As I came here to give you this message today I committed a sin. Oh not one of those whopper size sins that you see in the Ten Commandments, but a sin none-the less. You see as I came here to give you this message I became a bit nervous, a bit of fear gripped me. A devil of sorts whispered into my thoughts... perhaps you would not speak well... you're an old man now and you for get things so perhaps you will stumble for the right word to say... perhaps the loving believers will not like the message you give them... perhaps you will fail in your mission as a servant of the Lord.

One of my weaknesses as a minister for the Lord is my fear and my nervousness. Why do I call this a sin? I call it a sin because the Lord commands us to fear not, it is not a request or a suggestion, it is a command.

Listen to what he says in the Holy Bible.

"Fear thou not: for I am with thee" (Isaiah 41:10).
Now I ask each of you. If right this moment I were to ask you to come forward and give a sermon to the church, would you be nervousness and fearful? Perhaps some of you believe you would. Yet the Lord gives you the same command as he gives me. I am a minister but no different from any other disciple of the Lord. Public speaking is the single biggest fear among people. You see the devil works hard.

I am not talking about the kind of reasonable natural fear we have of danger that can harm our body. That fear is good; it keeps us from being foolish and getting ourselves injured or killed. I am talking about the kind of fear that keeps us from being all we can be.

The Bible tells us not to be afraid about 88 times. The Lord our God is insistent and ever remindful about this.

"I fear no evil for thou art with me." (Psalms 23:4)

"The Lord is my Shepard; I shall not want." (Psalms 23:1)

"I will never leave you nor forsake you. So we may boldly say: The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?" (Hebrews 13:5-6)

"Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand." (Isaiah 41:10)

"There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love." (1 John 4:18)

That is a very important statement that John is making. He is telling us clearly that we cannot be perfect in love... not be truly good Christians as Jesus wants us to be until we overcome our fear with love.

"In God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?" (Psalm 56:11)

"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me." (Psalms 23:4)

"Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you." (Deuteronomy 31:6)

"The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?" (Psalm 27:1)

"Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong." (1 Corinthians 16:13)

"The Lord is thy keeper: the Lord is they shade upon thy right hand.
The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.
The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul." (Psalm 27:5-7)
"For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline." (2 Timothy 1:7)
"Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened." (1 Peter 3:13-14)

You see fear is the opposite of faith... fear is the opposite of trust ... fear is the opposite of truth... fear is the opposite of love... and fear is the opposite of self-discipline. You see faith, trust, truth, love and self-discipline are all qualities we look for in the Christian heart and fear can drive all of them out.

Danger for the service of the Lord shines like Jewels in a brave person's eyes.

Let us pray

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
As it was in the beginning, is now and will always be.
For the Lord our God has said to us,
I am that I am,
I am the Alpha and the Omega,
I am the beginning and the end,
I am all there is and all there ever will be.
All glory to God, glory to God.

Dear Lord,
My fear and my nervousness has trapped and consumed me. But I am tired of living under the weight of my fears.
The verses in the Bible reassure me of your presence and confirm that you are able to deliver me from my trouble.
Please give me your love and your power to replace these fears and my nervousness.
Your perfect love casts out my fear and my nervousness.
I thank you for promising to give me the peace and a calm tranquility that only you can give me.
I receive that peace now as I ask you to still my troubled heart and remove my nervousness.
Because you are with me, I don't have to be afraid. I will fear not!
Thank you dear Lord.
Amen

Thank you for this opportunity to share my thoughts with you.

God be with you.

Reverend George V. Schubel
Interfaith Minister