Stand Firm
“Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.” — 1 Corinthians 16:13
Dear Church Family,
Life has a way of confronting us with moments we did not plan for.
A medical report.
A financial setback.
A difficult season in marriage.
Pressure at
work.
Uncertainty about the future.
A disappointment we did not expect.
A door that
closes.
A prayer that seems unanswered.
In such moments, fear can become very real.
Fear is not only experienced by weak people. Scripture shows us that even strong, faithful, and
courageous people faced moments when fear threatened to overwhelm them.
Elijah had just experienced one of the greatest victories of his ministry. On Mount Carmel, he
courageously stood before the prophets of Baal and witnessed the fire of God fall from heaven.
Yet shortly afterwards, one threat from Jezebel caused him to run for his life.
Peter confidently declared that he would never abandon Jesus, but when the pressure came,
fear caused him to deny the very Lord he loved.
After the crucifixion, some of the disciples returned to fishing; the life they knew before Jesus
called them.
Their stories remind us of something important: ‘Yesterday’s courage does not automatically
protect us from today’s fear’.
There are moments when even people of faith become tired, uncertain, discouraged, and
afraid. The question, therefore, is not simply whether fear will come.
The question is: What will we do when fear comes?
As we begin our new series, ‘STAND FIRM’: Faith in the Face of Fear, we will explore how
believers can remain steadfast when circumstances challenge our confidence, courage, and
faith. The Bible does not teach us to pretend that fear does not exist. Neither does God shame
us for feeling afraid. Instead, Scripture repeatedly points us back to the presence and
faithfulness of God.
When Joshua faced an uncertain future, God told him: “Be strong and courageous… for the
Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” — Joshua 1:9
Joshua’s courage was not rooted in his own strength. It was rooted in the assurance: God is
with me. That remains the foundation of Christian courage today. Courage is not the absence of
fear. Courage is choosing to trust and obey God even when fear is present. Faith does not
always remove the challenge before us. Sometimes faith gives us the strength to continue
walking through it.
There may be moments when fear whispers: What if I fail?
What if things do not work
out?
What if I lose what I have built?
What if my family struggles?
What if the future is not
what I hoped for?
What if God does not answer the way I expect?
In those moments, we must learn to allow faith to speak louder than fear.
One of the
declarations we will carry throughout this series is:
“Fear may speak, but faith will decide.”
Fear may speak to our emotions, but it does not have to determine our direction.
Fear may cause us to hesitate, but it does not have to make us retreat.
Fear may remind us of our limitations, but faith reminds us of God’s sufficiency.
Like Elijah, we may sometimes become tired and discouraged. Yet God does not abandon us. He
restores, strengthens, and redirects us.
Like Peter, we may have moments when courage fails us. Yet Jesus does not discard us. He
restores us and calls us again.
Like the disciples in the storm, we may wonder whether God sees what we are going through.
Yet Jesus remains present in the boat.
Our confidence is therefore not that storms will never come. Our confidence is that we will
never face them alone.
As a church family, this series will challenge us to develop a faith that remains steady when
circumstances are uncertain.
We will learn to remember what God has already done.
We will learn to strengthen ourselves in His Word.
We will learn to pray when fear rises.
We will learn to encourage one another.
And above all, we will learn to keep our eyes on the God who has promised:
“Do not fear, for I am with you.” — Isaiah 41:10
As we enter this journey together, perhaps you are carrying a fear that very few people know
about. Bring it before God. You do not have to pretend to be strong. But neither do you have to
surrender your future to fear.
Our declaration for this season will be:
“I may feel afraid, but I will not retreat. God is with me. God is faithful.
I will stand firm.”
May God strengthen weary hearts.
May He restore courage where disappointment has weakened it.
May He replace anxiety with trust.
May He remind us of His faithfulness.
And when fear tells us to turn back, may faith give us the courage to take one more step
forward
“STAND FIRM.”
The God who called you is still with you.
With love and faith in Christ,
Rev. Julius and Marianne Wainaina
Senior Pastors