Battling Fear Part 2

Nick Minerva • May 16, 2021

In the last post we saw how the person of God give us courage over our fear. So in this post we will continue working through Psalm 27 to see how the presence of God give us courage over our fears.

The Presence of God Gives Us Courage

In verses 4-12 se see David talking to himself and to God about the presence of God.

God’s presence is protective – it guards us from our fear – vs. 4-6

In these verses we see David asked for one thing while facing his enemies. And it wasn’t a way out…It was the presence of God. The majesty of God outshines the cause of our fears. 

David says “God it’s in your majestic, beautiful presence I find protection. I find refuge. I find shelter.”

We are secure in God. Nothing that we experience, no matter how terrifying, can remove us out from under his protection. And notice the protective presence of God was experienced in corporate worship. In verses 4-6 we see David talking about elements of corporate worship.

This shows us David experienced the protection of God and it lead him to hold his head high while he confidently worshiped his king. Joyfully, loudly, worshiping his majestic and protecting God. As we prioritize this type of confident, joy-filled corporate worship we drown out our fears with a greater reality – the majesty and protection of God! Corporate worship pulls us out of our fear and reminds us what is really true. 

God’s presence is constant – it never leaves us to our fear – vs. 7-10

But it’s one thing to experience the emotional high of a great corporate worship service. What about Thursday morning? What about after you have had a lousy week and nothing is going your way? In fact the things you were afraid of happened! Then what? Look at verse 10.

Psalm 27:10 Even if my father and mother abandon me, the LORD cares for me.

The same God who filled you with confidence on Sunday morning as you held your head high in worship, the same God who overwhelmed you with his majesty and outshined all your fears, that same God is with you even when everything is going “wrong.”

I love verse 10. It says “ Even if my father and mother abandon me… ” Even then, God is caring for you. Hebrews 13 tells us because he will never abandon us we don’t have to be afraid because no one can truly harm us. 1

Because God’s presence will never leave you, you can live courageously. This doesn’t mean we pretend things are all good when they aren’t or that we ignore what needs to be worked on. That’s not courage, that’s fear. It means we can courageously work on those things, we can boldly tackle our problems, we can be courageous, because even if our own parents say “Peace out, were done” God still is with us!

You have the Holy Spirit of God, that raised Jesus from the dead, is living inside of you. 2 He enables you to experience the perfect love of the Father 3 that drives out fear. 4 The more we spend time in God’s presence the more we will realize his presence never leaves us the less we live in fear. 

God’s presence guides us – it leads us through our fear – vs. 11-12

As David continues to seek God’s presence he asks for guidance. David isn’t just blowing a spiritual raspberry at his enemies. Confidence is not ignorance. He realizes he needs help. So he asks God for guidance. He is asking God to lead him through the problems he is facing. When you walk with God and follow him, he will lead you through the circumstances that are causing you fear. He will give you the wisdom that you need. 5  His word is our guide. 6

One of the reasons we so often fall into fear is because our minds are not filled with the truth of what God says. We forget God because our minds are not renewed in the truth of who he is. Charles Spurgeon said, in a sermon called The Folly of Unbelief: “ Half our fears arise from neglect of the Bible. ” 7 The presence of God wants to guide us through those things with our hearts confidently trusting in him.

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  1. Hebrews 13:5b-6
  2. Romans 8:11
  3. Romans 5:5
  4. 1 John 4:18
  5. James 1:5
  6. Psalm 119:105
  7. MTP 33:489 – https://archive.spurgeon.org/sermons/1980.php

The post Battling Fear Part 2 appeared first on Thriving In Exile.

A Creed To Remind The Gathered Church Of Its New Life In Christ

By Nick Minerva • 14 Jul, 2023
When I was pastoring I wanted to read a blessing over the church that would remind all of us of our new life in Christ. So I wrote this new life creed and every week I would read it and remind us of what Christ had done for us. We gather together as believers professing our great need We acknowledge that we have fallen short We confess that we are rebels who have gone our own way Apart from Christ, we stand condemned, guilty, and unable to save ourselves But what we are incapable of doing, God did In his infinite love, God made a way of salvation for all who would believe Jesus willingly laid down his life and received the just punishment we deserve So that could walk in new life So yes, we confess our great need We humbly recognize that apart from Christ we are incapable of any good thing But we also proclaim that because of the finished work of the cross we will never be apart from Christ We are forever secure in the love of the Father We have been sealed by the Holy Spirit All because of the sacrifice of the Son, Jesus Christ. We are no longer in bondage to sin We are no longer facing righteous wrath We have been declared holy by our King And nothing on heaven or earth will change that reality This gathering is a testimony to our redeemed state We pursue holy living to be an authentic demonstration of the love we have for Christ We believe that we have been empowered by grace to meet our every need And we gladly anticipate the complete fulfillment of our adaption and the remaking of this world at the coming of our Lord To Christ be glory forever and ever Amen

A Praying Church: A Book Review

By Nick Minerva • 23 May, 2023
Prayer is one of those topics that always seems to convict me. I have never heard a sermon or read a book on prayer and not been challenged. Even as I am writing this review there is a bit of imposter syndrome because I know I should pray more. In A Praying Church , Paul Miller writes about how to become a people of hope in a discouraging world through prayer. And he does so in a way that was very authentic and accessible. While I was consistently challenged, I was also consistently encouraged. Throughout the book, he takes you on his journey of developing a personal prayer life plus countless stories of ministries that developed communal prayer as a vital component of their life together. One thing that struck home with me throughout these stories was the reality that prayer always grows out of desperation for God. There were several things that I found very helpful in this book. One of them was the connection between a life yielded to the Holy Spirit and a vibrant prayer life. The power to do anything of eternal importance comes from the Holy Spirit and the Spirit moves in response to prayer. Paul shows us a biblical pattern we see throughout the New Testament. Prayer-Spirit-Jesus-power. However, this is not a simple formula to get God to do what you want. Another thing I appreciated about this book is Paul tells us time and again that the Spirit often moves in ways we don’t expect and that almost always includes difficulties. The Spirit enables us to look more like Jesus and that means joining him in the fellowship of his suffering. So this is not a “how to turn God into your personal genie” scheme, like many books on prayer. God often answers in ways we don’t expect and in places we don’t anticipate. This book is also full of practical help. I’ve already mentioned the stories he tells, but Paul also offers several helpful charts, strategies, and ideas to help put into place what he writes about (and lives by.) At the end of each chapter, he has a section called “A Word To Pastors” with a few paragraphs of wisdom to help them become a person of prayer and then lead their congregation to become a church of prayer. This book also made me thankful that I am a part of a church that has sought to grow in corporate prayer over the last few years. This would be a great book for any ministry leader who is burdened with the prayer life of his or her church. But it’s also a great read for any believer seeking to develop their own prayer life. Crossway was kind to send me a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. You can get a copy of it at the affiliate link below.

Non-Toxic Masculinity: A Book Review

By Nick Minerva • 28 Apr, 2023
Let me start this review by saying everyone should read this book. If you've grown up in Evangelicalism, you‘ve no doubt heard of purity culture. For the last several years we have seen the harm that has come as a result of this sub-group of Christianity. In Non-Toxic Masculinity, Zachary Wagner does an excellent job unpacking its teaching and the damage that has come as a result. He explains so well the angst I've been feeling with the movement and how often the Church falls short and winds up doing more damage. But unlike many critiques, this one also points a way forward. We know what toxic male sexuality looks like. We see it in the news and unfortunately, in the Church. But what does healthy male sexuality look like? What does it look like for me? What will it look like for my boys? In my heart, I know what I want it to look like, but so often I struggle to find the right words to express it. Non-Toxic Masculinity paints a healthy picture that is (re)humanizing and ultimately looks like Jesus, who, like all of us, had a sexual body. Zach is also very transparent in this book and God used his transparency to encourage, challenge, and convict me. As you read his story you will no doubt find yourself resonating with him on some level. Every man should read this book for themselves first and foremost. But if you have sons, nephews, grandsons, or young boys in your life, reading it is a must. Non-Toxic Masculinity is a breath of fresh air that will prove to be a tremendous resource for generations. Thank you Zach for writing it and sharing your story to serve us.
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