Fear No Fear

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

and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us

Romans 5:5

This is such a HUGE problem for humanity. It is one of the biggest snags we stumble on. We get so disappointed because we think we cannot enjoy what Adonai says we can enjoy because look what we did. I am not talking about secret sin (it’s own HUGE problem). I am talking about PAST sin that you have been knowingly forgiven for. Yet the shame of those things sticks to you like glue. Shame is caused by consciousness of guilt, shortcoming, or impropriety. The opposite of shame, however, is pride, vanity, or immodesty. Shame is not meant for us because it is consciousness of guilt. The opposite is not meant for us because it is an egotism that whatever you do isn’t worthy of guilt. What we are meant for is being guilt-free in Jesus.

Before sin, there was no need of this condition. Adam and Eve could not feel guilt because they only knew the goodness of Adonai. They interacted with that goodness and modelled their lives on His example. If they had held to that, they would have known good from evil because anything they encountered that wasn’t godly was automatically evil, and not good. Adonai is ONLY good. But after they rebelled, then the human mind provided the right ground for the wrong seed. Instead of focusing their memory on Adonai (Psalm 77:11-12), they – and us after them – let their minds focus on wrong deeds. That grew a harvest of shame.

Guilt is a feeling of deserving blame for offenses. We did the things. We know we did the things. We know what we deserve because we did the things. We feel guilt. Because we feel guilt, we emote shame, because we know that we should not have done the things. The more we think on it, the more shame we feel. We cannot feel more guilty than being guilty. Jesus has set us free from shame (Isaiah 50:6). Jesus has washed us clean (1 John 1:7). We may have a knowledge of the guilt we had for sinning, but we no longer need to feel shame AT ALL. We don’t HAVE guilt because JESUS took the punishment for our offenses. He received the blame that was due. Guilt was satisfied. Punishment was accepted. It was finished (John 19:30). Without guilt, there is no need for shame.

Ruach HaKodesh will CONSTANTLY tell us of this. He is here to remind us every day in every way what Jesus did for us. What Jesus’ finished work provided for us. And what the Word says about that finished work and our NEW STATUS in Jesus. In Jesus, we are NEW CREATIONS. That means the old rules of who and what we were before our salvation do not apply to us. We are subject to gravity, but not guilt. We are subject to statistical regularity, but not shame. And… both of those can be overruled by the power of Adonai. So really, we are free of EVERYTHING that doesn’t bring glory to Adonai in the circumstance that we find ourselves. Walking down the street subject to gravity shows His wisdom in making these wonderful natural laws that protect us and foster the growth of life. Guilt and shame do NOTHING. They do NOT show His glory. Being FREED from them? Does. Absolutely. Who else could free us? Who else could keep them from growing to a harvest of pain? Only Adonai could and EVERYONE who is free from them can declare that truth and praise Him for the freedom.

“Therefore we are ambassadors on behalf of Christ, as if God were imploring you through us. We beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. He made the one who did not know sin to be sin on our behalf, in order that we could become the righteousness of God in him” (2 Corinthians 5:20-21). Ruach HaKodesh reminds us that we are ambassadors proclaiming the No Shame Kingdom (Romans 8:1). In Jesus we can be free of shame because in Jesus we can be free from sin. We can piece by piece get understanding of Adonai’s point of view and lose the desire to sin. We get the Word into us and we begin to agree with what He says. We begin to see the Truth. We can’t do that outside of what Jesus did for us. It cannot be done without Adonai. But in and with Jesus? All things are possible.

The world is in a terrible place. People are going about their business conflicted. Confused. They’re buying into the world’s message. They’re buying into the devil’s lies. But they can’t HELP feeling shame. Because deep down inside themselves they KNOW it is wrong. But what to do about it? Everything around them says it is fine and good. Their support system says it is fine and good. Their entire lives are built in and around systems that exist solely to prop them up in their delusions, feelings, and ideas. So that they can blame the shame on people, not the truth. So that they can claim PERSONAL truth (which is simply what your experiences tell you is standard behaviour, feelings, and thoughts) is better than OBJECTIVE truth (the truth regardless of your experiences), because they will say there IS no objective truth. But there is. The point of view of Adonai is THE truth, is OBJECTIVE, and is, was, and always will be CONSTANT, CONSISTENT, and TRUSTWORTHY. But since everything in their lives says otherwise, what can they do? They double-down and try to make it all go away.

We are a witness to them. We are a light showing His truth. We can point to our shame being taken away from us. We can share the idea of FREEDOM from it in and through Jesus. We can share the GIFT of Adonai’s Grace and Mercy. This is GOOD NEWS. They don’t have to feel what their brains tell them they should feel. They can choose to emote what Adonai says they can emote. And a proper emotion will always trump a mere feeling. Ruach HaKodesh is the instructor that teaches us how to share what Jesus did for us. The corrector who helps our behaviour line up with what Adonai says should be. The coach feeding us our lines when we have these important and sensitive interactions. So that we can speak truth and share our experience, not shame, guilt, or try and provoke them about ‘their wrongness’. Jesus didn’t do that. We aren’t called to either. Truth FROM AND WITH LOVE is how Jesus operated. With Ruach HaKodesh reminding us of our own freedom from guilt and shame, we can choose to listen for the right words to share that with others. Truth, not condemnation. Let Ruach HaKodesh do the rest. He’s been at it since the beginning of beginnings and knows EXACTLY what to do. For us, and for everyone we interact with.

Daily Affirmation of the Goodness of Elohim: Galatians 6:10

“So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who belong to the household of faith.” We are not gatekeepers. We are not tattlers. We are supposed to be capable believers, grounded in Jesus, and ‘adult’ enough in our faith to see what harm negative behaviours could do. It’s funnily human for us to be humble and yearning and desperate for help right up until we get saved. Then it becomes some kind of badge of ‘lookit me’ that we hold to in order to keep a higher position from those around us. That’s just plain foolish. And kinda stupid. We ALL sinned. We ALL needed help. We ALL still need help. We are called to be good to everyone around us. To be a benefit. An encouragement. Think about how much you’ll stick out of the crowd of people in this world if you treated believers like a treasure and everyone you met as good as gold. You see, they point to the church and say you act with each other just like us. Doesn’t give a motivation to believe. But if we were good to each other, that would be a huge motivation. Who doesn’t want to be accepted? Supported? To be with like-minded people that build you up? Everyone wants that. It’s how Jesus teaches us to be. Because He knows it will bring us together. It will build us ALL up. And it will make everything just a little bit better every single day. What a great way of doing things. What a great plan. What a great difference it makes when put into practise. 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