Are You Trusting God or Planning From Fear? | Sarah Jakes Roberts | Sermon Notes — Hello Pastor

Sermon Notes

Are You Trusting God or Planning From Fear?

Sarah Jakes Roberts

ONE, A Potter's House Church • Sep 6, 2026 • 16 min

Start 3-Day Devotional

Take this message with you through a journey of Scripture, reflection, and prayer.

Summary

In this empowering sermon, Pastor Sarah Jakes Roberts calls believers to examine whether their obedience is truly rooted in trust or driven by fear-based strategies. Drawing from Romans 12 and the life of Jacob in Genesis 32, she reveals how resurrection power enables us to overcome internal bondages, renew our minds, and step out of self-reliance. By embracing a revelation of God's perfect love, believers can find complete security in their divine identity rather than relying on earthly validation or fear-driven backup plans.

Themes

Resurrection PowerLiving Sacrifice & Mind RenewalTrust vs. Fear-Based StrategyIdentity in God's LoveSurrender & Full Obedience

Key Points

1.
The same resurrection power that raised Jesus from the dead lives inside believers to bring deep internal transformation, break addictions, and heal grief.
2.
God's power in our lives is not given merely for outward achievement, but so that we can be made whole, rest, and walk in the Spirit.
3.
Presenting ourselves as a living sacrifice means releasing our longing for human acceptance and allowing God to destroy worldly mindsets.
4.
When God transforms us from our past into His purpose, our lives become living evidence of His good, acceptable, and perfect will.
5.
Like Jacob in Genesis 32, we often pray for God's deliverance while simultaneously creating backup plans rooted in self-reliance and fear.
6.
Obeying God outwardly while hedging our bets in fear means our actions say yes, but our hearts remain guarded and distrustful.
7.
According to 1 John 4:18, perfect love drives out fear, revealing that anxiety points to areas where we need a deeper revelation of God's love.

Sermon Moments

“The same power that raised Jesus from the grave is not just so that you can do and achieve. It is so that you can be and feel.”

“Give me the power to call that therapist. Give me the power to break this addiction. Give me the power to break out of this grief.”

“I thought I wanted to be accepted by my parents. I thought I wanted to be accepted by the industry... But now here I am, and all I want is to be holy and acceptable to God.”

“You can start off conformed to this world, but you can be transformed by the renewing of your mind... You're going to be God's evidence.”

“If you don't get on ChatGPT and say, 'Show me the scriptures about walking in the spirit versus walking in the flesh.' Use technology to your advantage so that you can get deeper in the word.”

“I'm praying for deliverance, but I'm also delivering myself at the same time... I'm obeying God, but I'm also hedging my bets.”

“While you have been commended for your ability to be a strategist, I want to submit to you that your strategy is based off of your fear.”

This Week

Identify one area in your life where you have created fear-based backup plans, and commit to fully trusting God's leading instead.

When anxiety or fear arises this week, explicitly ask yourself: "How would a revelation of God's love change this fear?"

Bring a specific addiction, unhealthy pattern, or heavy grief before God, trusting the power that raised Jesus from the dead to bring inner healing.

Practice surrendering human approval by identifying where you seek validation from people rather than resting in God's acceptance.

Use available tools or study resources to search for and meditate on scriptures about walking in the Spirit versus walking in the flesh.

Evaluate whether your current plans are true acts of faith or strategies designed to hedge your bets against disappointment.

Remind yourself daily that open doors, opportunities, and worldly success do not define your identity because you are already fully affirmed in Christ.

Remember This

True faith requires releasing fear-driven backup plans and letting God's perfect love anchor our identity rather than human validation or opportunities.

A Challenge for You

Whenever fear arises, ask yourself how a revelation of God's love changes the situation, remembering that your identity and worth are already fully affirmed in Him regardless of human open doors or opportunities.

These are personal sermon notes shared to help you remember the message — not a replacement for Scripture, your church, or your pastors.