Fear No Fear

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

When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were bewildered and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
Matthew 9:36 (emphasis added)

The confidence to love someone. Truly love them. It takes a lot. Anyone can ‘puppy love’ another. Liking how they look. Or wanting to do ‘stuff’ and thinking you wouldn’t mind doing it with them. Or getting caught up in the feelings of touch and doing things simply because they ‘feel’ good. That isn’t getting to know someone. That isn’t getting inside their heart and hear about what they keep there. It takes confidence to open up. Confidence to listen. It takes a lot more than most of what we portray as love. Which is why so few people find it.

It’s hard to put yourself out there. To show your inner self to someone. It is NOT about vulnerability. That’s a word meaning expectation of being hurt or putting yourself in a position where you COULD be hurt. Why would ANYONE want to be ‘vulnerable’? Why not be open? Honest? Truthful? You can be open without letting yourself get hurt. You can be honest without making it possible to be hurt. Hurt is NOT part of love. We get hurt because we are not truly loving each other. Because we are so used to the patterns of this world. Humbleness is a better word. It has all of the positives of vulnerability, with NONE of the negatives. You don’t need to put armour around your heart. You need to humble it.

A humble person finds it easier to love. They aren’t hung up on ‘what if they don’t like me’. They aren’t selfish. They are expressing their emotions without forcing something from the other person. There is passion there. There is feeling there. But their emotions control it. Self-control. Open, not pushy. Honest, and okay if the other person says no because they are also not selfish. They don’t blame others for how they feel. They don’t blame their own condition on the actions or behaviours of others. They are confident because they are honest. They are dignified, not down on themselves. They KNOW their worth, but do not overestimate it. They can take a compliment or an accolade without getting puffed up. They’re nice, but they are not pushovers. They’re humble.

Humble people tend to be confident because they can see their own worth. They can give, but they can also receive. Sometimes, it takes more confidence to receive than to give. You have to see your own worth to accept things from people. To be able to say – without pride – that yes, you deserve this. You are worthy of attention. You are worthy of time. You are worthy of effort. NOT because you are super-duper special. But because you HAVE worth. You ARE valuable. You ARE a person. You have the right to be SEEN by someone. Truly SEEN. If you are humble, that is easier to do.

Have you ever thought about telling someone you like them when you know that they will say no? That they will say that they do not reciprocate your feelings. It’s a hard thing, isn’t it? Will you look like a creep? Will they be disgusted? Will they treat me different? Will things become difficult? It’s hard. Because we value our feelings so. We feel so shy and nervous. We end up putting so much VALUE on our feelings. As if THEY are who we are. It’s one of the major problems in this world. The flesh takes such precedence over everything else.

Do you know what? Jesus knew that. He knew JUST how we were. He came anyway. Came to be with us. Came to be one of us. He BECAME us. Why? Love. Humble love. Yeah, it can seem weird to call Adonai humble. But He knows exactly who He is. He knows who we are. There are NO delusions. There are NO inconsistencies. He doesn’t force Himself on us. He tells us EXACTLY how it is and then let’s us choose. No pressure. Our choice. THAT is confident love.

He had COMPASSION on us. He can see us. He can see where we are. He sees what we do. He knows how we feel. He knows what is coming against us. He knows the WHOLE STORY. He look at us and was compassionate. Knowing that He was going to suffer horribly and die terribly, He smiled at us. He didn’t hold back. He didn’t worry. He trusted in His Father. He did what He was asked to. Because He had compassion. The other thing is that He had a lot to give us. Because He was compassionate. He wanted to give us presents. Like salvation. Clean spirits. Living spirits.

Jesus is always coming to where we are. He doesn’t wait for us to get to where He is. He came to earth. He came to the cross. He came to the empty tomb. He is always chasing us. Not to be a creep. Not to force us. To be available to us. To make a way for us. To be there. Ready. Less than a step away. All the time. Every time. He wants to feed us. He wants to give us water. He wants to give us rest. He wants to guide us. Correct us. Help us to grow. Help us to become the best us that we can. To become more than we imagine. To become more than we dream. To become what we were created to be. He smiles on us and loves us. So much.

Healing – like EVERYTHING of Adonai – is something He GIVES us. Out of GRACE. By HIS Faith. The problem is that we have FREE will. We can CHOOSE. If we are humbly obedient, we can take everything we want from His hand. We can CHOOSE what we want and what we don’t want. HIS will is for us to have EVERYTHING. But WE choose what we take. Of course, if we are NOT being humbly obedient, we’re putting roadblocks in our way to prevent us from reaching His hand. It is ALL on us. What do WE want? Will we respond to His compassion or not? Will we CHOOSE Him?

It is the greatest love story ever written. And WE get to help write it.

Daily Affirmation Jesus IS Messiah: Psalm 9:7-10

“But the Lord rules forever; he reigns in a just manner. He judges the world fairly; he makes just legal decisions for the nations. Consequently the Lord provides safety for the oppressed; he provides safety in times of trouble. Your loyal followers trust in you, for you, Lord, do not abandon those who seek your help.” Yahweh is righteous. Messiah too, is righteous. We are PROMISED this. He will judge not with pettiness or human desires. He will not be unfair. He will be utterly just because His standard of judging will be Yahweh’s righteousness. “Therefore, although God has overlooked such times of ignorance, he now commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has set a day on which he is going to judge the world in righteousness, by a man whom he designated, having provided proof to everyone by raising him from the dead.”” (Acts 17:30-31). Jesus was raised to life from the dead by the Father through the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:11). Jesus IS the Messiah!

Your Daily Confession of Jesus/Yeshua’s Identity:

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

Matthew 16:16b