Fear No Fear

“See now that I, indeed I, am he!” says the Lord, “and there is no other god besides me. I kill and give life, I smash and I heal, and none can resist my power.
Deuteronomy 32:39 (emphasis added)

Why would God, the Sovereign Lord, restrict Himself? That’s the question that divides many Christians. On one side, God is Sovereign and ONLY what He wills will occur here on earth or in our lives. On the other side, God is Sovereign, but chooses to limit what He can and cannot do here on earth because of US and our free will. Well, you cannot argue that Yahweh is Sovereign. “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation, for all things in heaven and on earth were created in him—all things, whether visible or invisible, whether thrones or dominions, whether principalities or powers—all things were created through him and for him” (Colossians 1:15-16). “The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me, because the Lord has chosen me. He has commissioned me to encourage the poor, to help the brokenhearted, to decree the release of captives and the freeing of prisoners” (Isaiah 61:1). That’s pretty clear.

So what does ‘sovereign’ mean? As a noun: supreme ruler, such as a monarch. As an adjective: possessing supreme or ultimate power. Yup. That’s our God. Both are clearly true. Ecclesiastes 8:2-5 tells us how a king/ruler functions: “Obey the king’s command, because you took an oath before God to be loyal to him. Do not rush out of the king’s presence in haste—do not delay when the matter is unpleasant, for he can do whatever he pleases. Surely the king’s authority is absolute; no one can say to him, “What are you doing?” Whoever obeys his command will not experience harm, and a wise person knows the proper time and procedure.” A ruler can do what he wants, because he is in charge. The buck stops with him.

Historyonthenet.com gives us a definition of a king: ‘The King was in complete control under the feudal system (at least nominally). He owned all the land in the country and decided to whom he would lease land. He therefore typically allowed tenants he could trust to lease land from him. However, before they were given any land they had to swear an oath of fealty to the King at all times. The men who leased land from the King were known as Barons, they were wealthy, powerful, and had complete control of the land they leased from the King.’

A king OWNED everything and made ALL the major decisions. Obviously, the king didn’t make every decision in the entire kingdom. The king didn’t control the actions of everyone in the kingdom. In fact, he looked for people he could TRUST. Sound familiar? It is the basis of the parable of the landowner of the vineyard (Matthew 21:33-41). Does the Lord have the same ROLE as this kind of king? Of course. “Our God is in heaven. He does whatever he pleases” (Psalm 115:3). The Lord God planted an orchard in the east, in Eden; and there he placed the man he had formed (Genesis 2:8). And what does the Lord God do about the earth? “Certainly the Lord watches the whole earth carefully and is ready to strengthen those who are devoted to him. You have acted foolishly in this matter; from now on you will have war” (2 Chronicles 16:9).

If God ONLY let happen what He WANTED to have happen, then how can wicked people BE wicked? How can ANYONE be lost? “since he wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4 see also 2 Peter 3:9). But Jesus told us that some would be lost: “Enter through the narrow gate because the gate is wide and the way is spacious that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. How narrow is the gate and difficult the way that leads to life, and there are few who find it!” (Matthew 7:13-14). Clearly there is something going on here.

1 Corinthians 10:13 tells us that we can choose to fall to temptation or take the way out the Lord provides. Galatians 5:13 tells us that we have freedom and can CHOOSE to walk in it OR to use it to indulge the flesh – which would be sin. Jesus says in John 7:17 “If anyone wants to do God’s will, he will know about my teaching, whether it is from God or whether I speak from my own authority.” If we WANT means we can choose NOT to. We can NOT WANT to. Joshua declared that he and his family would CHOOSE to serve the Lord (Joshua 24:15). We can CHOOSE to disciple to Jesus or not based on whether we CHOOSE to submit to His authority (Mark 8:34).

We have FREE WILL. In the Garden Adam had a CHOICE as to whether or not to obey the Lord (Genesis 2:16-17). God COULD NOT have given a commandment if Adam could only obey. There HAD to be the possibility of disobedience. Adam had to be able to submit to the Lord in order to have the empowerment to walk in the Lord’s authority because it is to His OBEDIENT children that He gives authority and responsibility (Isaiah 1:19; 1 John 5:3). We need to listen to what the Lord says and do what He directs. “A person plans his course, but the Lord directs his steps” (Proverbs 16:9).

The Lord has the POWER to do ANYTHING He wants, but He is always looking to partner WITH US. “Jesus looked at them and replied, “This is impossible for mere humans, but for God all things are possible”” (Matthew 19:26). Jesus was FULLY HUMAN (Philippians 2:7). He could do NOTHING on His own. The Holy Spirit came upon Him like a dove (Luke 3:22), which means it rested on Him and STAYED. Jesus now was in the same boat as WE are. Human filled with Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8). We need to do as JESUS did. Nothing without the direction of the Father (John 5:19) and ONLY what the Father wills (Matthew 7:21-23). Which is – of course – our issue. Putting down the flesh and walking in the Way (Romans 8:13). If YOU won’t do it, He WILL find someone else willing because NO ONE can resist His will. It WILL take place.

Everything comes from the Lord God Almighty. Blessing and life for the obedient. The curse and death for those who rebel. The Lord is MERCIFUL (Exodus 34:6-7). That’s how the wicked can manage to live long enough to prosper in ANY way. That’s how the righteous know that we are not slaved to the Law – because to fail in just one moral commandment is to fail ALL of the Law (James 2:10). It is evident of the Lord’s mercy that ANY of us live at all. It is that SAME MERCY by which we know that the Lord desires us all to be free of ANY and EVERYTHING that binds us.

“For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not be subject again to the yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1). This is true spiritually. This is true physically. The Lord says ALL a lot in His Word. He means it. Just as it is. ALL means ALL. Freedom from ALL includes freedom from sin, death, and ALL the effects of sin and death – sickness, fear, misery, loneliness, anxiety, depression, weakness, lack, ignorance, unkindness, vulnerability, etc etc. ALL means ALL. But the Sovereign Lord does not FORCE us to choose His way. And there is A LOT of people here on earth. Each one has free will. Each action each of us takes impacts each action someone else takes and if you were to stand back and look at it, a Pollock painting would be clearer. But the Lord is FAR above us in every way – especially in UNDERSTANDING. He sees it ALL and understands it ALL and knows how each piece fits into each other piece and how it all shifts and… well… WOW. Only HE can sort it out.

The Lord is Sovereign and every day He is asking: “I heard the voice of the Lord say, “Whom will I send? Who will go on our behalf?” I answered, “Here I am, send me!”” (Isaiah 6:8). He searches for those who will walk in His way. So when it comes to healing, He wills for us all to be healed no matter what (Matthew 12:15). But free will can hinder that. There is no way for us to fully understand. If we don’t forgive, that can impact our ability to be free (Matthew 6:14-15). If we are bitter, that can impact our ability to be free (Colossians 3:19). If we choose to sin, it can have an impact our ability to be free (James 8:11). If we decide to be disobedient, it can have an impact on our ability to be free (Psalm 128:1-2). We need to watch our tongues because our words can have an impact on our ability to be free (Proverbs 18:21).

You see how it works? God can DO ANYTHING, but so much of what WE do can impact our ability to walk in what He WANTS for us. And no one but the Lord can figure it out. Only the LORD can see into our hearts (and the hearts of others) to see if what is going on has a root we need to deal with (1 Samuel 16:7). Only the LORD can guide you into what – if anything – YOU need to do. If we have FAITH that means more than belief. It is an eager expectation of God’s fulfilment of His promises as we REST on and in HIM. Faith is NOT about the end result. Faith is ONLY about the trust and the journey of keeping the Lord first and foremost in our lives (Matthew 6:33-34). We strengthen our faith through hearing the WORD because the WORD renews us to His ways and His things (Romans 12:2). When we are focused on HIM, we will always be able to hear our path so we know where to place our feet.

Trust in HIS promises. Trust in HIS Word. Trust in HIS commands. Trust in HIS journey. Don’t fear. Don’t fret. Don’t let loose your FAITH in HIM. The Lord is not slow concerning his promise, as some regard slowness, but is being patient toward you because he does not wish for any to perish but for all to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). Don’t worry about TIME or MANIFESTATION. Trust in Him and NEVER LET LOOSE of the TRUTH that the Word on healing has been released for each and every one of us (1 Peter 2:24).

Daily Affirmation Jesus IS Messiah: Genesis 9:26-27

“He also said, “Worthy of praise is the Lord, the God of Shem! May Canaan be the slave of Shem! May God enlarge Japheth’s territory and numbers! May he live in the tents of Shem and may Canaan be the slave of Japheth!”” The God of Shem will be the son of Shem. Canaan CANNOT be victorious. Jesus was born in the land of Canaan and the negatives in the land rose up to destroy Him – but they could not. NO, it was not ‘the Jews’ but ONLY the religious minority. The leaders who had been appointed to their positions by MAN. Those who loved all the rules and the attention. Those who lived by the outward forms of the Law, but NOT it’s intention or moral truth (Matthew 23:27). But it isn’t just the BIRTHPLACE of the Lord that made this prophecy come true. Look at Luke 3:23-36. It is the genealogy that proves that Jesus was from Shem. In verse 36 it says “the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem“. Jesus was born in Canaan and as a son of Shem, Canaan was His slave. He did what the Father wanted and NONE stopped Him. He overcame and set His victory into eternity. Jesus IS the Messiah.

Your Daily Confession of Jesus/Yeshua’s Identity:

Yeshua is the Christ, the Son of the living God.

Matthew 16:16b