Fear No Fear

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

Don’t let your heart faint. Don’t fear for the news that will be heard in the land. For news will come one year, and after that in another year news will come, and violence in the land, ruler against ruler.
Jeremiah 51:46 (emphasis added)

There is a war somewhere in this world every single day. Some are major. Some minor. Some don’t even make a local news report. But they are there. All over the globe. Violence. Ruler against ruler. Brother against brother. Whenever it seems like there is going to be some relief or a solution, another fire lights up somewhere else. Chaos is the name of these times. Here in the West we have enjoyed relative peace and security. And while we do not yet have war within our borders, we certainly have chaos. And strife. And violence. Domestic and not. Mass shootings. Racism. Fascism. Anti-news. Anti-women. Anti-whatever you believe that we don’t. Even aimed at the government. And like it is prophesied in Jeremiah (both for their time and in ours), every year brings more.

But we are told in the prophecy not to let our hearts faint [to lack courage and spirit]. Easier said than done, huh? We hear such messages of doom and gloom. From every corner. I mean, we’re a society that seems to have been bred on negativity. Don’t believe me? Don’t we claim each Monday as being a terrible day before it happens? Don’t we say things like ‘just my luck’ both as something happens and before it? Don’t we look at others as lucky and say that ‘I never….’ We expect and proclaim the negative in so many ways and we do it on autopilot. We might not be cowardly, but we assume that the bad is going to happen and there is going to be a LOT of it. How can we be expected to keep from losing our spirit?

Yet Jesus did expect it. And He told us how to do it. Matthew 24:6-8 says ““You will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you aren’t troubled, for all this must happen, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there will be famines, plagues, and earthquakes in various places. But all these things are the beginning of birth pains.”” There it is. ‘See that you aren’t troubled’. See (to it) that (something happens) is an idiom (or common saying) that means to make sure/certain that one does something, that a given task is accomplished, or that a particular action is taken. Jesus was telling His disciples (which we are supposed to be) that we need to make sure that we aren’t troubled. It is a choice to be troubled. A choice to fear. A choice to be anxious. Not that those feelings don’t rise up or hit us, but it is our choice whether or not we pick them up as our emotional state. Our choice whether or not we will embrace and claim them.

You may not agree. We live in an age where our ‘feelings’ are given disproportional weight. Feelings are valid. We all have them. We were created to have them. But we are beings of spirit and we were given authority. Authority. Feelings, you see, are flesh. Reactive. Easily manipulated. Subject to the whims of that which is around them. Emotions on the other hand, are stronger. They aren’t affected by the whims of what is around us. They are informed things. By intent and with purpose. They reside in our hearts/minds/soul. Feelings are flesh. Emotions are soul. And our spirit is meant to be the control mechanism. Our spirits were to inform our emotions, who were to then bridle our feelings. No fear. But a calm, ordered, and faithful reaction to every situation. Body, mind, and spirit in union (1 Thessalonians 5:23).

But we fell. We broke the model. We separated spirit from soul/flesh. The connection is there, but it needs intent to work. So our flesh is left without natural reign. Our emotions are left without natural control. Our flesh will do what it wants unless we get it under control, but with naturally dead spirits there is nothing we can do. Our emotions are in the middle. They can EITHER be informed by spirit OR by flesh. If we have been born again, this works fine. We’ve been renewed in our spirits. Raised to life in Jesus. In HIM we have His righteous spirit. We can choose to use it to inform our emotions, who can then bridle our feelings and bring everything into line. If not, our emotions will follow our flesh. Why? Because our mind/soul/emotions are informed by spirit. God’s Spirit if we invite Him in and abide in Jesus. Another spirit if not. There is nothing we can do to separate ourselves from the spirit world connection. It was designed to be. If you’re not following Jesus, you’re being led by not Jesus. If you’re not controlling your feelings by your emotions, they’re controlling you. Our feelings aren’t facts. Our feelings aren’t the truth. Our feelings are just a reaction, they aren’t reality.

We don’t need to be controlled by our feelings. We can take authority over them and order them. By our own strength? No, no, no, no, NO! By the power of the Cross (Isaiah 53). By the power of Jesus’ Blood (Hebrews 13:12). By the righteous nature and co-heirship that we have from and in Jesus the Christ, our Living, Loving, Saviour (Romans 8:17). Jesus did it all for us on the cross (John 19:30). We can place our fear, worry, anxiety, and troubled feelings on the cross and let Him pay the price for them (Hebrews 10:14). To gain victory over them (Hebrews 10:16-23).

How? Well, that’s different for everyone. The principles are the same, but our personalities are not. Start by refusing the feeling. When it comes up, declare ‘That is NOT my feeling. I refuse it. Go to the cross . Talk to Jesus about it.’ And then do something to get your closeness to God in the forefront of your mind. Praise Him. I often repeat a couple of lines from an old Sunday School song — there’s certainly enough of them floating around in my mind. You could sing, quote a verse, say a prayer, or even claim one of the fruits of the Spirit to operate in at that moment through the Name of Jesus (‘Peace, you are mine through the Name of Jesus. Thank you, Father, for your Peace.’). It can seem repetitive when you start. It can be something you find yourself needing to do a dozen (or dozens) of times a day. That’s okay. Go to the cross and leave your burdens there as many times as you want to (Psalm 55:22, Matthew 11:28-30). Jesus would love you to. He wants you free. He wants you whole. He wants you UNTROUBLED (John 14:1).

Remember that this is not a secret formula. This is not a ritual. These aren’t magic words. This is an exercise in intent. This is you telling your body what is what. By appealing to the higher truth (Isaiah 55:8-9). By going to the Lord with it (Hebrews 4:14-16). By letting the Lordship of Jesus do its work by letting Jesus do it (John 15:5-7). Jesus does it all. Our part is to focus on Him. To bring our spirits in line with His spirit by using the Word and standing on His promises, His ideals, and His instructions for us. Holy Spirit is here to counsel, comfort, and guide us (2 Corinthians 1:3). Let Him. That is what it is about and that is why we need to be in the Word with intent every day. Get your mind and your spirit together in the Word. Learn about how God sees you. What God says is possible for you. Learn the Father’s heart. And then walk in it, stand on it, and abide in it. It will change your life to have His Spirit inform yours so that yours can inform your emotions and your emotions to control your feelings.
Start today. It is never too late. It is never too much. The only thing you have to lose is your worry/stress/troubled heart/anxiety/fear. Doesn’t that sound like a good deal? Don’t let your heart faint. Don’t be troubled. Don’t fear. Live in His peace. He is the Prince of Peace. He’s good for it. “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7).

Daily Affirmation of God’s Love: Matthew 15:10-20

The Lord gave us a powerful weapon with which to honour Him and bring good things to our table from His hands. Our tongue. Again and again we are commanded to watch our words. Why? Words are powerful. They speak to intent. Words are how He created the universe. How He created you and me. How He brings to pass His promises. How we claim His blessings. God wants all the best things for us. Jesus told us to be careful with our words because He loves us and doesn’t want to see us misstep. Take the time to praise Him with your words. Feel Him hug you as you get closer to Him. Get yourself to the place where His love lives.

Your Daily Confession of God’s love to YOU:

Today God loves that I _______.