God, thank you for blessing us with this day and loving us as Your children. Watch over each and every one of us as we start each day, as we go through this week, keeping us in the palm of Your hand. Guide us in our daily lives, directing us on the path You have planned for us, bringing forth the dreams you have planted in each of our hearts. For we know who we are and whose we are, children of the most high God. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.

"Keep your Faith strong, your Hope alive and your Prayers never ending."
God Bless
Pastor Mark