Fear Not. Fix Your Thoughts on Jesus
We must balance being informed about prophetic warnings with fixing our thoughts on Jesus and trusting in Him for perfect peace.
David Wilkerson emphasizes the importance of heeding prophetic warnings without allowing fear to dominate our thoughts. While acknowledging the darkness and judgment approaching, he encourages believers to focus on God's promises of love and mercy rather than becoming obsessed with foreboding messages. Wilkerson reminds us that the devil seeks to instill fear, but we must fix our thoughts on Jesus and His goodness, as instructed by the Apostle Paul. He highlights the need for peace that comes from trusting in the Lord, as exemplified by the prophet Isaiah. Ultimately, our focus should be on God's love rather than the impending trials.
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We are to listen carefully to the warnings of the watchmen but are not to become obsessed with their warnings.
We are to be alerted and warned by prophetic messages, and we're to heed every one that's revealed and confirmed in Scripture. We're to gather all the knowledge we can about the coming storm, so we can prepare our hearts for whatever destruction it brings. But we are not to let fear or anxiety consume our thinking, dominate our minds, take hold of our hearts!
Darkness is certainly coming, and judgment is at our very door. But as God's people, we cannot allow any cloud of darkness to hide the light of his great promises of love and mercy toward his people. We are to be well informed by the Lord's words and prophets, but we are not to dwell on prophetic knowledge so much that it takes over our lives.
The devil would love for that to happen. He knows if he can't get you to doubt God's Word concerning his judgment, he'll take you to another extreme by driving you to a fearful obsession with perilous times. He'll try to rob you of all hope by consuming you with thoughts of foreboding.
The apostle Paul reassures us about such things with this instruction: "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things" (Philippians 4:8). Paul is telling us, "You've heard all the warnings. Now, simply take heed to what God's Word reveals and to what his watchmen are saying. Then, finally, fix all your thoughts on Jesus and his goodness."
I have faithfully warned of a soon-to-come worldwide economic holocaust, and we already see this happening around the world. I have warned that Christians are going to suffer - that here will be great loss and hardship - and right now multitudes of precious saints all over the world are enduring unbelievable tribulation. But none of these things is the focus of all my energies and ministry. No, the deepest expression of my soul is to proclaim the love of God the father and the tender mercy of our savior Jesus.
So when I go to bed at night, I know that he alone is in control of all these things. I simply do what the prophet Isaiah did: he put his mind to rest by fully trusting in his Lord. He said, "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee"(Isaiah 26:3).
Sermon Outline
- I. The Importance of Listening to Prophetic Warnings
- A. We are to heed every warning revealed and confirmed in Scripture
- B. We are to gather knowledge about the coming storm to prepare our hearts
- II. The Danger of Obsessing Over Prophetic Warnings
- A. Fear and anxiety can consume our thinking and dominate our minds
- B. The devil tries to rob us of hope by consuming us with thoughts of foreboding
- III. The Power of Fixing Our Thoughts on Jesus
- A. The apostle Paul instructs us to think on true, honest, just, pure, lovely, and virtuous things
- B. Fixing our thoughts on Jesus brings perfect peace and trust in Him
Key Quotes
“You've heard all the warnings. Now, simply take heed to what God's Word reveals and to what his watchmen are saying. Then, finally, fix all your thoughts on Jesus and his goodness.” — David Wilkerson
“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee” — David Wilkerson
“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things” — David Wilkerson
Application Points
- As God's people, we must not let fear or anxiety consume our thinking, but rather fix our thoughts on Jesus and His goodness.
- We can find peace in the midst of uncertainty by trusting in God and fixing our thoughts on Him.
- It's essential to balance being informed about prophetic warnings with not becoming obsessed with them, so we can maintain hope and trust in God.