Fear No Fear

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

And the Spirit said to Philip, “Approach and join this chariot.”

Acts 8:29

Philip had Ruach HaKodesh in him. He was baptised and fully functional. He had preached in Samaria. Ruach HaKodesh had performed miracles through him there. Unclean spirits were cast out, the paralyzed and lame accepted healing. He and Peter had gone toe to toe with a sorcerer. God won. This was not an inexperienced man. He’d been with Jesus for three years, too. But Philip was given piecemeal instructions.

First, an angel told him to go to a road in the desert. Philip obeyed. He saw a man on a chariot heading home to Ethiopia. Ruach HaKodesh told him to approach and overtake the chariot. He did. Philip had not been given complicated instructions. He was not told to watch out for tremendous signs. Both times, he was told just enough to function and not enough to screw up. They were great chances to prove his obedience. He could obey or he could refuse. There wasn’t a lot else to it. Nothing complicated that he could get wrong. Simple, but extremely effective. No ‘what was that third thing, again’ moments. Simple. Basic. And thankfully, Phillip obeyed.

There are times we are given details, for sure. Most of the time, though, we are not given the big picture by Adonai. We don’t need it, first of all. What difference would it make to us except to give us an excuse to judge. If there was a step we didn’t like or an end result we didn’t approve of, it would be simple to back off the whole thing. How often do we refrain from witnessing because WE know the person won’t respond, or WE know they hate all that Jesus stuff. We consistently let our heads get in the way of obedience. We give that classic relationship line: I love you, BUT…

Ruach HaKodesh is always there at those times to convict us about our lack of trust in Jesus when we have too many details and start considering our point of view, instead of His. It isn’t about not THINKING, it’s realizing that we can only think about what WE know, not about what is in anyone else’s hearts. There are countless stories throughout human history about what seemed like hopeless circumstances and then SUDDENLY a change of heart, a behaviour that was out of character, a miracle intervention that never should have happened. Small things, big things, they were all beyond our understanding. They were all unforeseen. Except Adonai saw them. We need to focus on the reality that we can only see a small part of the mountain. We certainly can’t see the other side from here. Or all the valleys behind it. Or the caves, trees, or rivers in those valleys. We only have a TINY piece of the puzzle. We need to put it where Adonai says to because HE sees the whole shebang.

We are often given a small piece. Enough for us to move. Enough for us to engage our trust and start obeying. Enough for us to get a leg on. If I have to go get into my car, get it full of gas, drive onto the freeway, and then go down that freeway for fifty kilometres, I do NOT need to know what’s waiting. I have enough to focus on. I have enough I can get wrong. I have enough where I need to make sure I am in His timing. That little instruction, and I already have a situation where if I don’t stay focused I could do the wrong thing, go the wrong way, or do it at the wrong time. If I listen, NONE of that will be an issue. And I still won’t know the big picture. That’s okay. I have enough to start. I have enough to function.

Philip ended up jumping on that chariot and having a conversation that was more like a preaching session. Not only did Philip only need enough to function, he was walking around ready to preach. Ready to teach. Ready to spread the Word. He had done the prep work. He had learned from Jesus Himself the importance of praying and fasting regularly. Of reading the Word consistently. And of being in church every week. He had prepared the messenger (himself), not a specific message. When he was called on, he was ready. Didn’t need to take time out to pray. Didn’t need to take time to fast. He was good to go. That’s the other side of being given enough. Philip was given what he needed, as he needed, because he’d already done the prep work. He’d already made sure everything was sharp, clean, and full of trust. Often we want detailed instructions so that we can fully prepare. But a prepared believer only needs the basics. A prepared believer only needs pointing in the right direction. Their trust already has a hair trigger. They’re already ready.

When you’re given enough to function, thank Him and obey. He knows you’re prepared. He knows you love him enough to obey. He knows you’re ready, raring, and radical for Him. Asking for wisdom is, well, wise. But we have what we need to start going. To be facing His destination for us. Every time. Every day. Don’t neglect preparation – it’s never wasted. Be ready to go when He says go. Obey even the simple things. You never know where it will lead or who it can help bring into the Kingdom. Amen.

Daily Affirmation of the Goodness of Elohim: Galatians 4:4-7

“But when the fullness of time came, God sent out his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, in order that he might redeem those under the law, in order that we might receive the adoption. And because you are sons, God sent out the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying out, “Abba! (Father!),” so that you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, also an heir through God” Adonai sent Jesus. He didn’t FORCE Jesus (John 10:18; 15:13). He came under the Law – capable of breaking it by flesh, but incapable of breaking it by nature. He came to keep what we had learned could not be kept by US. He did it to offer a way to be adopted. It was a reverse adoption meeting. Instead of prospective parents checking out a potential new child, it was him as the parent, opening Himself up to BILLIONS of people to choose. WE get to choose, not Him. We aren’t coerced. We aren’t forced. We GET to choose to be part of the family. He made the Way open. He fulfilled the Law so we wouldn’t have to. He did it by nature. Now we have His nature and we can do what He did. We can walk in Him. Talk in Him. Sing in Him. He is us and we are Him (John 10:34-35; Revelation 3:20). There is NOTHING and NO ONE who can keep us out of heaven when we walk there in Jesus. 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