How to Be Fearless and Immovable: 6 Promises and 2 Keys

Senior Pastor, Sovereign Grace Church of Indiana, PA
How to Be Fearless and Immovable: 6 Promises and 2 Keys

We live in an unpredictable world.

A world of many blessings, but a world where there is lots of evil. A world where there are beautiful landscapes and sunny mornings, and a world where there are fires and hurricanes. One day we can be enjoying perfect health and the next day be in the hospital. We just never know. And we can be tempted to fear the future.

An author named H.P. Lovecraft once said, “The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.”

The Huffington Post said this:

"Almost everybody worries about what will happen in the future. The prospect of not knowing if something good or bad will happen to you in the near future can produce a lot of fear and anxiety."

One of the biggest fears many battle is fear for their children and grandchildren.

A survey of 2400 parents by BabyCenter.com revealed the top fear as:

"I’m afraid my child won’t get the education and opportunities she needs to reach her potential.” The survey mentioned other fears parents have for their kids: Fear of hurt, accidents, and pain, fear of bullying, fear of weight problems such as obesity or anorexia.

Almost all of us are tempted to fear at one time or another. But Psalm 112 says believers in the Lord need not be slaves of fear. No matter what happens, God will keep us. In Jesus, we can truly be fearless and immovable. The Lord makes some incredible promises to us.

Six Promises of God To Make Us Fearless

GOD PROMISES TO BLESS OUR CHILDREN AND DESCENDANTS:

His offspring will be mighty in the land;
 the generation of the upright will be blessed. (PS 112:2)

GOD PROMISES TO PROVIDE FOR US:

Wealth and riches are in his house, (3)

GOD PROMISES TO GIVE US HOPE IN DARK TIMES:

Light dawns in the darkness for the upright (4)

GOD PROMISES TO GIVE US PEACE AND STABILITY:

It is well with the man who deals generously and lends (5)

GOD PROMISES TO KEEP US FROM BEING SHAKEN:

For the righteous will never be moved (6)

GOD PROMISES TO DELIVER US FROM FEAR:

He is not afraid of bad news;
 his heart is firm, trusting in the LORD.
 His heart is steady; he will not be afraid, (7-8)

God does not promise that his children will not suffer or go through hard things. In fact he promises that we will all suffer various trials. BUT he does promise that those trials will not shake our faith. Those trials will not move us or undo us.

Believers don’t have to live lives of fear. We are not afraid of bad news. Our hearts are firm and steady as we trust the Lord. And as we trust him we will not be afraid. God gives us two keys to enjoying a life of peace and tranquility in an ever-changing and fearful world.

Two Keys To Being Fearless and Immovable

KEY #1: FEAR THE LORD

Praise the LORD!
 Blessed is the man who fears the LORD,
 who greatly delights in his commandments! (PS 112:1)

We must not fear the future, or fear the unknown, but there is a good and wonderful and pure fear – the fear of the Lord.

This is not a grovelling fear, or a fear that expects the Lord to backhand us for every mistake. The fear of the Lord is a healthy respect for God’s holiness, and absolute sinless purity, knowing that a holy God loves us so much he will discipline us for sin.

The fear of the LORD is hatred of evil…. PR 8:13

Here’s a tiny glimpse into the fear of the Lord. I have a nail gun. It is powerful and can drive a long nail down into a piece of wood. I’m not fearful it is going to suddenly start shooting me for no reason, but I respect it. I am very careful when I load it and use it. I don’t mess around with it. I make sure my hand is nowhere near when I use it.

It’s a little bit like the fear of the Lord. It is a healthy respect for his holiness and purity. We know that if we mess around with sin it can have devastating consequences. To fear of the Lord is to hate evil. We know that a holy God is not mocked and we will reap what we sow. When we fear God we flee sin. And this brings blessing into our lives:

When we fear God, he delivers us from sin and its consequences. When we fear God, he protects us and gives us hope and joy.

Remember, all that God commands us is for our joy and blessing. He commands us to fear him and hate evil because he wants us to have maximum joy in him. The fear of the Lord is not some kind of heavy burden God lays on us, but a wonderful thing.

It is a lack of fearing God that cripples us, trips us up, and brings pain into our lives. It is the fear of the Lord that makes us truly fearless and immovable.

KEY #2: BE GRACIOUS AND GENEROUS

Light dawns in the darkness for the upright;
 he is gracious, merciful, and righteous.
 It is well with the man who deals generously and lends;
 who conducts his affairs with justice. (4-5)

He has distributed freely; he has given to the poor;
 his righteousness endures forever;
 his horn is exalted in honor. (9)

Our God is a gracious, generous God and he desires his children to imitate him. When everyone else is fearful about the economy and whether they will have enough, God calls us to fear him. When everyone is tempted to hold on to all they have, be gracious and generous to others.

Give to the poor. Bless others. Because when we bless others, God promises to bless us. When we are generous to others God is generous to us. If we show mercy to others, the Lord will be merciful to us. When we are righteous in our relations to others we imitate our righteous God. And he will bless us.

When we are merciful and generous to others, God does the same to us. 

He gives us peace about our children and descendants, he provides for us, he gives us hope, he causes life to be well with us, he keeps us from being shaken and gives us peace for the future.

Photo credit: Unsplash/Prince David


Mark Altrogge has been senior pastor of Sovereign Grace Church of Indiana, Pennsylvania, since 1982. He has written hundreds of songs for worship, including “I Stand in Awe” and “I’m Forever Grateful.” Mark and his wife, Kristi, have four sons and one daughter. Find out more on his blog, The Blazing Center.