Fear No Fear

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

Whatever you plot against the Lord, he will completely destroy! Distress will not arise a second time.
Nahum 1:9 (emphasis added)

You would think it is common sense NOT to set yourself against Adonai. Especially when you have any sort of understanding who He is. I suppose it is easy to confuse Adonai’s people and Adonai. We can look on the natural and forget what we’re seeing. Forget about His connection to His people. Because we’re busy seeing the human and it so easy not to see the divine. Yet you don’t have to set yourself against Adonai’s people to set yourself against Adonai. Believers all over the world are doing it every day. And it limits what and even IF we can receive from Him.

Adonai speaks to us every day. Not always in big ways. There is always communication. The question is what are we doing with it. I was reading about Abraham today. It was really impressed upon me that when Abraham was asked to do something, he did it. Right away. Same day, unless it was impractical. Even when he was asked to circumcise his entire household (including all employees), he did it that day (Genesis 17:23). That is obedience worth commending.

The opposite is also true. When we do NOT obey right away (unless impractical – like Abraham starting a journey in the morning instead of at night: Genesis 22:3) it is disobedience worth marking. Now, I’m not talking about a break the rules get punished thing. I’m talking about obedience being righteous (Romans 4:19-21) and disobedience being the opposite. We get from Adonai when we are accessing the righteous spirit He gave us through Grace by our trusting Him (2 Corinthians 5:21). We live in that righteousness when we live in obedience. ““If you love me, you will obey my commandments” (John 14:15).

When we are not obedient, we’re not walking in love. When we’re not walking in love, we’re not walking with Him. When we are choosing not to walk in love, we are choosing not to trust Him. We should be trusting He is worthy of our love. We should be trusting His point of view is not only valid, but the ONLY viewpoint worth holding. We should be trusting Him and His ability to accomplish what He says He can and wants to accomplish. It’s like giving someone the keys to your car and asking them to drive home. You’re trusting they have a license, they have the ability, they can stay awake, and will not damage you, themselves, or the vehicle.

When we don’t obey, what we are really saying is that our ideas are better than His. What we want is more important to us than what He wants. It is US setting our wills against HIM. When you read through the Word, especially the chronicles of the Hebrew people, you see people joining themselves to the Will of Adonai and people setting themselves against His Will. It never, EVER goes well for those who set themselves against Him. Under the Old Covenant this is because there was still punishment for sin owed. In the New Covenant that isn’t the case since Jesus paid the price of sin and Yahweh’s wrath toward sin was satisfied (1 Peter 2:24).

In the New Covenant, setting ourselves against Adonai removes us from the spot where He has our Blessing. Like Elijah who was sent to where the ravens were dropping off meat and bread (1 Kings 17:4-6), we need to go where the Blessing is to receive it. We aren’t hunting down birds. We only need to find His Will and stay there. That’s one thing the Word does. The Word is the Will of the Father. It is what Jesus came to tell us (John 6:38-40). It is one of the jobs of the Ruach HaKodesh (John 16:33). We can always find His Will. We can always be open to hearing His instructions (John 14:26). But will we DO it?

Will we not do what we want and instead follow Him? I’d like to say we will. But sometimes we get in the way of what’s best for us. From OUR point of view sleeping in and being rested is best. But perhaps today, what’s best is that we get up at 4am and spend some time praying for someone. Maybe we want to make a snack of meat and cheese and bread, but this time He wants us to have carrots. Maybe He wants us to read a particular book, go for a specific job, support a ministry we normally wouldn’t, or buy a piece of clothing that caught our eye. It could be ANYTHING. We do NOT serve a God who isn’t interested in ALL of our lives (Hebrews 4:15-16; Psalms 33:13-15). We almost never know what it will be. It doesn’t really matters. What matters is that we listen and obey.

We have to trust that ANY and EVERY single thing He asks of us is for the best. The best for us. The best for someone else. The best overall for everyone. He isn’t flippant. He isn’t manipulative. He isn’t imperfect, aloof, or petty. It can be hard to remember that. It can be hard to keep it in mind. But it needs to be so prevalent in our thinking that we do what He asks automatically. It’s possible. Abraham did, though not perfectly. Jesus did perfectly. We can too. We’re just like Jesus in our spirit (1 John 4:17). We need to choose to listen.

Adonai loves us too much to leave us being stubborn. He loves us too much to let us do without His Blessing. He will destroy our wrong attitudes that we use to plot against His will in our lives. But He won’t do it as a dictator. He won’t do it with a punishment (Romans 8:1). He will do it with Love. He will do it as He speaks to us. He’ll do it with encouragement and supportive leading. He won’t compromise. He IS righteous and it is US who need to alter our opinions, views, and ideas. It is US who need to submit to Him and remember with humbleness our place compared to His.

Don’t walk in rebellion. Don’t live in stubbornness. Don’t rob yourself of the opportunity to be Blessed. Don’t wait for Him to destroy what you’ve set against Him. Submit to Him (verse). Take every thought captive (2 Corinthians 10:5). Crucify the old stubborn you (Romans 6:6-18). Live the abundant life He meant for you to have (John 10:10).

Daily Affirmation Jesus IS Messiah: Psalm 91:11-12

“For he will order his angels to protect you in all you do. They will lift you up in their hands, so you will not slip and fall on a stone.” Messiah was identified as being Messianic by the devil. The devil tempted Messiah by trying to get Messiah to trivialise the Mercy of Adonai. The power that Adonai makes available to us should NEVER be used for ANYTHING but glorifying Adonai. As such, a temptation to throw yourself from a temple simply because Adonai promised that Messiah would be protected is a temptation to trivialise the power. To use it for the sake of using it. “for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you, to protect you,’ and ‘with their hands they will lift you up, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”” (Luke 4:10-11). This was a temptation for Jesus because He had thought of it. Thought of using the power for the sake of the power. We know that because NOTHING is a temptation unless we have thought (or conceived) of it first. The thought isn’t a sin. The temptation isn’t a sin. The giving into it would be. Just like it is ludicrous that Jesus would turn stones into birds as a child just to see the wonder of it, Jesus giving into this temptation would be against the character of Jesus. Jesus made and built and worked on His character to be Adonai first, Word first. That’s seen by the next verse: “Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘You are not to put the Lord your God to the test.’”” (Luke 4:12). Jesus did NOT give in and test Adonai. Jesus TRUSTED Adonai and stood on the Word. Jesus was identified as Messianic by the devil tempting Him with THIS temptation and Jesus proved He was worthy of being Messianic by sticking to Messianic Character. Jesus stood on the Word. 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