DO NOT FEAR | Trust God's Plan - Motivational Speech

  

 How many God-given dreams Have you and I left unrealized because fear placed us in a prison that we could not escape from Let me ask another question How many God accomplishments with your name written on them with my name written on them have gone unaccomplished because fear paralyzes. Think about that question So here's the deal if you and I continue, if you continue to live in fear your family your friends your church and the world will miss your unique contribution Now let me stay a little bit more theologically and a little bit more strongly. You and I will rob God of his glory if we remain in fear and I don't want to be a glory thief. 

    But imagine if you will being on your deathbed and standing Around your bed the ghost of the dreams the ideas The abilities the talents given to you by life at you for whatever reason you never pursued those dreams you never acted on those ideas you never use those gifts and there they are standing around your bed and looking at you with large angry eyes saying, we came to you and only you could have given us life and now we must die with you forever. 

    The question is if you died today what dreams what ideas what leadership? What books? What gifts will die with you? Very good friend that I lost recently Myles Munroe said the wealthiest place in the planet is not in the far east where there's oil in the ground it's not in South Africa where there diamond mines he said the wealthiest place in the planet is the cemetery. There you will find potential never realized, there you will find dreams never pursued, there you'll find people allow themselves to be imprisoned by fear and living a small life. Maybe that's why one woman asked in a moment of anguish, what if you live your whole life only to discover it was wrong. 

    Maybe that's why Henry David Thoreau's, God to reach the point of death only to realize that you've never lived Only to realize that you've never scraped the surface of your potential. Are you tired of being stuck in fear? Well, God wants to give us courage to face our fears. I grew up as a compulsive stutter One of my greatest fears in life was talking in front of people. Because when you stutter, it doesn't go so well and people laugh at you Got laughed at a lot I had to go to a little special class for people who couldn't talk real good and other kids knew and they'd walk by the class like hey, hey, how you do do doing? Didn't want to talk. 

    I remember in 10th grade leaving a french class because I had to stand up and give an oral examination I left the class it was too painful I didn't want to be laughed at the teacher was very merciful and let me come in after class when everybody else left to give my message in 1998 Played one last year of professional football then in the fall of 1990 I was a brand new Christian, and I was invited to go speak at a youth event It's like former NFL player who loves Jesus give him a microphone to speak And I really wrestled with God I said God. Why would you send me to go? I'm a compulsive stutterer I'm a brand new Christian. 

    Why would you send me to go and all of the memories and everybody making fun of me And I could see myself been on stage like stuttering and not knowing what to do and embarrassing myself again And I was arguing with God, God why would you do this? Why would you have them call me surely there's somebody better who can actually put words together. Why would you send me? I was afraid I remember I was in the shower just wrestling with God and praying to him And a couple things happened not an audible voice, but the first thing was this Derwin If I can raise my son Jesus from the dead, I can move your tongue to talk and Derwin I put something in you, a message of grace, and I want you to unleash it but you got to trust me. Fear became a friend because it pushed me to my daddy. Let me say that again, fear became a friend because it pushed me to my daddy. So when the enemy knocks on the door I let Jesus answer because it takes me to my daddy. 

    How about you? Where does fear take you to? The bottle? prescriptions? So I went down there, and I preached and note cards were fallen out of my pocket and I shared my story and at the end of it a bunch of people came to Jesus. And God was like see I got this. What's your lo and behold moment that fears right there but you're paralyzed because you're afraid of your fear more than you love the glory of God Maybe it's a broken marriage If you let people know that you're actually human and there's cracks and fractures in your life But being afraid that people will actually know that you're human that's why Jesus went to the cross because he knows that we're broken. 

    If you're hurting here today, we have a savior Who longs and loves to church hurting people with his grace Maybe it's an addiction Maybe your wife keeps telling you, you know sweetie. I think you got a problem a bottle of wine every night is a problem. Maybe for some of you You're coasting through life and not really challenging yourself because you're afraid to fail I'd rather try and fail then to never try What you waiting on, tomorrow's not promised For some of you God has some eptastic things right in your mist Oh my gosh, what if I would have allowed my fear of stuttering to prevent me from going to Columbia, South Carolina in the fall of 1999 How many lives would not be impacted? I want you to feel the weight of this What is God putting on your heart? What is that beautiful song in his symphony that he wants you to sing and you have that special note? 

    Maybe some of you're afraid, well I like what you said preacher man that was good you got me going, but if I do something like that, I'll have to give up this stuff Guys in America, we've proven that we can get a lot of stuff. Have we proven that we can actually live Stuff does not equate to life Maybe right now you're thinking, you know Pastor Derwin, I feel what you're saying. I really do, but if I had this I could if I had this I would, if I had this I should Don't live a would a could a should a life You've got the lord You got everything you need right now in Jesus everything you need right now in him. 

    I don't know what your giant is, but you have him. Attack your fear by trusting Christ That's going to look very different and very unique in all of our lives but in God's Providence That will be the case and God doesn't want us to be paralyzed by fear He wants that fear to move us to press into him so that he can fight our battles for his glory Today the Lord will conquer you. Today God will heal my marriage. Today God will touch the deepest broken part of my life today Today the Lord will do it. 

Speakers:
Derwin Gray
Les Brown