Fear No Fear

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

Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in all affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

2 Corinthians 1:3-4

Comfort is the pleasant feeling of being relaxed and free from feeling sad or worried, or something that makes you feel better by having a pleasant life with enough money for everything that you need, something that makes your life easy and pleasant, making someone else feel better when they’re sad or worried. It is the pleasant and satisfying feeling of being physically or mentally free from pain and suffering, or it is something that provides these feelings. And that is in HUMAN THINKING. Do we think we know BETTER than Adonai? That we’ve figured this out but He has no idea? No. He’s one step ahead of us. Not only can He do this the ‘usual’ way, He does it in ALL ways. ALL ways. Every different way that every different kind of person can feel these things. In other words, if you go Adonai’s way there isn’t a SINGLE WAY to feel uncomfortable. Not even ONE.

How is He going to do that? He already did it. He gave us Ruach HaKodesh. One of the ministries of Ruach HaKodesh is to comfort us. Since He is ALWAYS with us, how could there be a kind of comfort He could not give? He’s omniscient. He knows EVERYTHING. He knows EVERY WAY you can comfort and do it PERFECTLY. It is His MINISTRY, so He would not hold it back. He will ALWAYS give you what will comfort you. Always. The thing is, it isn’t HUMAN comfort. He isn’t going to give you food that will hurt you. Entertainment that reinforces immoral ideas or values. It isn’t about temporary things. It is TRUE comfort. Soul to soul. Not comfort that fades in an hour or a day. Comfort that stays with you. Comfort that retains its strength.

Comfort isn’t always fluffy feelings. Sometimes it will arrive with correction. That isn’t a bad thing. Not at all. A correction will ensure the shift that is required so that the situation you need comfort from won’t reoccur. Like being told not to put your hand on the stove so that you will never burn your hand again, and then hugged by Mama. These things are important. In fact, it would be irresponsible parenting NOT to correct. If you let everything go, boundaries will never be learned. Doesn’t mean you need to whack their buttocks every ten minutes. There are serious ways of punishment with love, not force, that does the same job – although I am aware there are those who disagree with that. Correction is the key, not the punishment. If you truly correct behaviour, so that it stays corrected, you have fulfilled your stewardship role. Now comfort away.

The comfort of Ruach HaKodesh is ALL. It is instructive. It is comforting. It is guiding. It is generous. It leads. It enforces rest. It points out where to get food. It points out where the refreshing water is. It NEVER fails. It NEVER runs out. It is ALWAYS MORE THAN ENOUGH. That is the character of the comfort that Ruach HaKodesh brings. It is the ECHO or the SHADOW of the character of Adonai. Same shape. Same movements. And it comes from the same place. The comfort of Ruach HaKodesh is modeled after Adonai’s character. If you know the character of Adonai, you know what to expect. And both of them saturate the Word. So there are THREE witnesses to it. The character of Adonai, the character of the Word, and the actionized character of Jesus demonstrated through His ministry on Earth. They all three speak to His comfort and His comfort speaks to all three.

The comfort of Ruach HaKodesh IS the character of Adonai. It is an overflowing smorgasbord of Love, Grace, and Mercy that continually gives as we get more and more revelation on what it really means. I don’t think we’ll ever plumb the depths of it – but it sure is fun going on the journey. It’s a GREAT comfort. It doesn’t temporarily distract from your problems. It nukes your problems as if they never were – from an emotional and mental viewpoint. It releases you from their grip. It is TRUE comfort.

Daily Affirmation of the Goodness of Elohim: Deuteronomy 28:2

“And all of these blessings shall come upon you, and they shall have an effect on you if you listen to the voice of Yahweh your God:” Active listening isn’t simply hearing. True hearing isn’t simply detecting sounds. It’s a combination of both of them. Detecting the signal in, hearing it, translating it into understandable words, and then not only paying attention to them, but constructing actions based on them (mental, emotional, physical, and verbal actions). If Adonai is our number one and the Source of all our things, that is the building blocks we will use to construct our lives. They will be based on the Word. They will echo the Word. They will repeat the Word. It will be a life revolving around and saturated in Adonai. Not an ordinary world. Not an average world. A world of BLESSING. Spiritually first and then in every other way. Think of it. An Adonai-guided life. An ABUNDANT life. A life not hidden, but a life eagerly proclaimed and encouraged to encounter. What a GOOD God!

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