Fear No Fear

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

For rulers are not a terror to good work, but to the evil. Do you desire to have no fear of the authority? Do that which is good, and you will have praise from the authority
Romans 13:3 (emphasis added)

Jesus welcomes us with open arms. When we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive them (1 John 1:9). When we accept that we have a sinful nature, believe in our hearts Jesus paid the price for sin on the cross and was raised again to life, and confess that He is our Lord, we get saved (Romans 10:9-10). We’re now new creatures. No sin nature. We still have flesh, and if we take our minds off Jesus we can commit sin (1 John 1:8). Jesus forgives us and will forgive us whenever we sin. Romans 8:1 tells us “There is now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.” Right about here the world rolls its eyes and says ‘Sure. Do whatever you want and God wipes it clean. What hypocrites.’ But this promise of a clean slate is conditional. It isn’t a magic eraser.

Romans 8:1 continues with “to those who are in Christ Jesus, who don’t walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.” Being clean doesn’t mean we can do what we want. Quite the opposite. We do NOT have permission. “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? May it never be! We who died to sin, how could we live in it any longer?” (Romans 6:1-2). We have a new nature. It is not only foreign to do what the flesh wants, it is distasteful. But the flesh has powerful habits. The world is all around us ready to help lead us astray. How can we avoid doing things that we are dead to? By abiding in Jesus, of course. It is always and ever the only way to get things done. Jesus is the Word and by getting into the Word, we can soak ourselves in His righteousness. Jesus extends us Grace to save us. Grace doesn’t run our lives after conversion. Obedience does. We get Grace to obey by remaining in Jesus. Because here is the thing about obedience: you can obey anyone you want to.

“What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? May it never be! Don’t you know that when you present yourselves as servants and obey someone, you are the servants of whomever you obey, whether of sin to death, or of obedience to righteousness?” (Romans 6:15-16). We are to live lives obedient to Jesus. To the Father. Lives holy and pleasing to God. It isn’t about doing without. It isn’t about losing opportunities or missing out on things. It’s about taking up the yoke of Jesus, and choosing to be restricted in our behaviour in order to be right with God and enjoy the authority in the Kingdom that obedience gains you.

There is a vast array of behaviours and thoughts that are flesh-based — I am not talking about sex. We are raised and educated by the flesh. We are taught to live in a system based on flesh. But as believers, we should be thinking spirit, not flesh. Take a look at Solomon. “Now King Solomon loved many foreign women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh: women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites” (1 Kings 11:1). Verse 3 tells us how many ‘many’ is: “He had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines.” It’s thought that many of the marriages were political in nature. Solidifying treaties and trade agreements. Solomon had a vast empire. This just makes sense, doesn’t it? We make political arrangements and agreements all the time. It’s considered good politics. Good nation making. Assuring safe borders and mutual benefit.

But here is the thing. Why did Solomon need good nation making? Why did he need political alliance? The Lord was His God and the God of His nation. The Lord could prosper them. The Lord could tell them what to say and where to say it. The Lord could ensure safe borders. The Lord could ensure security so that good will didn’t need to be courted — and without them becoming bullies or ignorant to their neighbours. Solomon had ceased to look to the Lord as his source. He was operating in the flesh and no longer paying attention to the spirit.

Now back a few hundred years when God was leading the Israelites up out of Egypt, before they had even thought to consider having a king, the Lord told them they would ask for one. And He told them a few things about what kings should and shouldn’t do. Deuteronomy 17:17 says “He shall not multiply wives to himself, that his heart not turn away.” 1 Kings 11 shows us why the Lord said that so long ago. Why it was a wise warning. And why we know that Solomon was thinking flesh not spirit. Because if he was thinking spirit he would have been dwelling on the Law and not forsook its teaching. 1 Kings 11:1-8 tells the story: “Now King Solomon loved many foreign women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh: women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Sidonians, and Hittites, of the nations concerning which Yahweh said to the children of Israel, “You shall not go among them, neither shall they come among you, for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods.” Solomon joined to these in love. He had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines. His wives turned his heart away. When Solomon was old, his wives turned away his heart after other gods; and his heart was not perfect with Yahweh his God, as the heart of David his father was. For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. Solomon did that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight, and didn’t go fully after Yahweh, as David his father did. Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, on the mountain that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech the abomination of the children of Ammon. So he did for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods.”

Don’t judge him. Are we any better? Solomon was the wisest human of his time and possibly of all time (1 Kings 4:29-34). In spite of that wisdom, he ignored the many warnings available to him and he chose a path where he was thinking like just another person and not the path of the spirit. We have the same choice. Will we operate according to our flesh or according to our spirit? Anything we do outside of the spirit, outside of faith, is wrong (Romans 14:23). It doesn’t mean it is evil, it means that it is out of the spirit. Out of fellowship with the Lord. The Lord is the source of all good things (James 1:17, Psalm 16:2). He wants good things for us. He doesn’t withhold goodness from us whether it is spiritual food or entertainment. We need to be operating in faith 24/7/365 because anything else doesn’t produce obedience. The flesh is selfish. The spirit is pro-obeying. Obedience is the most important thing we can do. Because God can use someone who obeys. God can work through someone who will obey Him.

Jesus said “Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30). Reverence and respect for the Father. Restraint by submitting to the authority of Jesus. These are not hard things. Not when we are spending time seeking the voice of Jesus in the Word. When we are thinking on the things of the Lord and are open to Holy Spirit leading us into revelation. When we sit under the teaching of men and women of God who are anointed to instruct us. When we make God the focus of our lives, not the pursuit of things. It’s an adage in the west to participate in the freedom of the pursuit of happiness. But if we pursue God, happiness is a natural by-product. If we soak in the Word, Will, and Wisdom of God, obedience — joyful, willing obedience — is a natural by-product. All these things that the world says we are missing out on? They are a distraction from true freedom, true happiness, and true fulfilment.

When we do the things of the Lord, when we spend time with Him, we don’t need to be fearful of God. The respect/reverence (fear) of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Sin has been paid for. God has turned His face to man, full of peace and love. Good will to mankind. What reason would we have to fear the Lord when we are joyful in our obedience to Him? Don’t you want to hear ‘well done’ from God? (Luke 19:17). Get a hug from Him? Obedience is better than sacrifice (1 Samuel 15:22-23) and disobedience is a sure path to misery.

Embrace the peace of following the Lord. Read His Word and open yourself to being changed by it. Be willing to go without temporary things the world tells you are normal and fun. Embrace a lifestyle that is full of peace, fulfilment, joy, and real pleasures. You won’t miss the temporary things. You’ll even start to wonder why you bothered with them in the first place. The yoke is light, the blessings are many, and it is very, very worth it. Don’t be fearful of the Lord and what He might do. Be respectful, worshipful, and let Him be your Lord and Saviour. The smiles and fellowship you’ll enjoy with Him are better than anything else in the universe.

Daily Affirmation of God’s Love: Isaiah 43:3-7

We are precious in the sight of the Lord God of Heaven. It’s true. He formed us and knew us while we were still in the womb. Now I know that can be a touchy thing for some people, but the Word doesn’t lie. It isn’t one verse. There are at least twelve to fourteen verses that state clearly God formed us in the womb, knew us in the womb, and has known us since we were in the womb. His interest starts when we are conceived and it doesn’t end. Ever. He made us, He watches over us, He desires to fellowship with us, and is looking forward to meeting us face to face. He loves you. Can’t get enough of you. And He never will.

Your Daily Confession of God’s love to YOU:

Today God loves that I _______.