Fear No Fear

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

Then you will prosper, if you observe to do the statutes and the ordinances which Yahweh gave Moses concerning Israel. Be strong and courageous. Don’t be afraid and don’t be dismayed.
1 Chronicles 22:13 (emphasis added)

First things first: we are set free from the Law and it’s requirements (Romans 8:2-4) but instead choose to be in discipleship and under obedience to Jesus (1 Corinthians 9:21). In Deuteronomy 30:15 the Lord says, “Behold, I have set before you today life and prosperity, and death and evil.” And again in 30:19-20 “I call heaven and earth to witness against you today that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Therefore, choose life, that you may live, you and your descendants, to love Yahweh your God, to obey his voice, and to cling to him; for he is your life, and the length of your days, that you may dwell in the land which Yahweh swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Issac, and to Jacob, to give them.”

What does that mean? Well, when you take into account Romans 8:2-4 then we know that in the Old Covenant we have access to everything that was a blessing. Everything that was a promise. But we get to ignore the curse. If we don’t do everything that we’re supposed to… we aren’t hit by the curse. In the Old Covenant the Lord needed humanity to realise two things. First, terrible, terrible things are waiting outside the shelter of the Lord’s wings (Psalm 17:8-9, 91:4-8; Malachi 4:2-3). Now what was the Law? A strict list of things we as humans would have to do perfectly to be righteous and enter His presence. Which was and is impossible – and why there were sacrifices to temporarily cover our sins — like how tomato juice covers the stench of a skunk, but doesn’t eliminate it.

This is the second thing we needed to understand: there is no way in the natural for a human being to hold to the righteous ways of the Lord. No way for us to be righteous. No way for us to hold to the rules. In fact, the rules are there to show us how rebellious we are. How? You wouldn’t know to break the rule if you didn’t hear the rule. You MIGHT do the behaviour on your own, but there is a very, very high chance you’ll do it once you know you shouldn’t. Don’t believe me? Psychologists do. They’ve done studies. And God knows us a lot better than a bunch of human minds, no matter how smart. Where does this leave us? Jesus. It leaves us Jesus.

Jesus wants us to follow God’s way of doing things. Remember that the Old Testament shows the heart of God. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). Once Jesus – sinless – died to pay the price of sin, the punishment of sin was fulfilled. If we believe that our own sins and sinful nature were part of that price Jesus paid, we can accept His payment on our behalf. If we believe He was God’s son and could do that, we enter into covenant with the Living Christ. Raised to life and Lord of all. By accepting, believing, and proclaiming these things, we could have fellowship with God in Jesus. Jesus gives us His nature and His righteousness. When we abide in Him and live lives led by the Holy Spirit, we are able to fulfil the requirements of righteous living. How? By Grace, through Faith. Without faith, no one pleases God (Hebrews 11:6). And if we could live right by ourselves in our own strength, Jesus wouldn’t have had to die in the first place. It is all in Jesus, by Jesus, from Jesus, and about Jesus.

So what is the requirement He has for us? What is it that His Spirit and His nature enable us to do in the Grace we inhabit? Love. It’s all about love. Not our kind of love, but God’s kind of love. Jesus said, “’You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind’ (Deuteronomy 6:5). This is the first and great commandment. A second likewise is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’ (Leviticus 19:18). The whole law and all the prophets depend on these two commandments”” (Matthew 22:37-40). These two commandments are the answer to the two things we as humanity had to realise: Only God can protect us from what we did to creation (the introduction of sin by rebellion against Him), and only Jesus’ love can enable us to walk by Grace and treat each other right.

What’s that well-known verse about God’s kind of love? “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only born Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16). Looking at the various meanings of the words in that verse we can read into it another layer of feeling: ‘For thus God loves the world, so that He gives His only-begotten Son, that everyone believing in Him should not be losing, perishing, having violent strife, or being destined to die, but may be pregnant with physical and spiritual world-beginning life, partaking in the character of the eternal.’

What does this all mean for us? Day to day? It means that when we look at the Old Covenant promises of God, we can claim them if we are abiding in God. Yes, we all fall short of where we should be (Romans 3:21-26). But by getting into the Word and placing ourselves into obedience with it, accepting His Grace, and walking in His faith we will be striving to succeed. Pregnant with His power. “For God didn’t give us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-control” (2 Timothy 1:7). We do not have to be slaves to our feelings. Or to the curse we’ve been redeemed of. John 3:16 says that none SHOULD perish. There is free will there. Choice. Decision. Are we going to walk the path the Lord lays for us (Psalm 119:105 and 2 Peter 1:19-21)? Or are we going to go our own way and walk out from under His wings?

God calls us to move ever forward. Forward to Him. Forward to Heaven. Forward to Blessing. Forward in discipleship. Forward in discipling others. Forward. So don’t despair if you see a promise in the Old Testament that is tagged to the Law (do this and I will, don’t do and boy howdy). Jesus fulfilled the Law. If we are saved, we GET because JESUS did. Seek His love, walk in His love, and prosper. He wants us ALL to prosper but to prosper this way: “Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be healthy, even as your soul prospers” (3 John 1:2). That means that if we neglect our spiritual food (the Word). If we don’t abide in Jesus. If we aren’t in communion with and guided by Holy Spirit. We aren’t going to prosper. The Lord doesn’t want us to coast at an acceptable level until we hit the golden streets of glory. He is a God of growth. Of Blessing. He wants us to walk in victory, bounty, and wisdom now as well as in heaven. But the state of our spirit-soul comes first. Our walk with Him comes first (Matthew 6:33). The rest follows as a logical conclusion to the prospering of our soul. Good soil gets bounty. Untended or rocky soil gets scraps — if they’re lucky (Matthew 13 – the whole chapter).

That’s God to us and us to God. But today’s verse (remember 1 Chronicles 22:13?) has a second part. And it is part of a beautiful love letter from King David to his son Solomon. One of those ‘benefits of my wisdom’ deals. The biggest thing David said was obey God and walk in His commandments. It was the number one thing that David did in his own life. Was he perfect? Oh no, not at all. But he loved God, sought His heart, and always put himself into obedience (whether that meant obeying from the get-go or doing wrong, taking correction, repenting, & accepting punishment – Old Testament had punishments, remember? Not the age of Grace we enjoy — thank you, Lord). David loved God very much and the most beautiful psalms he wrote reflect that. He admonished, advised, and strongly recommended that Solomon do the same. For those who seek the Lord and walk in obedience with His ways will prosper. It’s an automatic by-product of the Love of God.
We’re not talking rule-following blind obedience. We’re not talking nitpicking obedience. We’re not talking domination and patriarchy and religious shackles.

We’re not talking about ‘power of positive thinking’ oh-universe-manifest-this blessing and benefit either. We’re talking real, truthful, soul scouring love. Love God. Seek His kind of love. When you learn about it, and live it, you can’t help but be obedient. How can you love someone while you’re hurting them? At best it’s hypocritical and at worst it’s abuse. You can’t do it with God. The Father knows our hearts. Jesus is with us every moment of every day. You can’t hide. The Spirit will always ask why you aren’t trusting Jesus with what you’re doing. The Spirit will always correct behaviour — if you’ll let Him. Never be afraid to be repentant, apologise to another person, and seek to never do it again. All things are possible with God (Mark 10:27) and God can guide you in all things (Isaiah 58:9-11 and Psalm 32:8-9). If you want the full blessings of the Lord, you go love on Him. Love on Him like crazy. And walk it out.

Another benefit? You won’t dread or fear anything either. That’s another reason why David mentioned it. God’s perfect love drives away fear (1 John 4:18). Do you want to get rid of fear, anxiety, depression, negativity, loneliness, and every other negative emotion? Like doctors tell you to stop taking your meds because you’re well and whole get rid of? Love God and embrace HIS Love. Real love. If we abide in God, He abides in us (1 John 4:13). And abiding is a powerful thing: “We know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and he who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him. In this, love has been made perfect among us, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment, because as he is, even so we are in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear has punishment. He who fears is not made perfect in love. We love him, because he first loved us” (1 John 4:16-19).

That sounds wonderfully peaceful, doesn’t it?

Daily Affirmation of God’s Love: Deuteronomy 7:12-15

If you’re abiding in God there is NO END to the love and blessing that gets showered on you simply because by seeking God’s love we are accepting it. We abide by investing Jesus in the Word. Reading it with INTENT. Taking EVERYTHING to Him in prayer. Silent. Verbal. We praise Him throughout the day in word, song, and deed – yes, even chores can become a service of praise. All because we love Him and want to get to know Him better. God love us whether we love Him or not. Nothing YOU can do can alter His love. Nothing YOU can do will change His feelings toward you. But if you abide in Him, YOU will change. YOU will alter. YOU will find yourself walking under the waterfall of His love. Do it today!

Your Daily Confession of God’s love to YOU:

Today God loves that I _______.