Trusting
God Instead of Fears
Psalm 62:1-2
Subject: Trusting God
Introduction:
Are you feeling inadequate or uncertain about yourself?
Do you feel insufficient about your physical appearance, spiritual growth, relationships,
financial stability, or even professional skills?
Failures can drive feelings of insecurity encouraging
us to become too critical/extremely faultfinding of ourselves. Even though we
may be talented and treasured, you tell yourself otherwise.
Fear in the form of insecurity can become a vicious
circle. If you feel bad about how you look or doubt your value, you may shy
away from social situations or shun experiences that would test your abilities.
And in doing so, you cripple or even wreck your potential for effectiveness,
victory, and interrelationship.
What is the further impact of being insecure? 1) You’ll
have difficulty trusting others. 2) You may feel paranoid in many things and
worry people are coming over to get you. 3) You may be mistakenly perceived as superior
or conceited when trying too hard to cover up your insecurity. 4) You may feel
at times like panicking over small issues and exaggerating the problems.
Message:
Psalm 62:1, Truly my soul waiteth upon God:
from him cometh my salvation.
“Truly” implies the
presence of fears, worry and anxiety rooted in a measure of uncertainty. There
appears to have been a battle with such fears, but the Psalmist emerges with a
sense of affirmation. He is now asserting the reality of his exclusive confidence
trust in the Lord.
I.
Fears are the Basis for
These Challenges.
A. Fear.
Fear is an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or
something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat. To fear is to be
afraid of (someone or something) as likely to be dangerous, painful, or
threatening. (from Oxford Languages)
B. Worry. Worry
is a state of anxiety and uncertainty over actual or potential problems. Worry
gives way to anxiety or unease; allows one's mind to dwell on difficulty or
troubles. (from Oxford Languages)
C. Anxiety.
Anxiety is a feeling of fear, dread, and uneasiness. It might cause you to
sweat, feel restless and tense, and have a rapid heartbeat. It can be a normal
reaction to stress. For example, you might feel anxious when faced with a
difficult problem at work, before taking a test, or before making an important
decision. (From MedlinePlus)
1. Why
do I feel the need to be in control?
2. Several
things can drive controlling behavior. The most common are anxiety and
personality disorders. People with anxiety disorders feel a need to control
everything around them in order to feel at peace. They may not trust anyone
else to handle things the way they will. (from WebMD)
D. Uncertainty. Uncertainty
encompasses something that is uncertain or that causes one to feel uncertain. It is suspicion expressing a
lack of faith in the truth, reality, fairness, or reliability of something or
someone.
1. It
is doubt, skepticism, suspicion, or mistrust
pointing to a lack of sureness about someone or something. Uncertainty may
range from a falling short of certainty to an almost complete lack of
conviction or knowledge especially about an outcome or result. (From Merriam-Webster)
2. What
brings uncertainty? Uncertainty is
the result of having limited knowledge about an occurrence or event,
making it difficult to control, plan, or predict a future outcome, which can
often be distressing. (From umich.edu)
E. Insecurity. Insecurity
is uncertainty or anxiety about oneself; it is lack of confidence. It is a vulnerability, the mindset
of being open to danger or a threatening condition. Insecurity is a perceived lack
of protection. (from Oxford Languages)
1. It
is often a feeling of inadequacy (not being good enough) and uncertainty.
It produces anxiety about your goals, relationships, and ability to handle
certain situations. Everybody deals with insecurity from time to time. It can
appear in all areas of life and come from a variety of causes. (from WebMD)
2. The
Lord called Gideon a “mighty man of valor” (Jud.
6:12) even though he was insecure and fearful. Jesus likened Peter a stable and
steadfast rock even though he was a pebble and kept crumbling. God called
Abraham “father of many nations” when he had no
children. Sarah was called a “mother of nations”
even though she “laughed” and mocked the Lord
for being childless. (Based on Gen. 17 & 18 and Insight for Living)
3. God knows
that people are insecure for various reasons. Moses, Gideon, and
Abram expressed their insecurities in different ways. But, what does
God says about insecurities? We can
conquer insecurity the same way we do any temptation rooted in our carnality
and flesh. 1 Corinthians 10:13, There hath no
temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is
faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but
will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to
bear it.
i. God
promises that we can, in the power of the Holy Spirit, respond to any given
temptation by resisting it. Finally, Paul adds to this promise that God will
always make a way of escape out of whatever temptation stands before us. So, we
not only come to it, but we can go through it also!
ii. What
is the prayer for 1 Corinthians 10:13? Father, forgive me O Lord for my past sin, and by your grace and
through your Word, strengthen me with your Holy Spirit so that I too may
overcome the temptations that Satan uses to sever my fellowship with you.
Through the name of my Protector and Redeemer, Jesus Christ, I ask this. Amen.
II.
God Answers our Fears and
Insecurities with Promises.
A. What
causes our insecurity? There is no one cause of insecurity; many factors can lead to the
condition. Insecurity may stem from a traumatic event, crisis such as divorce
or bankruptcy, or a loss. It can also result from one’s environment, as
unpredictability or upset in daily life can cause anxiety and insecurity about
ordinary, routine events.
B. What
Does the Bible say when I’m feeling insecure? Some
Supportive Verses against Fears and Insecurity….
1. Ephesians 1:4-6. Remember who you are in the Lord,
your spiritual identity.
2. Romans 8:31-32. Count on the fact that God is for you.
He is with, in, and for you! If he is for you, then nothing can stand against
you. He's given his Son for you. And not just in the past. Jesus, the risen Son
of God right now is at the right hand of God interceding for you. And nothing
in this world can separate you from his love for you.
3. 1 John 3:1. Take God’s view of yourself as a person
he loves and calls His child.
a. What
is the love of the father? The
Father's love for us is nowhere clearer and more compelling than in the sending
of his only Son—freely, unprompted, and undeserved. The same Scriptures
proclaiming Christ's love in dying also reveal the immense love of the Father
as the sending source. He so loved us that he gave his only begotten Son (John
3:16).
b. How
great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be
called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does
not know us is that it did not know him.
4. 1 John 4:18. Embrace the truth that God’s perfect
love removes all kinds of fears. The ultimate punishment or fear is separation
from God. Thankfully, for those who believe in Jesus, that fear has passed. We
need to learn to accept the reality of His love for us, so that our fears do
not control us. If you're afraid of facing a person or a situation in your
life, God's love can help you put your fears to rest.
5. 1 Corinthians 6:11. Take inventory of what you have in
Christ as a person who is washed, sanctified, and justified.
6. Matthew 10:29-31. Do not fear the circumstances
because God values his people greatly. His involvement, power, control,
meticulousness, and wisdom prove he highly values us.
7. Psalm 139:13-14. Devote yourself to worship and
praise God for victory. I will dedicate myself to God’s praise because he is my
Creator and I marvel at his exploits.
III.
God Wants Us to Place our
Faith in Him in the Most Unique and Complete Way.
A.
This Involves an Inner Trust. Psalm 62:1, says, “My soul waiteth upon God”….
1. “My soul” speaks of the inner life or a person…the seat
of our emotions and passions and the activity of the mind. Trusting God includes
the essence of the real me. I cannot fake this or pretend with him…this must
come from my soul…my heart and resolve are to be available NOW! My expectations,
my inner life, my interior being is present instantly, attentively, and
immediately! Fix your mind and heart on the Lord. Focus on him instead of your
fears and insecurities. He provides a healthy place to concentrate your
thoughts and emotions.
2. “Waiteth” points to rest or finding rest. It is a
silent, still, repose of still waiting quietly on the Lord for deliverance.
a. To
wait quietly entails believing God will triumph someday if not today. In his
timing he will make thing right. I am to get out of the way but be responsible
to trust him to exercise good judgment, fairness, and justice.
b. Why
wait on the Lord? The Psalmist speaks of the longings of his soul when he says,
“My soul waiteth upon God” (Psalm 62:1). This
recognizes God’s authority which helps me to be patient and to anticipate God’s
work/timing with assurance. Waiting is also about what we will become as we
wait. In calling us to wait, God is rescuing us from our bondage to our own
plan, our own wisdom, our own power, our own control. Then we wait because the
Lord has orchestrated our lives; our times are in the hands of the Lord, and we
know it. We are hemmed in by God, totally given over to Him.
c. What
is the power of waiting upon the Lord? Waiting upon the Lord prepares us to receive the blessings He wants to
give us. God will fulfill His promises in our lives, and as we wait patiently,
we will receive what he promised (Heb. 6:15; Ps. 37:9;
Matt. 5:5). Trust him to renew spiritual strength, the strength to
endure, stand and carry on.
B. This
Involves a Complete Trust. Again Psalm 62:1, says, “upon God”
1. “God” in this verse is viewed as our Creator, Ruler,
and Judge. This is not merely waiting on anyone or anything, but our unique
Creator, Ruler, and Judge, Elohim alone and only (see also verse 2, 5, 6-8). The one who created me
for himself, rules over me by his standard, and who holds me accountable is
worthy of our trust. Our help is the all-powerful eternal God of heaven!
2. Then
in Psalm 62:2, it says, “He only is my rock and my
salvation” then verse 5, says, “my soul, wait
thou only upon God.” Rest in God alone, because “my expectation” or hope “is
from him” that is it comes from Him. God is our only true refuge!
3. Compare
verse 2, “I shall not be greatly moved” with
verse 6, “I shall not be moved”, and we
immediately notice an improvement or a progression. The Psalmist moves from a
more tenuous condition to a position of assurance and affirmation. We can
expect to follow a similar pattern as we grow in our ability to trust God
completely with our fears and insecurities. God is pleased with such growth.
As we end this thought, we are often tempted to give
in to our fears and insecurities, but the Lord presents Himself as the only
viable alternative to our fears. Whether insecurities related to physical
appearance, spiritual growth, relationships, financial stability, or even
professional skills, Psalm 62 says trust God instead. David asserted to us that
the Eternal God of heaven is the Source of his personal security, therefore he
could not be shaken!
Finally, one more truth about trust should be
observed. The evidence that we all have sinned is the fact that we die
physically. Physical death is also indicative of a human condition of pervasive
spiritual separation from God. Eternal death is suffering forever in the Lake
of Fire.
God promises to save all who will acknowledge their
sins to Him while trusting Jesus Christ as their Savior. You see, sin is
defined as violations of God’s Laws. We have put idols before the true and
living God. We are guilty of taking God’s Name in vain. We have not honored our
parents fully and always. We have not treated people with real love and respect
exclusively. We do not measure up to the perfection of God’s standard of
morality. We NEED His forgiveness...He offers us forgiveness not condemnation.
With this being the case...condemnation is something you chose by refusing
Christ.
We are all guilty of transgressing God’s Law. We all
have gone beyond the limitations established by God in the Bible, and as a
result we must now be punished for our awful sin. We are all facing the death
penalty. The only hope is God’s forgiveness made available to each of us
through faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Beloved, it was Jesus who died
for our sins, was buried because he actually did die and satisfied the death
penalty against sin. He also rose again the third day exactly as he repeatedly
stated he would. Yes, the Lord Jesus Christ conquered death, hell, sin, and
Satan through his cross and resurrection. He is alive to save you if you turn
to him confessing your sin and receiving his sacrifice for you (Rom. 10:8-17).
Trust the living Lord Jesus as Savior to be forgiven as God promised.
Jesus is not motivated to condemn, but to help us see our incredible need for God’s
forgiveness. Do not put your trust in a church, a membership, a denominational
affiliation, a ritual or ceremony, a work of service, yourself, or a religious
creed. These methods will only fail…. Trust Jesus, the Savior.
No comments:
Post a Comment