Facing My Goliath...

I was reading my Bible and chatting with God this morning... asking Him to show me who he really is. To be honest, I've felt alot like Thomas these days. I'm really struggling with my faith... I have alot of questions. Makes me feel like a bad christian, ya know? I just keep telling God, "God, I still believe, I'm just struggling with believing." Not sure if that even makes sense to you, but I know God understands exactly what I'm getting at. Anyway... I was just chatting with God, and just really pouring out to Him my desire to just know Him for who he REALLY is, instead of for the made-up god that I have made him to be in my head. So later on, I'm running an errand, and while I'm driving there I turn on sermon radio, and the Pastor that was preaching was David Jeremiah. I don't know anything about this guy, and have never heard Him preach before, but I do know that God had me turn his sermon on for a reason. The sermon topic was "Slaying the giant of fear". Ya ever listen to those sermons where you just feel like the Pastor is preaching the sermon directly to you? That was me today. I got to my destination and parked the car and searched for a piece of paper and pen so I could take notes... then for a tissue so I could wipe the tears away. I know you're probably thinking, "sheesh jess, it was just a sermon.... whats with the tears?" Well, I guess they were tears of thankfulness. God heard me, AND He answered me. He answered me. God is so good. Here is what a learned today while listening the sermon. Hope it helps/encourages you.

19 “So we departed from Horeb, and went through all that great and terrible wilderness which you saw on the way to the mountains of the Amorites, as the LORD our God had commanded us. Then we came to Kadesh Barnea. 20 And I said to you, ‘You have come to the mountains of the Amorites, which the LORD our God is giving us. 21 Look, the LORD your God has set the land before you; go up and possess it, as the LORD God of your fathers has spoken to you; do not fear or be discouraged.’
22 “And every one of you came near to me and said, ‘Let us send men before us, and let them search out the land for us, and bring back word to us of the way by which we should go up, and of the cities into which we shall come.’
23 “The plan pleased me well; so I took twelve of your men, one man from each tribe. 24 And they departed and went up into the mountains, and came to the Valley of Eshcol, and spied it out. 25 They also took some of the fruit of the land in their hands and brought it down to us; and they brought back word to us, saying, ‘It is a good land which the LORD our God is giving us.’
26 “Nevertheless you would not go up, but rebelled against the command of the LORD your God; 27 and you complained in your tents, and said, ‘Because the LORD hates us, He has brought us out of the land of Egypt to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us. 28 Where can we go up? Our brethren have discouraged our hearts, saying, “The people are greater and taller than we; the cities are great and fortified up to heaven; moreover we have seen the sons of the Anakim there.”’
29 “Then I said to you, ‘Do not be terrified, or afraid of them. 30 The LORD your God, who goes before you, He will fight for you, according to all He did for you in Egypt before your eyes, 31 and in the wilderness where you saw how the LORD your God carried you, as a man carries his son, in all the way that you went until you came to this place.’ 32 Yet, for all that, you did not believe the LORD your God, 33 who went in the way before you to search out a place for you to pitch your tents, to show you the way you should go, in the fire by night and in the cloud by day.
Duet. 1:19-33

1. fear disregards God's plan. (vs.22)
2. fear distorts God's purposes (vs.27)
-the Israelites thought that God had brought them there because he hated them.
-fear takes one giant and turns it into a whole population.
-fear makes you think irrationally.
3. fear discourages God's people.(vs.28)
-fear isn't just an isolated thing that only touches you. It touches you and everyone you touch. 10 out of the 12 spies were fearful of the giants in the promised land.
4. fear disbelieves God's promises (vs. 29-33)
-God had been with the Israelites the whole time and helped them, and they had forgotten all of it.
5. fear disobeys God's principles (vs.26)
- the Israelites were fearful of the giants and disobeyed God.
-being fearful is a sin... God tells us to "Fear Not..." many times in His word.

(Points By: Pastor David Jeremiah)