Hearing sermons on Sunday isn’t meant to be an exercise in entertainment, but a sacred opportunity to encounter the Word of God. While a sermon may inspire and uplift, its deeper purpose is to convict the heart, challenge the mind, and call us to transformation. Through faithful preaching, we are reminded of truths we might rather ignore, confronted with areas of our lives that need change, and encouraged to live more fully in line with God’s will. Sermons serve not just to comfort but to awaken, to stir our conscience and shape us into better people, more humble, more just, and more compassionate. Listening with an open heart allows the message to do its work… not to amuse, but to transform.

You know a sermon is especially good when you’re still thinking about it on Tuesday morning. Pastor Dan Sergeant preached on “The Power of Fear” this week. Fear is sneaky. It often disguises itself as wisdom, planning, or “just being cautious.” But underneath it all, fear reveals something deeper. We’re holding on to something we’re unwilling to surrender. We fear losing control, so we cling tighter. We fear the unknown, so we try to plan every outcome. We fear pain, failure, rejection… so we build walls and carry burdens we were never meant to bear.

That’s why Sunday’s sermon hit so hard. Pastor Dan said, “Whatever you’re afraid of is something you’ve given power to.” Think about that for a moment. I haven’t let that sentence go for nearly 48 hours. “Whatever you’re afraid of is something you’ve given power to.”

When we’re afraid, we’ve elevated something (an outcome, a person, a situation) above God in our hearts. Fear becomes a misplaced form of reverence. It demands our attention, dictates our decisions, and slowly erodes our trust in God’s goodness.

Fear tricks us into taking control. But control is just an illusion. God never asked us to manage everything. He invites us to trust Him in everything. When we fully rely on God, when we truly place all our trust in Him, fear loses its grip. There’s simply no room for fear where faith is firmly rooted. As 1 John 4:18 reminds us, “Perfect love casts out fear.” And who is perfect love? God Himself.

Pastor Dan also shared Proverbs 19:23 near the close of Sunday’s sermon. It reads, “The fear of the Lord leads to life; then one rests content, untouched by trouble.”

Here’s the amazing, incredible news: the Almighty God, the Creator of the heavens and the earth, loves YOU! He sees you, knows you, and desires that you live free from fear, resting in the security of His love. When you fear the Lord, that is, when you stand in awe of who He is, you no longer have to fear anything else. His perfect love brings peace that nothing in this world can shake. So let go of the fears that have held power over you. Rest in Him. You are safe in the hands of the One who holds the universe and still calls you His own. ❤️