Key scripture – “Then he got into a boat and started across the lake with his disciples. Suddenly a terrible storm came up, with waves higher than the boat. But Jesus was asleep. The disciples went to him and wakened him, shouting, “Lord, save us! We’re sinking!” But Jesus answered, “O you men of little faith! Why are you so frightened?” Then he stood up and rebuked the wind and waves, and the storm subsided and all was calm” (Matthew 8:23-26).

Do you know that Faith and fear are totally incompatible?

That is why Jesus said, “O you men of little faith! Why are you so frightened?” Jesus was able to sleep in the middle of a violent storm, because His faith in His Father left Him without fear. He could sleep in the back of the boat, and relax in the midst of danger, while the disciples were panicking with fear about the storm, because He knew His Father. Think about the people in your life that you know well, and when they say they are going to do something for you, you know without a doubt that they will do it because their word is good. You can have that same type of relationship with God, and just like Jesus, you can have peace in any storm that you are going through when you get to know God through His Word.

If you are facing a storm today that is leaving you fearful get your focus back on God instead of your problem and the way that you do that is get into His Word. Remind yourself that Jesus is in the boat with you and that He is over all things. He is bigger than the wind and any waves that are threatening you. The way that I get my focus off the storm, and I do not let fear take over is, I get alone with God and I say these promises out loud. When I do that it is absolutely amazing how it calms me down and gives me God’s perspective over my situation:

1. I will not fear God is with me.

“So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.” (Deuteronomy 31:6).

“Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you or abandon you. (Deuteronomy 31:8).

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9).

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. (2 Timothy 1:7).

“But Moses told the people, “Don’t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again. The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.” (Exodus 14:13-14).

“Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said,“I will never fail you.I will never abandon you.” So we can say with confidence,“The Lord is my helper,so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?” (Hebrews 13:5-6).

“Though I am surrounded by troubles, you will protect me from the anger of my enemies. You reach out your hand, and the power of your right hand saves me. The Lord will work out his plans for my life—for your faithful love, O Lord, endures forever. Don’t abandon me, for you made me.” (Psalm 138:7-8).

“The Lord is for me, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me? Yes, the Lord is for me; he will help me. I will look in triumph at those who hate me. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in people.” (Psalm 118:6-8).
“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. “All who rage against you will surely be ashamed and disgraced; those who oppose you will be as nothing and perish. Though you search for your enemies, you will not find them. Those who wage war against you will be as nothing at all. For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.” (Isaiah 41:10-13).

2. I will not doubt. God is in control.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.” (Proverbs 3: 5-6).

“For nothing will be impossible with God.” (Luke 1:37).

“Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” (Matthew 14:31).

“And Jesus answered them, “Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen.” And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.” (Matthew 21:21-22).

3. I will not despair. God is good. God is always good. He is kindness and Love.

“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” (Romans 8:28).

“I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” (Psalm 27:13-14)

“For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.” (Psalm 100:5).

“Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.” (Psalm 34:8)

“The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.
The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are attentive to their cry;
The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. The righteous person may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all; he protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken. The Lord will rescue his servants; no one who takes refuge in him will be condemned.” (Psalm 34:10, 15, 17, 19-20, 22).

4. I will not falter. God has redeemed me.

“But now, O Jacob, listen to the Lord who created you. O Israel, the one who formed you says, “Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine. When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I gave Egypt as a ransom for your freedom; I gave Ethiopia and Seba in your place. Others were given in exchange for you. I traded their lives for yours because you are precious to me. You are honored, and I love you.” (Isaiah 44:1-4).

“Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations.” (Deuteronomy 7:9).

“Into your hand I commit my spirit; you have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God.” (Psalm 31:5).

5. I will not fail. God is always victorious.

“But in that coming day no weapon turned against you will succeed. You will silence every voice raised up to accuse you. These benefits are enjoyed by the servants of the Lord; their vindication will come from me. I, the Lord, have spoken!” (Isaiah 54:17).

“Each one of you will put to flight a thousand of the enemy, for the Lord your God fights for you, just as he has promised.” (Joshua 23:10).

“The Lord will cause your enemies who ride against you to be defeated before you. They shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways.” (Deuteronomy 28:7).

“The Lord will make you the head, not tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the Lord your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom. Do not turn aside from any of the commands I give you today, to the right or to the left, following other gods and serving them.” (Deuteronomy 28:13-14).
God is reminding you to face life today with a conscious awareness of His presence with you, His purpose for you, His power that is there for you, and His perfect love surrounding you. He wants you to put all of your weight on His promises. He wants you to test His promises and experience for yourself what He can do.

Are you ready to have victory over your problem and fear? Then get alone with God and proclaim His promises out loud with courage, strength, and power, because you are more than a conqueror through Christ who strengthens you.

Pray this – Our Precious Heavenly Father, I believe and I stand firm on all of Your promises. I know that I will have victory over my problem. Every time I start to focus on my problem and get overwhelmed I will come back to You and proclaim Your promises out loud again with strength and power, not with fear, doubt or timidity, but will boldness because I am declaring the truth, Your truth, and I am declaring to my problem that it has already been defeated. Father, You are Yahweh Nissi, The Lord is my banner. I know that when You say to me, “I am your Banner”, so instead of looking for help from the people around me, I will look up and remember, You are my banner. While I am in the trenches, going toe to toe in the battle, I can turn and look up and be reminded that God Himself is my banner. Whatever my uncertainties are, whatever I am facing, whatever I am perplexed about with regard to the future, I need to remember, the Lord is my Banner, He is over me. All that I need, all that I long for, all that I seek to see in my life, God is the one Who is over my life and He is ensuring me that He will provide those things in my life for His glory. They will all be a reality. He is my victory, I will not be destroyed. I come before You in prayer and say, “Our Father in Heaven, You are Yahweh Nisi, You are my Banner. It is so comforting to know that You are over me, watching out for me, that You will supply what I need no matter where I am, and You are there protecting me, You are my victory. Let it be done for Your glory.” In Jesus’ Name, I pray, Amen.