Fear No Fear

(All scripture from the NET, netbible.org, all rights reserved)

Why must I continually suffer such painful anguish? Why must I endure the sting of their insults like an incurable wound? Will you let me down when I need you, like a brook one goes to for water but that cannot be relied on?”
Jeremiah 15:18 (emphasis added)

This might sound like a bit of a downer, but this is part of the human experience. I want to be clear here. The HUMAN experience. NOT the experience that Yahweh WANTS us to have. We rarely experience what HE has laid out for us because we let the HUMAN get in the way. Usually, like here in Jeremiah, it takes the form of self-pity. Self-pity is NOT a part of the kingdom. It is NOT a part of the spirit which Adonai has given us (2 Timothy 1:7).

Self-absorbed unhappiness over one’s own troubles. That’s the definition of self-pity. And sadly, it describes a lot of our interactions with Adonai. We tend to look at OUR side of things. Why don’t we have? Why haven’t you answered me? When will you move on my behalf? If you loved me you’d change things. Questions like those focus on us and what we think we need and how He can answer us in a way that we think is acceptable. They – and others like them – are all about us and what we want. It is the foundation of all of our ‘assaulting the gates of heaven’ nonsense where we try and get Yahweh to do what we want.
Which never works.

From the beginning Adonai has been clear. His will and His Word are the standard by which we are to behave. He laid it out for Adam and Eve. For Cain. For Noah and his children. For Abraham. For the Israelites. For the disciples. For us. If we let Him, then we can be renewed and restored and redeemed and set on His path. If we are on His path, we will seek to love Him. If we love Him, we will keep His commandments. Do you see a pattern? US following HIM. Not us getting Him to do things our way. No. Us learning HIS ways and following them. Us conforming to HIS standards because they are they only true and real standards that there are.

We don’t do that without help. Because we look at what we see and what we feel. Increasingly, we – as a group of societies – are looking to feelings and ignoring what we see. Without getting into a debate, look at the gender issues we see today. You can look at a human and declare a gender based on body type evidence. You can let a human declare a gender based on their feeling and ignore body type evidence. Increasingly, we are leaning to feeling not evidence as the standard for declaring things. That wouldn’t be an issue if it wasn’t for the TRUTH that feelings are not accurate.

Leaving gender issues behind, it is easily proved that feelings change more frequently than the wind. And feelings – across the entire human experience – are not accurate. I can ‘feel’ upset, but choose not to be angry. I can ‘feel’ cold, but not be cold. I can ‘feel’ sad, but not be sorrowful. I can ‘feel’ something different than I am, but still be the thing I am. Feelings are malleable. They are susceptible to impression. They are part of our awareness. Signals coming from the outside into our consciousness to give us information about our perceptions, thoughts, and the sensations that our bodies experience. They aren’t meant to be the foundation of our identity, the foundation of our personality, or the foundation of anything of us. They are a factor of information. A piece of the puzzle of who we are at any given moment – an subject to change.

“The human mind is more deceitful than anything else. It is incurably bad. Who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9). “There is a way that seems right to a person, but its end is the way that leads to death. Even in laughter the heart may ache, and the end of joy may be grief” (Proverbs 14:12-13). These verses – and many others like them – show us that our selves aren’t trustworthy. They cannot be counted on for stability. THAT is the human condition. We gave away certainty for the promise of increased clarity. But it didn’t work. All we got was lost certainty. We have no rock to stand on in the human psyche. We NEED the Messiah. We NEED the rock that is the cornerstone of our faith (Matthew 21:42). We NEED His guidance.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding. Acknowledge him in all your ways, and he will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5-6). Jesus can be trusted to show us where we should walk and how. Jesus can show us what emotions we should have and how to apply them. “Now the works of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, depravity, idolatry, sorcery, hostilities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish rivalries, dissensions, factions, envying, murder, drunkenness, carousing, and similar things. I am warning you, as I had warned you before: Those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God! But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also behave in accordance with the Spirit” (Galatians 5:19-25). The Holy Spirit can help us. By listening to Him, we can see where the path is and how to get there. We can see what we should be emoting and get that in place. We can CHOOSE to be who we are in Messiah. “God made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we would become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

When we start to look at healing, instead of focusing on what we AREN’T seeing, we should be focused on what we KNOW. By FAITH we KNOW that healing is ours. Every time you cough, tell it that it is NOT welcome. Every sneeze can be the last one. Every pain can be spoken to. Every crutch can be told it isn’t needed. This is NOT wishful thinking. This is NOT trying to manifest change. This is looking to what Jesus says we can be in Him, and affirming that every chance we get.

What are the specifics of that? Let Him guide you. Let the Word guide you. Stand on the promises that He has given you. It doesn’t mean ignoring the medical profession. It means focusing on Adonai and what He says. Not ignoring what we see, but not letting what we see rule our lives. In HIM we have our being (Acts 17:28). In HIM we have our freedom (Ephesians 3:12). In HIM we have abundant life (John 10:10). Freedom and life don’t include sickness and ill health. They are NOT part of the blessing. Why let our feelings keep us from affirming our promise? It seems unwise. Doesn’t it?

Daily Affirmation Jesus IS Messiah: 1 Chronicles 17:12-13

“He will build me a house, and I will make his dynasty permanent. I will become his father, and he will become my son. I will never withhold my loyal love from him, as I withheld it from the one who ruled before you.” Messiah will sit on the throne of David. Messiah will sit on David’s throne forever. “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and his kingdom will never end.”” (Luke 1:32-33). Jesus is the seed of David. He is a direct descendant, and through Nathan (a son of David whose line was NOT cut off from the throne) is eligible for the throne of David. Jesus IS Messiah.

Your Daily Confession of Jesus/Yeshua’s Identity:

Yeshua is the Christ, the Son of the living God.

Matthew 16:16b