What strategies can we use to strengthen our faith against doubt and fear? Setting the Scene “ ‘So now do not let Hezekiah deceive you or persuade you like this, and do not believe him. For no god of any nation or kingdom has been able to deliver his people from my hand or from the hand of my fathers. How then can your God deliver you from my hand?’ ” (2 Chronicles 32:15) Sennacherib’s boast dripped with doubt-inducing arrogance. His goal: weaken Judah’s confidence in the LORD. God preserved this moment to show us how to guard our own hearts when similar voices whisper, “Your God can’t help you.” Recognize Empty Threats • Enemy messaging is loud but hollow. • Compare Sennacherib’s record to the living God’s: clay idols crumble, but the LORD “does whatever pleases Him” (Psalm 135:6). • Strategy: expose the bluff. Speak truth aloud—“If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31). Remember God’s Track Record • Hezekiah reminded the people, “With us is the LORD our God to help us and to fight our battles” (2 Chronicles 32:8). • Catalogue personal and biblical victories: Red Sea (Exodus 14), Jericho (Joshua 6), Cross and empty tomb (1 Corinthians 15:57). • Strategy: rehearse testimonies; fear fades when memory is full of God’s past faithfulness. Rehearse God’s Promises • Isaiah 41:10—“Do not fear, for I am with you.” • 2 Timothy 1:7—“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power…” • Romans 10:17—“Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.” • Strategy: daily intake—read, memorize, sing, post verses where eyes and ears can’t miss them. Raise the Shield of Faith • “In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one” (Ephesians 6:16). • Doubt is an arrow; faith is raised, not passively held. • Strategy: declare truth the moment anxiety sparks—“When I am afraid, I will trust in You” (Psalm 56:3). Refuse Isolation—Stand with God’s People • Hezekiah “appointed military officers over the people and gathered them…” (2 Chronicles 32:6). Strength was found together. • Hebrews 10:24-25 urges believers to meet and encourage “all the more as you see the Day approaching.” • Strategy: engage in worship services, small groups, faithful friendships. Courage multiplies in community. Respond with Worship and Prayer • Hezekiah and Isaiah “cried out in prayer to heaven” (2 Chronicles 32:20). Result: the angel of the LORD struck down Assyrian forces. • Philippians 4:6-7 promises peace that guards hearts and minds. • Strategy: turn worry into worship; pray Scripture back to God until His peace rules. Renew Your Mind Daily • Romans 12:2—“Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” • Replace speculation with revelation; meditate on what is true, honorable, just, pure (Philippians 4:8). • Strategy: limit voices that feed fear (news, gossip) and saturate thought life with God’s Word. Rest in Christ’s Victory • Colossians 2:15—Christ “disarmed the powers and authorities, triumphing over them by the cross.” • The greatest threat—sin and death—has already been crushed. Lesser intimidations cannot stand. • Strategy: preach the gospel to yourself daily; every fear must bow to the finished work of Jesus. |
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