Fear No Fear

(All scripture from Lexham English Bible, Copyright 2012 Logos Bible Software)

You stiff-necked people and uncircumcised in hearts and in your ears! You constantly resist the Holy Spirit! As your fathers did, so also do you!

Acts 7:51

Elohim is not a dictator. It’s perfectly okay to resist Him if you want to. He isn’t going to hound you until you give up and give in. Not in the sense of a dictator demanding absolute obedience. He does do it for our benefit or the benefit of others (Jonah). But that is rare and not for forever. There comes a point when we harden our hearts too much and Elohim finally gives us over to what we have so forcibly demanded to have (Romans 1:28).

The resistance this verse is talking about is withstanding the effect Ruach HaKodesh seeks to have on our hearts. It’s keeping to a harder state. It’s resisting being moulded. It’s resisting change. It’s refusing to budge from the spot we’ve decided to plant ourselves. It is very much the opposite of what we are supposed to go in the Kingdom and with Adonai. Ruach HaKodesh is a MOVING Spirit (Genesis 1:2). The direction Ruach HaKodesh moves is toward Jesus who moves toward the Father. It is into and onward toward the heart of Elohim. It is getting more and more into the Blessing. Sounds great, right? But to be before the Throne we need to be righteous (it’s why we need Jesus). Moving further and further into who Elohim is will necessitate submitting more and more of our own point of view, and developing thinking and behaviour that conforms to Adonai’s point of view. It is not always a comfortable experience.

There are times we want to put on the breaks. When we want to stop and maybe evaluate whether we think what we need to do is a good idea. To judge commandments by human standards with human reasoning. To stop moving on favour of maintaining a comfort zone. We either need to smarten up and do what He says – basing that decision on our trust in Him – or to backpedal away from that cliff face of obedience saying ‘no way’. It is a dichotomy. There is no third option.

The Pharisees and Sadducees were so convinced of their theological interpretation of the scriptures that they said ‘no way’ anytime Elohim did anything new. Even though every single move of Elohim in the New Covenant was shadowed by something from the Old Covenant. They weren’t having that. They liked Adonai staying in their box. Where they could feel confident in their dealings with Him. Where they could even feel almost superior, keeping all the physical rules. But that isn’t humble submission. That isn’t realising your place vs Elohim’s place. That isn’t a heart of worship.

We need to be careful not to get full of ourselves. Not to start resting on the laurels of whatever work we have done. When we do that we’re not listening to Him. We’re not paying attention to Ruach HaKodesh who is whispering to us about what we should be doing. And when. And which direction. We aren’t hearing about the new things (Isaiah 43:19) Elohim is doing. When we don’t listen we’re trying to master the old things. The life of the believer is IMPOSSIBLE outside of Jesus. No matter HOW good you think you’re doing. We cannot accomplish it without Him. Without the Fruit the Spirit offers us. It’s all about submitting to His will for OUR improvement. He never asks us to do something that is detrimental to us. At the same time, He never tells us to stay in one place – always seeking to draw us further into Elohim and His love for us.

Don’t be stiff-necked. Be willing to turn your head in the direction Ruach HaKodesh directs. It might be uncomfortable using those muscles again, but in the end your view will be spectacular and the new ground that will have opened up well worth traversing. Get close to Him. You’ll never regret it.

Daily Affirmation of the Goodness of Elohim: Isaiah 41:10

“You must not fear, for I am with you; you must not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, indeed I will help you, indeed I will take hold of you with the right hand of my salvation.” This is a great promise and very indicative of Elohim’s character. First, we are commanded to choose not to fear. To choose not to be anxious. To choose not to be stressed as the world defines it. Not because of a simple choice on our own, no. Because of a promise of Adonai. We can choose to act and emote according to HIS promised action instead of acting and emoting according to our feelings or the situation around us. The promise is to be WITH us and to take hold of us with His salvation (salvation includes health, no lack, and enough blessing to bless those around us). He isn’t going to wait until we manage to make our way over to Him. He’s not going to wait for the perfect circumstances. He’s going to take ahold of us. He will reach out and envelop our hand with His. Not maybe. Definitely and for certain. With that kind of promise, who would choose to fear? Who would focus on the ‘oh my goodness’ leading to anxiety instead of on the ‘oh my good God’ that leads to praise and peace? Only the blind and the heart hearted. Open to the prompts of Ruach HaKodesh and let Him soften your heart so that you can inhabit the promises of the Most High. It makes for ABUNDANT living with NONE of the hurtful edges the world’s methods bring.

Your Daily Confession of Elohim’s Goodness:

I taste and see that Yahweh is good; I am blessed because I take refuge in Him.

Psalm 34:8