Fear No Fear

(All scripture from the World English Bible, ebible.org, all rights reserved)

“I will give peace in the land, and you shall lie down, and no one will make you afraid. I will remove evil animals out of the land,neither shall the sword go through your land. You shall chase your enemies, and they shall fall before you by the sword. Five of you shall chase a hundred, and a hundred of you shall chase ten thousand; and your enemies shall fall before you by the sword.
Leviticus 26:6-8 (emphasis added)

We’ve had the Age of Empires. The Age of Enlightenment. The Dark Ages. What about today? More than anything else, I would say that this is the age of dread. Especially if you’re believing the headlines. People are dealing with anxiety, depression, and worry as almost never before. There have been scarier times, but only segments of the population were gripped with fear or had to deal with it. This is almost global. Every corner of the globe is full of this junk. It’s been made worse by the pandemic and the necessary isolations the world had to put in place – I say ‘had to’ because they were approaching it from the natural only and in the natural, quarantine is a valid (and effective) method of combating sickness and preventing spread throughout a population.

We have a world full of technological wonders. We have the Internet, cameras, and microphones. We can contact people all over the globe at almost every time of day or night. Yet, people complain of being lonely. The technology isn’t meeting their needs the way in-person interactions did. They’re isolated and hurting and their ears ring with the chorus of dread – because what else do they have to do but doom scroll the headlines? But believers do not have to give into that. We can conquer it by letting God do it. In ourselves, we are weak and unable to accomplish it. But God can do it. WITH us. What does the Word say? “But he (Jesus) said, “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God”” (Luke 18:27), When we do it with each other in our own strength, we’re limited. If we do it WITH God in HIS strength, NOTHING can hold us back – WITH God, not WITH men.

I cannot stress this enough. When we look at human thoughts, human solutions, and human ideas, we can do great things. But we can only go so far because human thought is tied to THIS flesh. THIS earth. THIS singular material existence. We can join together and work together and accomplish things that can shake the world. But it isn’t enough. Not to accomplish things that really affect reality. We aren’t a physical people. We aren’t this flesh. We aren’t this world. We are made from dust, but we are not dust. We are spirit. We are a spirit people. We are not of this world alone. We have a whole other side, and it is not seen or touched or felt or measured. That takes it out of the realm of the human. With MEN we can only go so far. But as spirit beings, if we ally with God who is SPIRIT then WITH HIM nothing is beyond us. WITH God. God is Righteous and does NOT move unless it is HIS will. Our part of the partnership is giving permission for Him to move in our lives and then moving, doing, and saying according to what HE says. Walking with, abiding in, and following Jesus, the Christ. We together can accomplish everything and anything. Nothing can stop us.

We know that because He promised that. If we stand on His word, then obey His voice in humble submission, then no one and nothing will fill us with dread or fear. How can it? What is in US is greater than what is out THERE. Nothing will be beyond our capability, because He is doing the heavy lifting. We’re doing the believing and the obeying – His schedule, His tasks, His way, for His pleasure. We do the faith — which He gives us by Grace — and He does the miracle. Jesus did that.

On His own, Jesus accomplished nothing. Jesus had no power. Jesus used no power. Jesus utilised no power. “Most certainly, I tell you, the Son can do nothing of himself, but what he sees the Father doing. For whatever things he does, these the Son also does likewise” (John 5:19). The Father IN Jesus did it all through the Holy Spirit. The power rested on and in Jesus, and went out according to the will of the Father, not the will of Jesus. “I can of myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and my judgment is righteous, because I don’t seek my own will, but the will of my Father who sent me” (John 5:30). Jesus did nothing. Jesus WITH GOD did everything. He listened to His Father, He obeyed His Father, and in obeying He walked out the instructions and did many miraculous things. We can do the same thing because we are called to be like Him (1 Peter 2:21). We are called to abide in Him (Ephesians 5:1-2) AND let Him do what He wants — which we know from His own lips is only what the Father wants and wills. Which means nothing we are asked to do will disagree with scripture.

Listen, obey, walk. It’s a simple process. God tells us in Leviticus 26:3-5 that obedience to Him and His Word is the number one most important thing in life:

“’If you walk in my statutes and keep my commandments, and do them, then I will give you your rains in their season, and the land shall yield its increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit. Your threshing shall continue until the vintage, and the vintage shall continue until the sowing time. You shall eat your bread to the full, and dwell in your land safely.“

That right there would eliminate HOW much anxiety and depression? Having not only your needs met but ALSO being prosperous and secure? Isn’t that a better thing to believe than worry? I say believe NOT because I think you can wish away clinical depression and anxiety or any other mental illness. But what I know is that God can do anything and everything when we allow Him. Not just dealing with our feelings, emotions, and mental landscape. But also dealing with our heart and the thinking, emoting, and memories that rise up from that physical organ.

When you’re saved, you become a new person (2 Corinthians 5:17). Whole, healthy, and completely dread-free. No animals of anxiety and depression stalking you. Spiritually, we are perfect and righteous. Our spirits start at a point of total, absolute prosperity. We can let that prosperity flow down and transform both our spirit and our flesh through sanctification (1 Corinthians 1:30). Believe in the Lord, obey what the Holy Spirit asks of you, and enjoy the blessings of God (1 John 1:2). When God is there, His love is there. Where love is, there is no fear (1 John 4:18). Where joy is, there is no depression. We live in HIM and are a channel FOR Him. We can’t have God flowing through us without the things OF God flowing through us. You’re bound to get wet.

What’s the formula then? No formula. This is just how God is. Listen to His voice, Obey His voice, praise Him, and pray about everything. Tell Him what’s bugging you. He takes care of all your needs, so go to Him with your wants and concerns. He’ll listen. Just do what He says to do after. Do everything in faith. Let faith become part of every moment of every day. Philippians 4:6-7 says: “In nothing be anxious, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus” Leave those wants and concerns with Him. Praise Him that He has a solution and it WILL come to pass.

Hebrews 11:6 tells us that “Without faith it is impossible to be well pleasing to him, for he who comes to God must believe that he exists, and that he is a rewarder of those who seek him.” Romans 14:26 warns us that “whatever is not of faith is sin.” The first is clear. The second is part of a teaching on not doing things that make your brothers and sisters stumble. In avoiding foods or drink that could be a problem for those who see you. That’s a physical thing, but you can see how it is a PRINCIPLE that can be applied to the spiritual as well. When we start to look at all the scriptures about faith and interact them, we can see how faith isn’t isolated. It isn’t this corner of our life or that. Every aspect of Jesus’ life was devoted and submitted to His Father. Ours should be the same way. Every aspect of our lives touched by the Word, guided by the Word, lived in faith, by faith, and for faith. Making eager expectation of the things of the Lord part of everything from chores to work to entertainment to family to spending to time management to EVERYTHING and everything else too. To operate in the total FREEDOM of obedience to Yahweh God Almighty (Galatians 5:1).

Believe the Word. Believe it. Have faith in it. Strengthen faith with it. Don’t do anything without it. Meditate on it day and night. Not as a chore, but as a glorious opportunity to put fear, dread, anxiety, and worry right where it belongs: at the foot of the cross. Walk into an Age of Faith.

Daily Affirmation of God’s Love: Romans 8:31-39

God loved us and held NOTHING back to express that love. He MADE us. Our world. The universe that world is within. He didn’t hold back His own SON. He has done EVERYTHING. And He is still doing. Why? Because He is with us and refuses to allow ANYTHING to separate Himself from us. “Who shall ever separate us from Christ’s love?” Nothing. Not things or distance or mental conditions or circumstances. Nothing. Period. Don’t believe me? Believe Him. It’s in the Word. The whole bible is a love letter from Him to us. A manual for how to forget how to mess up and to remember how easy it is to believe and obey. His yoke is EASY and the burden of obedience? LIGHT (Matthew 11:28-30). He wants to have us WITH Him. We can’t be that without being righteous because HE is RIGHTEOUS and HOLY. We NEED Jesus to have that. We NEED Him and He did NOT hold Himself back. Out of LOVE. Love for you. Love for me. Love for us all. He loves us so. Get in Jesus and dwell in that Love. It will change your life.

Your Daily Confession of God’s love to YOU:

Today God loves that I _______.