Fear No Fear

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

Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, replied, “Rulers of the people and elders, if we are being examined today for a good deed done to a sick man—by what means this man was healed
Acts 4:8-9 (emphasis added)

The world loves to play the blame game. To turn our eyes off of what is actually happening, and get it onto ANYTHING else. If the enemy can’t get you to avoid the Blessing, he’ll try and steal it. If he can’t steal it, he’ll try to distract you from it. If he can’t distract you from it, he’ll try and tie you up with legalistic or religious nonsense. When all that stuff kicks up, there is a proper response to it. It isn’t about avoiding persecution. It’s about making sure that Jesus isn’t taken out of the equation. It is only IN JESUS that we have our victory – over sickness or the world or the devil.

“And you will be hated by everyone because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved!” (Matthew 10:22). ““Then they will hand you over to be persecuted and will kill you. You will be hated by all the nations because of my name” (Matthew 24:9). These are the words of Jesus. He is not shying from stating the facts. If we cleave to Him, we will suffer persecution for it. Thing is, though, we are going to be persecuted like HE was. I don’t mean that we will be crucified – chances are we won’t be. But it means that there will be those who hate the message of Love, Peace, and Salvation that Jesus tells us to spread. They will persecute us to stop us from spreading the Good News that Yahweh is not mad at us because of sin. Sin has been paid for. We have a way of getting right with Him. Of being saved from sin and renewed into creatures of righteousness. That’s a powerful message and those who hate it profit only when it is quashed.

That means that if you have a hard day of work, you’re not persecuted. That means is you struggle in school, you’re not persecuted. None of that has anything to do with spreading the Good News and standing up for Jesus. Only those things that touch on Jesus will be targets of attack. Only those things that touch on Jesus are a threat to darkness. Jesus wasn’t persecuted 24/7. He had teaching times, resting times, prayer times, fishing times, travel times, fellowship times. He had joyous times. He spoke with friends, visited grandparents, ate good food, told jokes, and did lots of fun things. He did chores. He got tired. He was fully man. None of that was persecution. None of that was anything but abundant life.

At the same time, the Pharisees and teachers of religious law were always at His heels. Always trying to turn people against Him or one-up Him with their reason and logic. They made terrible claims. They scorned Him. They tried to trick Him. They brought false accusations against Him and plotted to take not just His life, but the lives of those precious to Him (Lazarus, for example, see John 12:9-11). This WAS persecution. It was an attack against the person of Jesus and an attack against His message of repentance, salvation, and Grace. Jesus was not taken down by the persecution, but they didn’t stop. They didn’t let up. When defeated one way, they sought another to fight back. THIS was persecution. This is the kind of treatment we can expect. But no matter WHAT comes against us, we need not fear. It is a momentary blip. “For our momentary, light suffering is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison because we are not looking at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen. For what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:17-18).

Jesus knew we would suffer scorn when we proclaimed His works. He knew that when we walked in faith there would be those who would want to take it away. He knew what we would face: exactly what HE faced. Jesus gave us hope. “I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In the world you have trouble and suffering, but take courage—I have conquered the world”” (John 16:33). He was acknowledging His position above the the trouble and the master of all things. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was fully God. The Word was with God in the beginning. All things were created by him, and apart from him not one thing was created that has been created. In him was life, and the life was the light of mankind. And the light shines on in the darkness, but the darkness has not mastered it” (John 1:1-5).

They may wail and moan because we proclaim Jesus. They may try to shut us up and lock us up because we speak loudly and often about what Jesus has done for us all. No matter how much noise they make. No matter how much trouble. It will not be enough to stop the truth. It will not be enough to snuff out the light. They can claim healing isn’t for today or that it isn’t really healing. But their false claims will ring discordantly in the face of the truth of what Jesus did for us through the cross. We are saved! We are Blessed! We are healed! We are His! No one can take that from us. A blip of persecution is nothing compared to the ocean of goodness coming down from our Father in Heaven. They cannot defeat us. We are IN the overcomer forever!

Daily Affirmation Jesus IS Messiah: Psalm 34:20

“Violent men perjure themselves, and falsely accuse me.” Messiah would be accused of many things. As the Suffering Servant, He would not be destined for nice treatment. Among the underhanded tactics of the enemy would be false testimony. Unable to find real wrongdoing, they would bring false testimony designed to trap and incriminate innocent Messiah. “The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were trying to find false testimony against Jesus so that they could put him to death” (Matthew 26:59). Jesus was accused of many things He was not guilty for. Jesus was accused falsely. 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