Even IF

Intro:

Personal story:

So when I started preaching and I felt God calling me to become a youth pastor I scared like really God me why me? But one day here at Gt we used to do this event in Reading called the church at the park. So i was an upcoming preach i got excited because they asked me if I wanted to speak. I was excited so i jumped at the opportunity. But as the weeks went by I started getting afraid to do it. The thoughts in my mind kept saying your not going to do well. People are going to laugh at you. You just started what your preaching with other pastors who have been doing this for years. It got to the point where I was about to call up the director and have them pill my name out of the line up. Then one day I came to church on Sunday and out of no where Pastor Eric came to me and pulled me aside and told me he needed to tell me something. He told that God told him that I should not get in the way of Gods direction in my life and I needed to go through with this event. So I did and can i tell you something students I never would ever take it back. It changed me because I realized at that moment that it wasn't me But God in me. And he wanted to use me I just had to be courageous even If I was scared.

Tension:

Sometime we don't have to experience anything in life to get our fear going.

we can simply imagine a change going wrong, and its enough to shut us down, like

a fear of failure

or the fear of the unknown

or the fear of rejection

The list could go on and on, but you get the idea. Making a change isn't easy.

but What IF even if everything never stopped changing around us there was a way not to get knocked off by fear?

Truth:

The Jewish people are important part of the Christian faith. The were the group of people God Chose to bring forth his message and plan of salvation through.

The Jewish People in the Book of Genesis find them self facing a famine in. So the end up going to Egypt to escape this famine. They end up staying in Egypt and growing 600,000 males not counting women or children.

The Egyptians were scared that the Jewish people would out grow them and try to take over Egypt. So they in slaved them.

So the Jewish people cried out to God to rescue them. God listen and sent a Man named Moses. Now me and Moses are a lot a like why this dude had some anger issues.. Thank God he calls imperfect people to do his work so he gets all the glory.

So God Sends Moses to Lead his people of out of Egypt. God sends 10 plagues not only as judgments but also as signs to the Jewish people that he was God and he had their.

Moses takes them out of Egypt in to a journey to Land they called the promise Land. When They Get there Moses wants to check out the land. So they send 13 spies in to see what the promise land was like. Like buying a house they wanted to check it out before buying it.

Numbers 13:27 :

They gave Moses this account: “We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey! Here is its fruit. 28 But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large. We even saw descendants of Anak there.

Its was all good until noticed people were living in there

Notice what they say

the people who live there are powerful

They had big cities that seem indestructible

Numbers 13:33

33 And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.

There were Giants

The spies got into the land and saw a problem: giants and were afraid.

How many of use do this when we see thing in our life that seem bigger than we thought?

What about those promises God gives us. They seem that you feel to small to do so we become afraid?

Students can I be honest here: When you and I decide to make changes in our lives for the better we will always face giants and most of the time it comes in fear.

Most of the time we respond like the spies

Fear takes over

I cant

We wont win

They will hurt me

Gods not bigger than this

But Thank God we have two spies that show us that they have courage Even in the face of fear . Joshua and Caleb they came back with a completely different view.

Numbers 14:7-9

and said to the entire Israelite assembly, “The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. 8 If the LORD is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. 9 Only do not rebel against the LORD. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will devour them. Their protection is gone, but the LORD is with us. Do not be afraid of them.”

Their fear did not get the last word, And they knew their fear was not the end of the story. They knew God promised them this land and that God would meet them there on the other side

Here is the thing about trusting God: Its not about being scared its about following him, even though you are scared.

You can Have courage EVEN IF.......

You have anxiety

You have Fear

You are Broken

You are hurt

You are rejected

Why because the God who lives in you is bigger than all that. Even If...

Says this

God is with me even though I have anxiety

Even though I'm Scared

Even though I’m Broken

Even though I’m hurt

Even though I’m rejected by others

MY GOD IS WITH AND BECAUSE HE IS WITH ME I CAN FACE THIS AND WIN......

If we let our fears control us, they have the ability to cause us to miss out on some really good things in our life

Closing:

Stoy of me stepping out because told me to, to reconcile with my dad after 2.5 years of not talking to him.