What is it in the future that has you afraid? You’re afraid of what may happen … or you’re afraid it may never happen.
Did you know God’s most often repeated instruction to us is “do not fear”. Wow. He knew we would struggle with this. So again and again, he reminds us, don’t be afraid of that, don’t worry about that, don’t stress over that, don’t paint painful pictures and sing sad songs about things that haven’t even happened yet. But, we do struggle, don’t we?
Research shows about 85% of the things we worry about never even happen. What a sad waste.
But my friend, our worry about the future is a failure in one major thing … we’ve forgotten God is already there. God is not limited by time and space. He is here, he is there, and he is everywhere … all the time. He holds the first day of your life and the final day of your life, both within complete view at the same time. There’s no where in time he hasn’t always been, or isn’t already in for the future.
He’s already there.
And because God is already there, he’s already made a way for you through it. He’s already accounted for every hardship, every struggle and every step. He is there, and he is here, right now.
Isaiah 41:10, “Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.”
Can’t God do that? Isn’t he capable of getting you through every single thing you will ever have to walk through? Isn’t he able to strengthen you to do impossible things with supernatural joy? Honey, he’s not only able to do it … he’s promised to do it for you. You can count on it. He will be right there with you, bringing you through to victory.
The problem is, human minds cannot conceive the full victory of God. We’re so consumed with here and now, while God sees well beyond the things we’ve even dared to imagine. He’s seen the end from the very beginning, and he knows that’s not really the end. The end for us IS the victory. One day this will all be over, and while that may be a scary thought right now, the truth is, that’s the greatest news ever. There’s an eternity in a perfect paradise awaiting each of us who have accepted Jesus as our savior.
We know that, don’t we? Yes – but honestly sometimes that doesn’t make our fears about this life seem any less. How does that solve the problems you’re facing now? How does that help with the things that kept you up last night?
Ahhhh, we constantly limit God and put him in our little box. God isn’t limited to just offering eternity to us, he deals in the here and now too. When he sent his son Jesus to die for us, it wasn’t just about our future destiny in Heaven, it was also about this life, today. Jesus said in John 10:10, “I have come so that you may have life and have it to the full.” My friend, that includes NOW. Jesus is for TODAY too.
The fullness of life Jesus offers is for this place in your life right now, the next phase you’re unsure of, and the promised eternity afterwards. ALL of it. Jesus is for every day of your existence. You never have to live a single moment without him because there’s never a single moment of your life he hasn’t already worked through. While he’s here with you today, he’s already ahead of you knowing where this goes next. He’s already in your best day and your hardest day, just as he was in your first day and will certainly be in your last day.
He was there. He is here. And he will be there. Always. Forever. You will never, ever be alone.
Now what I love to do is take a scripture and read it in several different translations. I use the website biblehub.com to read dozens of translations all together. I also have several different translations downloaded on my Bible app, so I can easily switch back and forth on a specific scripture. Let’s read today’s scripture (Isaiah 41:10) in a few different translations.
MSG: Don’t panic, I’m with you. There’s no need to fear for I’m your God. I’ll give you strength. I’ll help you. I’ll hold you steady, keep a firm grip on you.
You may think you don’t have the strength, but honey, God is giving you HIS strength. The strength that moves mountains. The strength that breaks chains. The strength that tears down prison walls. The strength that parts seas. That’s the kind of strength being given to you. That’s what is helping you. That’s what is holding you steady. It’s there for you. There’s no reason for you to panic. Not with strength like that.
This is how you get up and move forward with confidence. This is how you keep going. God has given you that strength. Now, he expects you to use it!
The funny thing about strength is, you use it or you lose it. Muscles atrophy quickly without use. If you don’t do what you can do, you will eventually lose that ability and no longer be able to do it for no other reason than you didn’t do it while you could. If you took perfectly good, healthy working legs, and you laid them in a bed and refused to get up for a several months, those healthy working legs would turn into useless limbs without the strength to do anything. Muscles literally atrophy within 2 to 3 weeks of not using them.
So here God is offering you his strength within you … but if you don’t use it, you begin to atrophy. You become less and less capable, less and less confident, and more and more stuck.
The strength is here for you, honey … use it! Stop panicking and start using the strength God has given you.
TPT: Do not yield to fear, for I am always near. Never turn your gaze from me, for I am your faithful God. I will infuse you with my strength and help you in every situation. I will hold you firmly with my victorious right hand.
Oh, I love that … do not YIELD to fear. What does a yield sign mean? It means you wait and let whatever is coming pass first. It means look, then if absolutely nothing is in your way you proceed with caution. And God is saying, STOP LOOKING AT YOUR FEAR. Stop waiting for it to pass. Get in front of that fear with faith. Stop looking for what may go wrong. You’re creating the anxiety here.
With God, that fear has to get behind you. You don’t yield to it, it yields to you. You’re a mighty force of power with God as your focus, now move forward! Every single situation you will ever face is already guaranteed to come with the personal help of God. Did you hear that? Let me say it again.
EVERY SINGLE SITUATION YOU WILL EVER FACE IS ALREADY GUARANTEED TO COME WITH THE PERSONAL HELP OF GOD.
Imagine you don’t personally have a ton of money, but I do. Now imagine I’m your very generous sister. Imagine that I have not only promised, but I have proven I will always help you when you need it. Wouldn’t that take away your worry about money? Yes! Why? Because the one you know has money has promised and proven they will help you.
THIS IS WHAT WE HAVE IN GOD. But not just with resources, with every thing. He has wisdom, answers and guidance. He has solutions and healing. He has restoration and next right steps. He has provision and he has protection. He has everything. And he’s already proven he is a generous God. Seriously, he gave his son for you, what more wouldn’t he do?
And this is the promise and the proof you live with every single day. There’s absolutely no reason to yield to fear and be stuck waiting for it to pass. No, you move forward and tell fear to get behind you. You have been infused with the supernatural strength to overcome. You are being held steady by a hand that never shakes.
Your worries and fears paint a picture of a future without that hand. But God’s hand will never leave you. Ever.
The one who has all the healing, all the answers, all the next steps, all the provision, all the strength, all the blessings … this is the one who has said, “I AM WITH YOU. I WILL HELP YOU.”
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