Fear Not: Turning Trials into Testimonies

Three Statements of Encouragement

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But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. 2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. 3 For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I give Egypt as your ransom, Cush and Seba in exchange for you. 4 Because you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you, I give men in return for you, peoples in exchange for your life. 5 Fear not, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and from the west I will gather you. 6 I will say to the north, Give up, and to the south, Do not withhold; bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the end of the earth, 7 everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”

8 Bring out the people who are blind, yet have eyes, who are deaf, yet have ears! 9 All the nations gather together, and the peoples assemble. Who among them can declare this, and show us the former things? Let them bring their witnesses to prove them right, and let them hear and say, It is true. 10 “You are my witnesses,” declares the Lord, “and my servant whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after me

1. “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.”

1. Isaiah is giving this prophecy to the nation of Israel before the attack from the enemy had begun.

Isaiah is giving this prophecy to the nation of Israel before the attack from the enemy had begun.

Isaiah is giving this prophecy to the nation of Israel before the attack from the enemy had begun.

I have to admit that sometimes I will mentally take myself through a potential situation, a worst case scenario, so that I can imagine what it will be like after it happens. I even know some people who will read the last page of a book, first, because they always want to know how the story ends before they begin. Why do we long to know the ending?

God, in His mercy, let the Israelites know the ending first. He would redeem them even before they were put through the trials.

So, be encouraged! Today, God makes the same promise to us. Through the sacrifice of Christ, we are redeemed. If we know Jesus as our Savior, we don’t have to wonder what the final outcome will be.

16 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self[a] is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. 17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

Even when times get hard, we know that the end for us, in Christ, is paradise.

2. “2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.”

God tells the Israelites that even in the midst of the trial, He will be with them.

God has never promised that He would keep us from the trials either. His Word tells us the opposite truth.

“I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

So, be encouraged! Jesus told His disciples before his crucifixion,

“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper,[a] to be with you forever,17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be[b] in you.”

Ask for a story from the audience about a time when the Holy Spirit was evident with someone.

3. “You are my witnesses,” declares the Lord, “and my servant whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after me.”

When I think of a witness, my first thoughts go to a court trial. A witness is someone who tells their side of the story. So without a trial, you really don’t need a witness.

The nation of Israel was created by God as a people that would were to be set apart, chosen to show all the glory of the one true God. They would tell the story of God’s power and glory.

Be encouraged! Your life is also a witness to the power and glory of God.

You witness comes from your testimony, but a testimony can only come from a testing.

Explain how I found these words from Soledad.

Este pasaje hace tiempos atrás era como un contraste. ...pensaba -Cómo no temer a la hora d estar en el valle d la muerte aunque DIOS vaya con una. Les diré q ya lo he vivido, puedo decirles q ha sido la forma más extraordinaria d vivir la fidelidad de Dios hacia una: es como sentir q Él te dice, a pesar de tú ser quien eres, veo de ti lo bueno y lo malo Yo hago y llego hasta donde tenga q llegar por mostrarte mi Fidelidad. Comienzan a suceder cosas y tú reconoces q solo el Omnipotente ha hecho el milagro y cuando todos a tu alrededor esperan lo peor, se maravillan en ver el cambio y tdo lo hermoso q va aconteciendo contigo. En el tiempo de Dios y sus propósitos con nuestras vidas el ser humano no tiene parte no suerte. Les amo, les bendigo. Les animó a enfrentar ese problema con la fe de que él no te abandonará. Que se vaya el temor. Su Palabra es verdad. Soy una. Bendecisa de Papá. A Él sea la gloria!!!!!

This passage was once a contradiction. ... I thought - How not to fear when it comes to being in the valley of death even though GOD goes with you. I will tell you that I have already lived it, I can tell you that it has been the most extraordinary way to live with the faithfulness of God: it is like feeling Him tell you, in spite of you being who you are, I see the good and the bad about you...I do, and I go where I need to go to show you my faithfulness. Things begin to happen and you recognize that only the Almighty has done the miracle and when everyone around you expects the worst, they marvel at seeing the change and how beautiful it is, this thing happening to you. In the time of God and His purposes with our lives, luck has no part. I love you, I bless you. He encouraged us to our problems with the faith that He will not abandon you. Let fear go. His Word is true. I am my Father’s blessed one. To Him be the glory !!!!!

Soledad’s life was a witness and an encouragement of how God turns a trial into a testimony.