DEALING WITH MY EMOJIS – Part 1

Fear

May 17, 2020
Randy Hageman

A national survey said right now many Americans are feeling

and

Reveal Answer

.

There are no such things as “

” feelings – we feel what we feel – but what we do with those feelings, how we let them either inform us or deform us, is what really matters.

Joshua was a member of the tribe of Ephraim, born into

in Egypt in the time before Moses led the Israelites into the wilderness.

Then Amalek came and fought with Israel at Rephidim. So Moses said to Joshua, ‘Choose for us men, and go out and fight with Amalek.…’ —Exodus 17:8-9 (ESV)

Thus the LORD used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend. When Moses turned again into the camp, his assistant Joshua the son of Nun, a young man, would not depart from the tent.—Exodus 33:11 (ESV)

And Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes and said to all the congregation of the people of Israel, ‘The land, which we passed through to spy it out, is an exceedingly good land. If the LORD delights in us, he will bring us into this land and give it to us, a land that flows with milk and honey. Only do not rebel against the LORD. And do not fear the people of the land, for they are bread for us. Their protection is removed from them, and the LORD is with us; do not fear them.’ —Numbers 14:6-9 (ESV)

All through these experiences Joshua had had Moses

him and he felt God’s strength through his relationship with Moses.

The Lord God commanded that Moses designate and commission

to take his place and lead the Israelites into the Promised Land.

And Moses did as the LORD commanded him. He took Joshua and made him stand before Eleazar the priest and the whole congregation, and he laid his hands on him and commissioned him as the LORD directed through Moses. —Numbers 27:22-23 (ESV)

Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the sight of all Israel, ‘Be strong and courageous, for you shall go with this people into the land that the LORD has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall put them in possession of it. It is the LORD who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.’ —Deuteronomy 31:7-8 (ESV)

And the LORD commissioned Joshua the son of Nun and said, ‘Be strong and courageous, for you shall bring the people of Israel into the land that I swore to give them. I will be with you.’ —Deuteronomy 31:23 (ESV)

What phrase keeps getting repeated in these passages?

After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD said to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, ‘Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to the people of Israel. Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses. From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun shall be your territory. No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you. Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.’ —Joshua 1:1-9 (ESV)

For forty years Joshua has had Moses leading him personally, but now, with the death of Moses and God telling him it’s time to move into the Promised Land, it’s all on

shoulders.

A FEW TYPES OF FEAR:
• The fear of

• The fear of

• The fear of

change

• The fear of

control

• The fear of being

• The fear of

Fear can

us from the truth.

When we run from things that scare us, we often move

danger rather than away from it.

WHAT DO WE DO WITH OUR FEARS?

(1)

yourself to God.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. —Proverbs 3:5-6 (NLT)

Jesus: ‘Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.’ —Matthew 6:33 (NLT)

These aren’t trite sayings and Scriptures – they are at the core of what it means to be a follower and disciple of Jesus Christ – putting him first as a

lifestyle!

(2) Stop

to the voices of fear.

Jesus: ‘… [The devil] was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies.’ —John 8:44 (NLT)
Jesus: ‘The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.’ —John 10:10 (NLT)

Sometimes we’ve gotten so used to those voices that we don’t even realize that they are our

speaking rather than God.

Our fears often take us out to the

-case scenario.

(3)

your mind with God’s promises.

When the train goes through the tunnel and the world gets dark, do you jump out? Of course not. You sit still and trust the engineer to get you through. —Corrie ten Boom

…Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.’ —Joshua 1:9 (ESV)
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 (ESV)

But as for me, I will sing about your power. Each morning I will sing with joy about your unfailing love. For you have been my refuge, a place of safety when I am in distress. —Psalms 59:16 (NLT)

Jesus: ‘I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.’ —John 16:33 (NLT)
For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. —Romans 8:38-39 (ESV)
In my distress I called to the LORD; he answered me and set me free. The LORD is with me, I will not be afraid; what can anyone do to me? —Psalms 118:5-6 (TEV)

(4)

the ways God has worked.

The key is establishing ways to remember the ways God

worked in our lives and the lives of others.

When all the nation had finished passing over the Jordan, the LORD said to Joshua, ‘Take twelve men from the people, from each tribe a man, and command them, saying, “Take twelve stones from here out of the midst of the Jordan, from the very place where the priests’ feet stood firmly, and bring them over with you and lay them down in the place where you lodge tonight.”’ Then Joshua called the twelve men from the people of Israel, whom he had appointed, a man from each tribe. And Joshua said to them, ‘Pass on before the ark of the LORD your God into the midst of the Jordan, and take up each of you a stone upon his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the people of Israel, that this may be a sign among you. When your children ask in time to come, “What do those stones mean to you?” then you shall tell them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD. When it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So these stones shall be to the people of Israel a memorial forever.’ And the people of Israel did just as Joshua commanded…. —Joshua 4:1-8 (ESV)

God’s plan is to grow us increasingly into the image and likeness of Jesus, and that doesn’t usually happen when we’re in a

, so God allows changes to come into our lives to challenge us and help us learn how to remember all He’s done, in order to

Reveal Answer

us!

Fear is natural, but faith acts in spite of those fears, and that’s often the very time God

Himself and grows us.

… Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.’ —Joshua 1:9 (ESV)

Next Week: Sadness