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NO FEAR IN THE NEW YEAR

January 3, 2024

Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.” So we can say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?” Hebrews 13:5-6 NLT


1. GOD IS WITH YOU. You are never alone. I love the verse above – it talks about being free from preoccupation with material things and instead trusting the source of your provision – God – who will never fail you. The most precious treasure in our lives is our relationship with God. Let’s get enthusiastic and fresh about Him and sow daily toward this wonderful connection. 
 
2. GOD IS ON YOUR SIDE. “The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can [mere] man do to me?” (Psalm 118:6 AMP). God did not send Jesus into the world to condemn or reject us, but so we might find salvation and be made safe and sound through Him (John 3:17). 
 
3. GOD IS IN YOU. “Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4b). There are over 100 verses on being “in Christ” or “Christ in us” – take time to study this wonderful truth!
 
4. GOD IS UPON YOU. “The Lord will rise upon you and His glory will appear upon you” (Isaiah 60:2). When God’s presence gets on us, things change. People could tell that John and Peter had been with Jesus (Acts 4:13). This is what it’s all about – being filled with the Spirit and going out and being His witnesses (Acts 1:8).
 
5. GOD IS BESIDE YOU. “The Lord stands beside me like a great warrior” (Jeremiah 20:11a NLT). There’s an invincibility to the tone of this. He is right there beside you, so you will not be moved (Psalm 16:8). 
 
6. GOD IS BENEATH YOU. “The eternal God is a hiding place, and underneath are the everlasting arms” (Deuteronomy 33:27a). God is a safety net for us. He’s not doing fake trust falls. He is the solid rock, the chief cornerstone, the eternal stable one, who is abiding and present in your situation. 
 
7. GOD GOES BEFORE YOU. “You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head” (Psalm 139:5 NLT). God does more than stay a step or two ahead. He dwells in eternity and knows more about the future and the end of a thing than we do about the beginning.
 
8. GOD IS YOUR REAR GUARD. “You will not leave in a hurry, running for your lives. For the Lord will go ahead of you; yes, the God of Israel will protect you from behind (Isaiah 52:12 NLT). Another translation calls Him “your rear guard” (NKJV). Having a rear guard is important because the devil loves to bring up past failures and sins to us. But the blood of Jesus has truly cleansed us and given us a fresh, new beginning. You can trust God, stand on His promises, and go into the new year with confidence, knowing that Jesus has your back! 

Happy New Year!
Pastor Jeff Perry

PRAY THIS PRAYER: 
God, thank You for being with me. You will never fail or abandon me. I say with confidence, You are my helper, so I will have no fear! I repent of everything I need to repent of and receive the redemptive work of what Jesus did. I draw near to You. May this next year be everything You desire and have designed. Help me not to be distracted but to be sensitive to you. I trust You today, in Jesus’ name, Amen. 
 

con·fi·dence, noun
The state of one that confides: trust, reliance, belief. The state of feeling sure: certitude. An object of faith or reliance. 

Copyright © 2023 St. Louis Family Church, All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reprinted or distributed in any form without prior written permission of St. Louis Family Church. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked AMP are taken from the Amplified® Bible, Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. lockman.org. Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
“Confidence, N. (1).” Webster’s Third New International Dictionary, C. & G. Merriam CO., 1971, p. 475-476.