Jim Van Gelderen: This is Jim Van Gelderen and I am podcasting from Covington, Georgia, where I am sitting in my RV here at Canaan Baptist Church where Pastor Billy Ingram pastors. Uh, I’m actually not here for a ministry situation, but, uh, we’re just here for a day or two and then heading home for the victory conference at Falls Baptist Church in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. In fact, I was just down in Florida for five War of Special Forces, and each week had unique challenges and blessings. And we appreciate those of you that pray for us on a regular basis.

Certainly thank the Lord for victories won and had a young man saved last week who was, uh, a transfer, had transferred into the Christian school, but was not a believer. And, uh, boy, he got that nailed down. And one of our team members was counseling him even this morning and encouraging him in his newfound faith in Christ. So that’s what it is all about.

And that is always exciting. Well, this week we had something unusual happen. Our team got to attend a conference. Now we’ll be attending the victory conference here in a couple of weeks.

But we were down in Tampa, Florida. And, uh, my friend, pastor Bill Ingram is the moderator of the Global Independent Baptist Fellowship. And I’ve never been to one of the GI meetings. And so we had a chance to go at Westgate at Westgate Baptist Church there in Tampa.

And we certainly enjoyed some great preaching and some great fellowship and some great food. Boy, they did a great job hosting the conference. We’ll be back at Westgate in about a month conducting War of Special Forces. And so it was fun to see the kids again.

We’re looking forward to a great meeting here in just a few short weeks. But anyway, while I was at the conference, I think it was Sunday morning. We actually went the Sunday before the Monday that the conference began. But in many ways, the the church was getting geared up.

And Pastor Renee Oulette was preaching. He was the pastor of First Baptist Church of Bridgeport for years. He bases out of there now and travels. But he preached Sunday morning.

The unusual thing about Pastor Arlette is he had a cancer of the voice box, and they had to take out his vocal cords. And he now has what you might call a prosthetic. Uh, and, uh, it’s, uh, it’s amazing how well he does with it. And he preached with that prosthetic.

And it’s an unusual thing. You’d have to see it to kind of understand it. But boy, the power of God was on him. He preached a passage of Scripture I’d like to share with you.

I don’t often do that. Will you preach another man’s message? But it’s so stirred my heart. He was talking about there in Mark five where Jesus, um, uh, comes into a a a a, a cross, the Sea of Galilee by ship.

And there comes one of the rulers of the synagogue. Jairus. Jarius, I guess is how you’d say it by name. And the Bible says when he saw him, he fell on his feet and besought him greatly.

So you can imagine he had intensity, saying, my little daughter lieth at the point of death, I pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed, and she shall live. Certainly a lot of faith in that statement. But, um, as certainly as a father, I can understand the anguish of soul this man had, as he probably had come to the point of helplessness, and he saw his little daughter was slipping away. And he comes to Jesus, and Jesus begins to move toward healing her.

And some of you may be familiar with the passage, but the Bible says, and a certain woman which had an issue of blood twelve years and had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing better bettered, but rather grew worse when she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment. For she said, if I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole. And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague. And Jesus immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, who touched my clothes?

And his disciples said unto him, thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou who touched me? And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing. But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth. Really his interesting encounter here.

It’s not what I’m preaching on. But if you know anything about the Old Testament, his very touching or made Jesus unclean. And so she probably was fearful that he knew that. But he said unto her, that would be ceremonial, unclean, I should say.

And he said unto her, daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole. Go in peace, and behold thy plague. And Jesus healed her. Of course, and a remarkable thing.

And while he’s speaking, of course, you can imagine Jarius was probably sitting there saying, Lord, we’ve got to go. My this is this issue is not near important as my my daughter’s life and death. And, uh, we don’t know that he thought that, but I am sure he was in his spirit. Wanted Jesus to move quickly.

But the Bible says while he yet spake, there came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house certain. Which said, thy daughter is dead. Why troublest thou the master any further? And um you can imagine he had probably anticipated the.

Perhaps the frustration, the obvious grief this man felt. And the Bible says in verse thirty six, and as soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, be not afraid, only believe. Wow! And brother, let preached on that little phrase, be not afraid, only believe.

You know, and that’s what the ruler of the synagogue did. And we know the rest of the story that Jesus raised that girl from the dead. Uh, even after he’s mocked coming into the house and saying, she’s just asleep, she’s sleepeth he was mocked, but obviously he came and raised her from the dead. And the man did see a miracle.

But that phrase be not afraid, only believe. Sometimes we get in situations and we. They don’t make sense. And we’re sitting there thinking, uh, why this happen?

Or where are we going to go from here? Or what am I going to do now? Or how am I going to solve this problem? And Jesus is saying to us, be not afraid, only believe.

You know, sometimes you get a sin issue in your life. And as a teenager, you know, I got to get this right. And, um, you know, you’re, you’re, you’re afraid of the consequences. Maybe you could be consequences in a Christian school or mom and dad consequences.

And the Bible is saying, be not afraid, only believe. And we know what that means is when we believe, we keep trusting God, which means we’ll take steps of obedience. And in those steps, we’re trusting God because that’s what he tells us to do and to not cover our sin, but confess and forsake, and we’ll have mercy. Proverbs twenty eight thirteen.

Those are moments where you have that choice. You. We know fear and faith are opposites, and fear always tries to take away our faith. But the Bible says, be not afraid, only believe.

And when we do that, we believe we won’t be afraid. It’s just like Jesus. Jesus. When Peter was walking on the water, when he got afraid of the wind and the.

The wind boisterous, down he went. And that’s the way it is in our Christian life. Fear and faith can’t coexist. And so he’s telling us, don’t be afraid.

Don’t go out that window. Go out the window. Maybe you’re in a situation where a parent is ill or has a bad prognosis, or perhaps even a terminal situation. And I don’t know what the Lord wants to do in your situation, but God tells you, be not afraid.

Only believe. And even if it doesn’t end exactly the way you want it to, you can trust that God knows what he’s doing and that God’s going to work it together for good, and that he’s got a purpose in it all. And so sometimes you face your own inner turmoil. Some young people doubt their salvation, some struggle spiritually in their heart, some struggle with sin and find themselves defeated and maybe get fearful like I’ll never get victory.

But you know, God says, don’t go out that window. Just say I believe God is can get will give me victory that he can and will give me victory. Uh, and I’m just going to continue to trust him, trust him that there is victory that is coming and God is going to show me, give me the wisdom to know biblically, uh, the truth that I will need to be made free. So whatever you’re facing, young person, be not afraid.

Only believe. Maybe you’re on the early side. Since God’s call on your life. And that means you’re going off to Bible college and there’s some fear there.

God says, well, don’t go out that window. Just trust me and keep following me. And as you believe, God intervenes and God’s will is done. And even if it doesn’t happen exactly like you want it to, uh, you’ll look back and realize God directed, God, worked, God mightily protected and enabled me and strengthened me during those dark days or in those, uh, in that struggle to, to find out, uh, what the pathway to victory is, which is obviously a person I don’t, I’m not preaching on that, but God will show you that you can.

You can have. That pathway is one of rest. Rest in a person and he’s. He is the path out of of sin and defeat and discouragement and everything else.

But be not afraid, young person or older person, whoever’s listening. Be not afraid. Only believe. What are you facing?

That’s difficult. What are you facing? That’s discouraging? What are you facing?

You’re thinking I don’t have a human solution. I don’t see a way out of this. Uh, what are you facing? That, um, is hard.

Well, I would encourage you be not afraid. Only believe. And sometimes you’re going to have situations come up like this. A ruler of the synagogue, when Jesus had the encounter with the woman with the issue of blood, and he was probably wondering, master, can’t you hurry?

This is a life and death situation. But Jesus knew exactly what he was doing, and he turned immediately, probably reading or I’m sure he was reading the thoughts of the man and says, be not afraid, only believe. Don’t worry about the news that your daughter is dead. Just trust me.

And what do you need to trust God about your future, your finances, an area of victory in your life. Getting right with somebody. Uh. Uncovering sin.

Uh, what are you what are you what are you fearful about? And I just want to encourage every young person and every older person out there that you can trust the Lord. And when those circumstances come, you don’t have to get disheartened that we can just. Okay, there’s one thing I can do is instead of going out the fear window, I can go out the faith window.

So remember that. Be not afraid, only believe. And that’s really the pathway of total surrender and total dependence.