Fear No Fear

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

I looked, and rose up, and said to the nobles, to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, “Don’t be afraid of them! Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses.”
Nehemiah 4:14 (emphasis added)

The Lord was with us then. The Lord is with us now. And no, this is not a call to arms, to tear down the government, or to harass those of another political view from yourself. Ephesians 6:12 says “For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places“. The battle is in our mind and for our mind. Satan has NO AUTHORITY OR POWER. Remember this. This is key. God gave mankind authority over this physical world. Mankind gave Satan their authority. Jesus took it back. Satan has NO AUTHORITY OR POWER. He’s a tiny little lion roaring in the darkness. Unless we give him authority there is NOTHING he can do … except talk.

He whispers and cajoles. He shouts and screams. He mocks and teases. He lies and omits truth. He convinces and argues. He investigates and points to facts. He is a legalist. A splitter of hairs. One who knows the nitty gritty of the nitty gritty of the finest of fine print. And he’s really good at it. If he convinces us to, we’ll buy into a lie and hand him authority in that situation. Once he has that, he can do something. Until then he can’t. So he works really hard to push our buttons.

What can we do? How can we prevent him? God has NOT left us defenceless and He does NOT hide from us our process. We are to set our minds on Him. To seek Him in the Word — not reading words, but listening to His voice coming from the pages. To imprint Him on our minds so that our minds can be renewed (Ephesians 4:22-24, Colossians 3:9-10). When they are renewed we KNOW inside to the core of our being, that we are beings of spirit and not of flesh. In the spirit, we are the same as Jesus because we are IN Jesus (Ephesians 1:17-23). He gave us His Spirit. He has allowed us use of His authority. Through His Grace and Faith we have all the benefits and blessings of the Father (Ephesians 1:7-9). We can reach out and take His courage. Did Jesus falter in the face of the enemy? No matter what was said to Jesus or the manifestations of the demonic powers? No. Because He had authority. We have the same authority IN HIM.

I cannot say it too much, I cannot emphasise it enough. If we dwell in Him, if we set ourselves to study the Word, listen to Jesus’ voice, and let God renew our minds; we have access to all the Courage we need. We also get access to: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23). Get into the Word. Pray about it, read it, think about what you’ve read – which is meditation, look things up, pray some more, and get so that the Father imprints on your mind. And then the revelation Word of God will renew your mind and change your life. Revelation is permission to enter the domain the revelation controls. We get caught up by revelation. It lifts us up. The Word is the key to the door that is Jesus through which we enter the Kingdom as we’re raised in revelation after revelation.

Again, it sounds complicated but we’re already done it once: We hear the Word, we get the Faith to receive the Grace by which we are saved. After that? Keep hearing. Keep reading. Keep meditating. Keep listening. Keep praying. Keep letting God renew you. Fear will fall away. With it will fall all its babies and all that weighs us down. Don’t miss out. Don’t limit God. Get a relationship going with Him today. Let Him renew you. Receive His gift of freedom. Not just into the Kingdom, but into the things of the Kingdom. Defend against the evil one with the Armour of God. Let’s put it on (and I’ll give the scripture references with each piece). Declare with me today (Bold is the standard version, the rest is the extended version):

I declare I am strong in the Lord, and in the strength of His might (Psalm 28:7-8)

I declare I have the utility belt of Truth around my waist and my forehead. My mind is prepared for action and my hope is set fully on the Grace of God. (1 Peter 1:13 & Ephesians 6:14)

I declare I have put on the breastplate of righteousness. I am equipped with faith, love, and judgment. I let myself be guided by the wisdom of the Holy Spirit in what I do. (Exodus 28:15, 1 Thessalonians 5:8, & Ephesians 6:14)

I declare I have fitted my feet with the preparation of the Good News of peace. The peace of the Anointed One rules my heart, freeing me from the love of money so I am content with God’s good gifts. As I am free, I am prepared to spread the news of how to obtain freedom to all I encounter. (Colossians 3:15, Hebrews 13:5, Ephesians 6:15)

I declare I have taken up the shield of faith. I have been born of God and overcome the world. The fiery darts of the enemy cannot touch me. I walk God’s path. (1 John 5:4, Ephesians 6:16)

I declare I have in my hand and in my mouth the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. I thank you, Father, you have written it on my heart and my mind. (Proverbs 21:23, Ephesians 6:17, Jeremiah 31:33, Hebrews 8:10)

I declare I place over my head the helmet of Salvation. I am not conformed to this world and its manner of thinking. I am renewed in my mind by His voice in His Word. Jesus is the Hope of my soul and the wings under which I roost. (Romans 12:2, 1 Thessalonians 5:8, Psalm 91, Ephesians 6:17)

I thank you, Father, that I can pray at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and requests – the lance of my armour. I decide to pray for all the saints in perseverance. Please bring them to my mind in their moments of need. (1 Timothy 2:1-4, Matthew 5:44, Romans 8:26, Ephesians 6:18)

I am equipped against powers, principalities, and the world’s rulers of this age. I am empowered to pull down strongholds and to stand on the victory of Jesus through His death and resurrection by the Father to life again. I am able to — and chose to — stand on Him, His Word, and in Him always. My expectancy is born out of the promises of God’s Word, because He who promised is faithful. (Ephesians 6:11-12, Hebrews 10:23)

For it is God who works in me both to will and to work for His good pleasure. (Philippians 2:13)

God did not give me a spirit of fear, but of power, love and self-control. (2 Timothy 1:7)

I will not throw away my boldness, but will stand and endure in Him. (Hebrews 10:35-36)

I subject myself to God and His will. I resist the devil in Him. Devil? Flee from me. I am armoured against your works and you have no dominion here. Here Jesus is Lord, the Father is my God, and Holy Spirit lives within me. By the Name of Jesus, I command you get behind me. (James 4:7, 1 Peter 5:8, Matthew 4:10)

Amen.

Kingdom faith is faith that knows how to stay occupied with victory. Being fully persuaded because we don’t let our minds ever stop thinking on the Lord in some way. We do that by standing and meditating on the Word, in Jesus, by the utterance of the Holy Spirit. If the Voice isn’t in the Word, then Kingdom Faith (2 Corinthians 6:18) isn’t active. Get into the Word with ACTIVE ANTICIPATION. Kingdom hope. Hope activates the Voice. It’s a Voice of meditation. Of fellowship. Discovered in the Word, as we are armoured up and defended against the enemy’s attempts to derail us, and deepened in prayer. Are you praying? We don’t have to pray long. But we need to pray a lot.

We think things to ourselves all day long. Why don’t we pray to God all day long? While we’re doing the dishes, make a thought to the Lord. While we’re folding laundry, sing a chorus of praise. While we’re pumping gas, ‘Lord, it’s a pretty good day. Bless the traffic as I drive along home. Pour your anointing on all those around me so we can all enjoy your presence and peace.’ Short, constant, about everything that comes to mind, and remembering to pause and listen inside yourself. God is talking to you. In a still, small voice. Over time, we get better at hearing it and we get better at phrasing what’s on our mind. Just like with a friend. We learn to communicate.

Don’t be afraid. Remember who the Lord is. Let the Word remind you and show you. Who He is and what He promises. If you know He’s good for it, you’ll learn His promises are good for you. Talk to Him a lot. Listen often. Armour up daily, and reject any thought that isn’t from God. Just because it’s good (nice, pleasant, enjoyable) doesn’t mean it’s God. If it’s God, you KNOW it’s good. More of Him, less of us, means more of the real us in Jesus. All love, no fear. Fully persuaded in our victory. Why settle for less, when this is so easy? No burden. Real freedom. Kingdom faith. Mustard seed faith. Always small, but always growing. Don’t stop praying.

Daily Affirmation of God’s Love: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24

Why do you give gifts? Obligation? I hope not. Obligation doesn’t feel good. I don’t give things out of obligation. I do give things when they’re not required. In fact, I love to give. I can’t always give money so I give of my time, or a gift of treats, or something I have made or written. I love to see the smiles. I love to bring joy. How much more then does our Father in heaven love to give? To see our Joy. To see our smiles. To know that we have something truly good? God’s gifts do not pass away. No, He creates us as new beings – ones that have never existed before – and completely holy in spirit, soul, and body. In spirit now in Christ, our soul can join it through the renewing of our minds as we abide in God, and our bodies when we go to be with Him. Amazing grace, amazing gifts, and an amazing, good God. Praise Him today!

Your Daily Confession of God’s love to YOU:

Today God loves that I _______.