1. Sometimes a blessing is not just the things that is celebrated.
Sometimes a blessing is really the moment of pain and turmoil because of what it would produce.
Life will knock you down and laugh at you life will hit you when you're trying to live for Jesus life is no respecter of persons but that's when you say you know what I'm getting up I'm not going to quit I'm not I may get knocked down nine times but I'm going to get up 10 times and I'm not going to quit in the words of the great theologian Rocky Balboa here's what it is and I quote it's not how hard you can hit that makes you a winner but it's how hard you can get hit and get up and keep going the devil will hit you life will hit you I may get knocked down but bless.
God I'm getting up I'm not gonna quit you fall down sometimes you mess up and God picks you up brushes you off if you belong to Jesus he will never leave you nor forsake you even when you mess up whatever comes my way I don't want you but I'm not afraid of you because I've got a God who's going to pick me up and carry me home God said in Isaiah when you go through the waters I will be with you when you go through the rivers they will not overwhelm you when you walk through the fire you will not be burned it's interesting that God didn't say I'll keep you out of every fire you won't have to face any floods no he said the challenges will come there will be adversities and things we don't understand but the whole key to this verse is when he said I will be with you in the fire in the flood in the famine is it a greater testimony that God kept you out of the fire or that he came with you in the fire and brought you through it there are over 6000 promises in the bible let me just show you a few of them the first one is Isaiah chapter 43 verse 2 God says this when you go through deep waters.
I will be with you when you pass through rivers of difficulty you will not drown when you walk through the fire you will not be burned up it will not consume you God is with us and he loves us you're not in it by yourself you're not alone I would rather walk with God with none of my questions answered than to walk through life without him and know all the answers David said though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil why because you are with me when you know God is with you when you've invited him into your situation you'll have a smile in the middle of the difficulty you'll have a song of praise in the prison like Paul and Silas you won't be complaining about the trouble worried about when it's going to work out you'll be at peace in the midst of the storm you have to do like David father thank you that you were with me right here in this valley I'm not going to live afraid and worried.
I may not see a way but I know you have a way even though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death the dark times he says I will fear no evil for what thou what art with me it is the fact and the assurance that God is with us that makes all the difference he says I will never leave you nor forsake you when you and I are walking through dark times the first thing to remember is this God is with us friend God is always ahead of us he's got everything under control he's working everything in his absolute perfect timing he has a purpose for every single solitary thing Hebrews 13:5 I this is God talking I will never leave you and I will never abandon you he says this over and over and over again from Genesis to the end of the bible all scriptures God says I will never abandon you now you may have been abandoned in life by a spouse or a parent you maybe you've been rejected.
But God's never going to abandon you God is never going to reject you we are tempted to think that God has forgotten us it is impossible for God to forget you in fact here's what the bible says Isaiah 49:15 God says this can a mother forget the baby at her breast or a child that she has born the answer is obviously no no woman could not be nursing a baby and forget the baby at the same time obviously not he said even if that were possible I will never forget you look I have engraved you on the palms of my hands.
God says I have engraved you on the palms of my hands so I can't forget you a lot of people get tattoos to remember somebody they love God has a tattoo of you I have engraved you on the palms of my hands where did he get that tattoo on the cross with nails pierced hands outstretched arms he said this is how much I love you I love you this much I love you so much it hurts I love you so much I'd rather die than live without you .
I love you so much this is how much we live in peace even when life doesn't make sense because we know that God is with us and God loves us and he'll never stop loving us and he'll never forget us when he's with you you cannot be defeated you and God are a majority he is a supernatural God he's not limited by the fire by the floods by the famines what should take you out cannot stop your destiny that obstacle may be too much for you but it is not too much for our God right now, he is pushing back forces of darkness, he's keeping the fire from burning you he's not letting those waters drown you he's your protector your deliverer your waymaker your healer your provider you don't have to do this on your own you don't have to figure everything out you're not going to know all the details you have to walk by faith and not by sight knowing that he's right there with you, that he's promised everything is going to be all right for you sure the waves may be big but you have an advantage the God who controls the universe is right there with you Jesus is there in this difficult moment in your marriage in this trying moment in your finances in this struggle on your job in this difficulty in this relationship.
You're rubbing corners with your boss or your spouse or this struggle you're having on your university campus or in your high school campus this hard time that you were having he is there I'm talking about where you can look back over your circumstances and realize that his fingerprints were all throughout that thing I'm talking about where you can see footprints in the sand as you actually recognize that God was walking beside you the whole way I'm talking about what other people call coincidence encounters you see the sovereign hand of God that was aligning your footsteps and setting you in the right place at the exact right time the manifest presence of God he will never leave you nor forsake you.
365 times the Bible says fear not That's a fear not for every day of the year. Fear paralyzes it makes you spiritually immobile. Fear produces pain when there is no hurt fear bind without cords Fear hinders what hell can't halt Fear binds your friend and loses your enemy. What faith does to God fear does to the devil. Fear see's obstacles not opportunities Fear is a magnet to call in everything opposite of what God wants to do in your life that's why Job said the thing that I feared the most has come upon me When you enter into a life of fear, you attract the thing that you hate We do not have to fear Because when God is near we don't have to live a life tormented with fear. To Zachariah the message was fear not your prayers have been heard.
To Mary the message was fear not Mary, don't be afraid because you have found divine favor with God to the Shepherd's the message was fear not Exceeding great joy is coming in your future and to the message to Joseph was fear not what is happening in your life is being birthed by the Holy Spirit Himself. Fear not because your prayers have been heard Fear not because you have obtained the divine favor of God upon your life fear not because exceeding joy is coming in your future and fear not because what God is doing is supernaturally birthing something in and through you by the power of the Holy Spirit. Great joy is coming don't rejoice about just what you've got.
2. Rejoice about what you got rid of
And I'm here today to tell you you don't have to be afraid because your past is pardoned Fear not because your present is powerful But don't stop there fear not because your future is promised have you forgotten that we're headed to a city Where the lamb is the light and there is no sorrow there is no tears. There is no sickness death or dying fear not death fear not devils fear not disease fear not calamity why because He is Emmanuel Emmanuel means three things. He's God in us. He's God with us but many of you forgotten the third thing he's God who is for us God is not just with you and in you but somebody needs to hear this today God is for you. He knows what you've done.
He knows who you are, and he still wants you to know I'm not against you. I'm with you. I'm in you and I am for you. Stop thinking I'm trying to get you back I'm for you, I'm for you the realization of the presence of the Lord with us what a great comfort to have the Lord say don't be afraid I am with you Paul writing to the Romans said if God be for us who can be against us David said I'm not gonna fear because the Lord is with me. The prophet Isaiah said fear not for I am with you be not dismayed for I am your God I will strengthen you I will help you.
Yes, I will uphold you by the right hand of my righteousness Are you going through uncertain times right now Are you troubled about the future as you seek the Lord and as you commit your ways to him He's promised to be with you. He said I will never leave you or forsake you I am with you always even to the end of the world David said I will not be afraid of what man can do to me for the Lord is on my side you with David can confidently face the Giants of this world Who may come against you with the sword and the shield but you come against them in the name of the Living God the Lord is with me The Lord is with me to help me.
The Lord is with me to guide me. He's with me to strengthen me He's with me to deliver me from the enemy God said my ways are not your ways my ways are beyond your finding out And in those places where we don't know we just have to trust ourselves to the wisdom of God. You're wise and I'm just trusting you Lord and I find comfort I find rest. The fear in the apprehension leaves As I put it back in his hand and say well Lord. I am yours, I know you're in control of these situations And though I don't know why Yet Lord I trust you And I'm confident that you have a plan and a purpose far beyond anything that I can see God is for you and if God is for you who cares who's against you If you're under the divine favor of God. How can man stop you God can do more than I can say God can do more than I can believe that God can do more than I can imagine.
But it has to come in my life there has to come Something where the spirit of fear gets broken off Fear not that you're gonna go back to what God brought you out of Fear not that you're gonna get cancer or the cancers coming back Fear not that bad things are going to happen to you. That's not the voice of the Holy Spirit Fear not that your children are going to be harmed in some horrible accident. Here's what I feel like saying today. You will have that baby You will live and not die You are going to get married if you will wait on the Lord in the timing of the Lord and it will be blessed, don't let fear dominate your life.
I rebuke fear fear not It's going to be alright He is not giving you the spirit of fear That attacks your mind and your body and you live wondering what's gonna happen today. He's not giving you a spirit of fear, but as a power and of love and of a sound mind I guess what I'm saying is don't go to the funeral until something's dead. We're burying stuff that's not dead Some of you buried your vision and your dreams and you call and it's not even dead. Quit trying to bury things that are still alive I said fear not Man, enjoy your life.
Why are you here And I tell you I think that it's time to celebrate what didn't happen A lot of things could have happened and a lot of things should have happened. But here you sit by the goodness of God, and I know you're thankful for all that God has done but I think when we get to heaven we're gonna shout over more what what didn't happen then what did happen when we get to see the full picture of how God held back the enemy and protected and didn't let us get things that we thought we had to have But God said I won't let it happen because that's not my best for you.
You say thank you for what didn't happen God wants us to become so grateful for what he has done in what he didn't let happen because the real antidote To panic is praise. The antidote to worry is worship. And that's why every one of those people that had a fear and the angel came and said fear not because your prayers have been answered. Fear not because there's great joy coming in your life fear not because you're under the divine Favor of God fear not because the Holy Spirit is moving in your life to bring the past the thing God wants to birth through you fear not because the Emmanuel is in you with you and for you. The way to defeat fear is to begin to magnify God Magnify means you make him bigger than your fear. I don't want you afraid of tomorrow, I want you to lift up your head and I want you to walk in confidence knowing that your prayers have been heard knowing fear not the divine favor of God is on you.