Fear No Fear

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

You shall not fear them; for Yahweh your God himself fights for you.”
Deuteronomy 3:22 (emphasis added)

The Lord God Jehovah fights for us. Okay, I could stop there. THE Being. The SUPREME Being. The Great I AM. The one who created everything that is and has been and will be — that’s Genesis 1:1 and the foundation of everything else in the Word. The one who keeps us all alive by His will alone (Psalm 66:9 and Job 34:14-15). THIS is the one who is fighting for us. Why would we fear? How can we? This verse tells us just that. Not to fear whom we face and that those we face will not inspire fear in us.

Have you ever been confident? Other people are moaning or worried, but you’re smiling and saying “We got this”? That is what this verse is. TOTAL confidence on our part. Not because we’re so awesome and great and capable. But that HE is. Yahweh says “I AM He whose Godliness suffices for every creature. Therefore, walk before Me and I will be your God and your Protector” (Genesis 17:1) This is what I AM means. Almighty God, God Almighty, El Shaddai. Do we have to worry about that person talking behind our backs? The bully who torments us? That (insert grumbly name calling) person at work who back-stabs us and spreads rumours about the cleanliness of our undies? No. Don’t be intimidated. Don’t be fearful. God can take care of all of it.

What about an abuser? Shouldn’t we worry about that? No, we shouldn’t worry. Worry is fear. Fear isn’t faith. God loves us more than anyone or anything. He commands us to love each other. But He doesn’t want us in unsafe circumstances. It’s okay to get out and get safe. If that person is going to be saved and get back in our lives, God can take care of that. While He does, we can be safe.

We can also not flee and take the stand of authority that we have as believers because greater is He who is in us than He who is in the world – or an abuser (1 John 4:4). But the Lord doesn’t want us hurt. He doesn’t want people to take advantage of us. There is a LOT we can do with the Lord beside us but ONLY if it is the will of the Lord. We HAVE to go where He says and do what He wants. If you don’t have the faith and belief developed within you, He isn’t going to have you stay where you will fail. HE and ONLY HE knows what is best. Pray about it. Listen. Obey.

Be led by the Lord in ALL things. Wherever He is calling you, He has enabled you to reach. He called the Israelites to the Promised Land and enabled them to reach it. It was the Israelites who refused to go. They then had to hang out in the desert places until the next generation grew up — a generation willing to go in. Anytime they experienced a defeat it was because they had disobeyed Him. If we are willing to go, He will take care of the rest. We only need to trust, listen, and obey.

All these situations have something in common. We’re facing trouble. Big or small. We’re facing it. God says, don’t worry. He doesn’t say be happy about what’s going on. He doesn’t say whistle and pretend nothing is wrong. He doesn’t say deny the situation, stick your head in the sand, and think wishfully. He is calling us to deny the right of the situation to negatively affect us. To stand on His Word. To not let fear of the situation in. To love Him. To love those against you. And then do what He says because He’s fighting for you and can tell you what to do. God is asking us to establish ourselves as a temple to Him. A place of worship. An altar of PRAISE. When we do that, we’re inviting Him in. If we’re inviting Him in, shouldn’t we listen to Him? Obey Him? In Luke 6:46 Jesus asks “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and don’t do the things which I say?” It’s worth thinking about. Obedience is a KEY aspect of worship.

But does it work, you ask?

Yes. I’ve done things that seemed stupid because He told me and it worked out. Not just scraped through worked out, but it was an incredible experience that couldn’t have been better planned worked out. I’ve done things that were sensible and prudent because He told me to and that also worked out in the same great way. But that is experiential, so I’m not going to share them here. Experiences can be colourful and are fun to listen to, but different for everyone.

We need something more than something to make us smile. I’m not knocking testimony and sharing experiences — far from it. But day to day, our bodies need more than stories to keep going. We need real food. Experiences should point to the food, not take the place of the food. Look to the Word for it IS truth. Is there an example in there? Many. A favourite? 1 Chronicles 14:13-15 “The Philistines made another raid in the valley. David inquired again of God; and God said to him, “You shall not go up after them. Turn away from them, and come on them opposite the mulberry trees. When you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry trees, then go out to battle; for God has gone out before you to strike the army of the Philistines.”“

That’s really specific. Now just before this (vs 8-12) the Philistines came in and David kicked their butts. He could have faced them directly this time too. He didn’t. He went around, looked at some mulberries, maybe thought about pie, and waited to hear a sound. When he did, they went forward, and kicked butt again. They routed them so badly that all the nations around them became afraid of their prowess. What would have happened if David hadn’t obeyed? Who knows. Chances are nothing good. Perhaps a success until they came against him again. What do we know? The Lord fought for them. And it was a widespread solution. Not just victory here, but defeating the potential for future tangles.

It makes a difference to obey. It may seem silly, but obey. Look at Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles 20: “Tomorrow go down against them. Behold, they are coming up by the ascent of Ziz. You will find them at the end of the valley, before the wilderness of Jeruel.” (vs 16)

Weirdly specific, yes? God told them where. God told them to arm for battle. AND that the battle wasn’t theirs. He would fight for them. He told them where they would find the enemy. Then HE fought for them. When THEY got there, the enemy were ALREADY dead. They’d killed each other. He told the nation of Judah what to do. They DID it. They PRAISED Him. And He fought for them.

Sometimes a situation calls for us to do things. Sometimes a situation calls for Him to do things. Sometimes it’s a combination. “As Jesus passed by from there, two blind men followed him, calling out and saying, “Have mercy on us, son of David!” When he had come into the house, the blind men came to him. Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They told him, “Yes, Lord.” Then he touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith be it done to you.” Then their eyes were opened. Jesus strictly commanded them, saying, “See that no one knows about this.” But they went out and spread abroad his fame in all that land” (Matthew 9:27-32). Jesus fought for them. He fought against their blindness, removed it, and they could see. It took nothing more than their willingness to believe in Him.

“As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “This man didn’t sin, nor did his parents, but that the works of God might be revealed in him. I must work the works of him who sent me while it is day. The night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” When he had said this, he spat on the ground, made mud with the saliva, anointed the blind man’s eyes with the mud, and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means “Sent”). So he went away, washed, and came back seeing” (John 9:1-7).

Jesus had been near the temple. The pool of Siloam was across the city. This guy had to walk a fair bit with spit on his eyes. There were a lot of opportunities for him to say ‘this is stupid’ and wipe the mud off. He wouldn’t have had his sight. It wasn’t the saliva of Jesus or the dirt of Jerusalem, or both together, that healed the man. It was the obedience that was the proof of faith and belief. He went and did. Jesus fought for him. He fought against his blindness, removed it, and he could see. It wasn’t just the faith of Jesus that did this. It took action on the part of the man.

Worship can also be part of God fighting for us. “As he entered into a certain village, ten men who were lepers met him, who stood at a distance. They lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” When he saw them, he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” As they went, they were cleansed. One of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, glorifying God with a loud voice. He fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks; and he was a Samaritan. Jesus answered, “Weren’t the ten cleansed? But where are the nine? Were there none found who returned to give glory to God, except this foreigner?” Then he said to him, “Get up, and go your way. Your faith has healed you”” (Luke 7:12-19). Jesus fought for all of them. He fought the leprosy and conquered it. But only one of the ten was WORSHIPFUL. The ten men walked away leprous. They were having to be obedient in their belief that Jesus was able to heal them. The priests would not want their time wasted. It took faith to walk toward a cleansing ceremony while still leprous. But as they were obedient, they were CLEANSED. The leprosy left.

However, only one had a worshipful attitude in that cleansing. He went back and worshipped the Lord. Only he was HEALED. The others had no more leprosy. This man was restored. That’s quite a difference. Jesus fought and the man participated in the fight through obedience. He also participated through WORSHIP. Giving credit where credit was due. Thanking the Lord for what happened.

The Lord is ABLE to do. The Lord KNOWS what to do. The Lord ASKS that WE do as well. Sometimes with a passive action. Sometimes with an active action. He is ALWAYS worthy of worship. In every scenario. The Lord God is wonderful. He is a GOOD God. He is a GOOD Father. He is WORTHY of our worship. It should ALWAYS be part of our walk with Him. “Always rejoice. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus towards you. Don’t quench the Spirit” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-19). That’s pretty clear. Simple. Not always easy.

We have a tendency to remain in the habits of our pre-saved self. We look to the flesh. We look to FEELINGS to tell us what we’re experiencing. Whether we ‘feel’ like worshipping or while worshipping if we ‘feel’ like we’re connecting with the Lord. That’s silly. Feelings can’t tell you anything but what your FLESH feels. We’re not flesh. We’re SPIRIT beings. We worship in spirit and in truth (John 4:24).

“And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body, and be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your heart to the Lord. Whatever you do, in word or in deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Colossians 3:15-17). To sing to the Lord. To worship Him in all our circumstances. In all we do from dishes to deliverance. We’re with the Lord in mundane chores. We’re with the Lord when He moves mightily. We are to worship Him ALWAYS. We’re to be obedient ALWAYS. In all things. Being thankful to Him, not for the particular circumstances. But for His being with you in the circumstances. He’ll fight for you. If we put Him first, He looks out for us (Psalm 91).

He’ll fight for you. Big or small. He’ll do it. He promises that in His Word. His Word can be trusted (Psalm 119:140). Ask Him what to do, LISTEN, obey Him, and PRAISE Him. It will be alright. BETTER than alright. With Yahweh who Sustains Us, it always is.

Daily Affirmation of God’s Love: Nehemiah 1:5

Remember that covenant is a formal, solemn, and binding agreement. God has a covenant with Believers. It is a covenant of lovingkindness and steadfast love. He is so known for it, that it is one of the ways He was addressed in the Old Testament (Psalm 144:2). We can thank God that in the New Covenant He continues to show us His lovingkindness and steadfast love, while adding complete redemption and perfect grace (2 Corinthians 12:9). Nehemiah addressed God with respect, reminding Him of the covenant of love. But in the New Covenant? “and the prayer of faith will heal him who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. If he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.” (James 5:15). We DO have a better covenant. The final covenant. The one sealed with the body and blood of the Lord Jesus on Calvary. We take communion as a remembrance of that. Reminding ourselves of everything He did for us. For everything He gave to us. Nehemiah was asking YAHWEH to remember the covenant. Through communion, Jesus is asking US to remember the covenant. To remember HIM. To remember the SACRIFICE, the REDEMPTION, the making us ANEW. To remind us of what we WALK in. To remind us of who DWELLS inside us. To remind us that we are TEMPLES of the Lord. To remind us that we are not subject to the world. To remind us of the victory we have over EVERY aspect of the curse. To remind us that the healing power of Father God that raised Jesus from the dead resides INSIDE us. To remind us that the Holy Spirit was given to us as a teacher, guide, and companion. To remind us that we are creatures of FAITH and not fear. To remind us that we have the victory IN Jesus in EVERY situation, EVERY time, in EVERY way. We are LOVED OF GOD. If He is for us, who can be against us? We are LOVED. We are CHERISHED. We are His children. Remind yourself of that and walk in thanksgiving of His love.

Your Daily Confession of God’s love to YOU:

Today God loves that I _______.