Fear No Fear

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

But when she saw him, she was greatly troubled at the saying, and considered what kind of salutation this might be. The angel said to her, “Don’t be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.
Luke 1:29-30 (emphasis added)

What was the saying? Verse 28: “Having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, you highly favored one! The Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women!”” Mary wasn’t troubled when the angel appeared. Zachariah was. Mary was not. Mary was troubled when the angel called her highly favoured and blessed among women. Why? She was the same as you and me. She thought of herself as average. Ordinary. Nothing special. Just another girl. She was humble. Jesus did not have an egomaniac for a mother. She loved God and had faith. You know something that was special about that? That she didn’t think it was special. Here is an angel telling hers she was special. It was an angel. Shining with the light of heaven. Standing in her home. Telling her she was highly favoured and blessed. She got distressed at that. Worried about that. Concerned about that. And who wouldn’t? It’s a LOT to take in. But he told her not to be afraid. Because she had found favour with God.

The Kingdom works on faith. It is built on faith, it runs on faith, it is faith that we can touch. Faith is real. Jesus put stock in faith. He told Thomas, “Because you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed” (John 20:27). In Mark 16:14 Jesus rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they didn’t believe those who had seen him after he had risen. They were to believe. Jesus had told them in advance what was going to happen. They were supposed to remember it and believe it. He wants US to believe it. Why was He and is He so concerned about belief? He tells us one reason in Mark 16:16 “He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who disbelieves will be condemned.” Mary believed. Zachariah didn’t. He scoffed and said how can I be sure? Mary said how can this be? Do you see the difference? Zachariah was asking for proof of the truth of the angel’s word. Mary was asking out of wonder, curiosity, or just plain excuse me did I hear that right because she wasn’t married yet. A god-reverencing girl wouldn’t be breaking the Law if she could in any way avoid it. Being a virgin and giving birth naturally while being a virgin is impossible. And not being a virgin carried a hefty penalty. It was probably the most human-baffling statement that has been recorded in the Word. Thank God that He IS the God of the impossible (Mark 10:27). Do you think it’s impossible? Doesn’t matter. Believe the impossible. Go hand in hand with the Lord and LET Him do the impossible together with you. It’s what we’re called to do.

How many impossible things are in your life? How many things can’t you do? Can’t pay bills? Can’t make it to work? Can’t get up and walk across the room? Jesus can deal with whatever you have in your life. He healed lepers and restored one to wholeness (Luke 17:11-17). He delivered people from demons (Matthew 8:16-17). People got healed – a multitude of people – by the simple act of touching His clothes (Luke 6:19). People got healed by being touched by Peter’s shadow (Acts 5:15). Jesus, His disciples, the Apostles, and many of the early church healed the sick, delivered them from demons, and other miracles. How? Faith. Faith, faith, faith, faith, and again, FAITH. People believed. Believe! Have belief. It’s important! How important is it? In Mark 9:23 “Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”” That’s pretty important.

Look at the touching with Jesus. A multitude sought to touch Him and be healed AND THEY WERE. That’s Luke 6. Well, in Luke 8 we meet a woman who had been bleeding for twelve years. She had heard about this touching thing. That must have sounded good. She was unclean. Wasn’t supposed to be out in public. She couldn’t go and ASK. But she heard about the touching. She heard and she believed that touching was enough. She thought about it, and thought about it, and built up her faith. She became fully persuaded that touching Him would be enough. If it worked for those other people, it would work for her. She snuck out, snuck through the crowds, and managed to touch the fringe of His clothes. BAM she was instantly healed. We know because Jesus turned around asking who had touched Him. The disciples couldn’t believe it because they were being pressed on every side, but Jesus meant who touched Him IN FAITH. He said “Someone did touch me, for I perceived that power has gone out of me”” (vs 46). And then in verse 48: “He said to her, “Daughter, cheer up. Your faith has made you well. Go in peace.”” It worked. Belief in what Jesus had done for others, worked. She applied it to her life and found that God doesn’t have favourites. He doesn’t deny. He responds to faith.

We all have needs. I’m talking real needs, not the psycho babblicious animalian instincts the world is so desperate for everyone to embrace. And I’m not talking false need that is really a want born out of a consumerist society that wants you to buy, buy, get, get, and get some more. I mean real needs. You have needs. I have needs. Some natural. Some supernatural. We have needs and we cannot meet all of them – sometimes many of them. Jesus can. He isn’t asking us to fix our life. He is asking us to believe that HE can fix our life. Not eventually. Not ‘if He wills it.’ Now. NOW. Sanctification and restoration are a process, but the timeline is always now. Start now. Improve now. Healed now. Whole now. In this moment. And in the next. And in the next. Until the need is gone and we are satisfied, sustained, and holy people unto God.

We are called to believe for what we cannot see. It doesn’t take faith to believe what we can see. We can see it. I’m not talking in positive thinking, pie-in-the-sky, deny reality mumbo jumbo. This isn’t crossing your fingers and asking the universe to manifest a six figure income. I am talking about looking into your heart and believing that Jesus, the Anointed One of the Lord God Almighty is able to do anything whether it is possible or impossible by our standards, whether it is natural or supernatural, whether it makes sense or doesn’t make sense from our point of view, or whether anyone else believes or not! God is the one and only Living God who created the universe, who loves us each and every one because He WANTS TO, and He is able to do anything, capable of doing anything, and wants to do everything. Believe it. Believe it. BELIEVE IT.

The worst thing that could happen is that you believe, live in belief, and die in belief. Belief is joyous. Belief is something that helps us stand under God’s wings! Belief ignites our hearts and faith and the peace that we cannot understand (Philippians 4:7). That’s a pretty good worst. What is the best? The best is that you let Him move and God does it! That your belief, your faith — by His Grace and in His Son — opens the door into your life and lets in the power and anointing of the Holy Spirit of God Almighty and you’re changed from the inside out: spiritually, physically, emotionally, financially, and every other which way! Revelation 3:20 says: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, then I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with me.” Why would Jesus be standing and knocking if He was going to do things when and if He wanted? He is knocking because WE need to make that decision. WE need to invite Him in. WE need to give Him permission to work His will as He wills. And then WE need to get into the Word and feed our faith, strengthen our faith, commune with Holy Spirit and Jesus and the Father as we journey through this life.

The best is that you are transformed into a complete new creation in Jesus Christ! Not just 2 Corinthians 5:17 new in our spirit, but totally new from there on out to the tips of our neighbour’s toes. From Jeremiah 30:17, through Mark 11:24, and right up to Romans 15:13. Standing on 2 Corinthians 13:9 looking for full restoration. Jesus said in Matthew 11:28 ““Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest.” That’s rest for our souls as well as rest for the rest of us. Spirit informs soul and soul brings body into line with His Word.

That’s a believable, wonderful, and heavenly best. Take a step of faith today by accepting the Faith and Grace that Jesus offers to us. Believe on and in Him today! Believe that He has done it. That He wanted to do it. Believe it. Receive it. Walk in it! Amen.

Daily Affirmation of God’s Love: Revelation 22

Jesus started everything and Jesus is going to end everything. We know this because He said so. He said it because it is true. Jesus is God. God is the beginning and the end. Jesus is Alpha-Omega. And He wants you with Him. God thought of us in the beginning and started the ball rolling to this wonderful world and the infinitely more wonderful world to come. Jesus wants us there. From the foundation of the world He was going to die for us to give us the ability to get in there. Choosing to kill sin before it even rose up to infect us. He loves us. He loves us so much. He told us how it all is going to end so we’d keep the faith. Our faith in Him who is doing it all to ensure we can get to Him and stay with Him. Because He doesn’t want to be parted from us. He loves us.

Your Daily Confession of God’s love to YOU:

Today God loves that I _______.