Fear No Fear

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

He is not afraid of bad news; his heart is steadfast, secure in Yahweh. His heart is sustained; he will not be afraid, until he looks in triumph on his enemies.

Psalm 112:7-8

‘in triumph’ was added by translators to get the deeper meaning into the verse. But this isn’t gloating. This is a praise moment: His heart is sustained; he will not be afraid, until he looks on his enemies saying ‘Look what Adonai has done!’ It is the moment when Jesus gives us the overcoming He paid for and spoke over us (John 16:33). We are connected to the overcoming through Ruach HaKodesh – not because we’re not connected to Jesus, we are (John 15:5) – because He keeps us centered on Adonai and able to see Jesus. If we can’t see Jesus, we can’t receive from Jesus.

Sometimes, when you’re working up on a ladder or in a different kind of dangerous place, you feel the need to look and make sure your safety equipment is working correctly. That you still have a stable lifeline. That your water wings are still inflated. It’s a normal reaction. We like the feeling of stability and safety. That we might weeble or wobble, but we won’t fall down. Spiritually, we’re no different. We LIKE our comfort zones. We LIKE to feel safe. We LIKE to feel threatened. But that isn’t going to happen (1 Peter 4:12-14). Darkness hates light (John 3:20). Since we have the Light of Jesus inside of us, we are going to be on the receiving end of that hatred (John 15:18). In spite of that, we CAN feel safe. We can feel safe where we are and we can feel safe when we leave our comfort zone. It isn’t about the outside threat. It is about obedience.

It is the righteous who are safe. It is the righteous who are secure. It is the righteous who are not afraid of bad news. It is the righteous who are sustained. Who are the righteous? Those who are in Messiah Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:21). We CANNOT be righteous on our own. The Law teaches us that. We CANNOT do it perfectly in word, deed, AND thought 24/7 every day of the year. We just can’t. Jesus came to fulfill the Law so that instead of having to perform sacrifices in order to get our sins covered, we can trust in Jesus and in HIM be justified (Romans 5:1). If we rely on Jesus and trust in Him, we are righteous in the eyes of Adonai because He sees Jesus, not us. We get what Jesus deserves instead of what we deserve. Which is AWESOME and something to be VERY thankful about ALL THE TIME.

When we trust in Jesus, we can be secure. When we trust in Jesus, we have no reason to be afraid or anxious or depressed or anything like that. When we trust in Jesus, we KNOW everything will be fine. It will be better than fine, no matter what it looks like from the outside because we have fellowship with Almighty Elohim. We can depend on the Word. We can stand on the Word. We can believe the Word. And we can trust that the Word will come through for us every time because when IT IS WRITTEN, IT WILL BE. There is NO other option.

How to maintain this secure feeling of total peace and security? Two ways. LISTEN and PRAISE. Ruach HaKodesh convicts us of not trusting in Jesus. Which means before we do or don’t do a thing, He is there telling us to trust Jesus in the situation. We can LISTEN to Him and trust Jesus with it (1 Peter 5:7). We can follow His instructions on HOW to trust Jesus with it (1 John 2:27). The other thing we can do is PRAISE ADONAI (Psalm 150:6). When we praise Him, we are seeking Him (Psalm 95:1-6). When we get close to Adonai, Adonai gets close to us (James 4:8). What is in the presence of Adonai? PEACE (Isaiah 26:3). It is what Adonai fills us with when we ask (Romans 15:13). We ask best when we are praising Him and thanking Him for what He has done, what He is doing, and what He will do for us and all the Body of Messiah (Hebrews 13:15′ John 4:23).

When we lean into Ruach HaKodesh, listen to what He says, and praise Adonai, we dwell in the secret place. The place of Blessing. The place of His presence. We need to practise His presence every day. That is where peace is. When we acknowledge and rely on Him as our MORE THAN ENOUGH Source, what will there be to be afraid of? To be insecure about? Bad news is an opportunity for Adonai to be glorified in His care of you. There’s nothing to worry about. There’s nothing to be sorrowful about. There’s only things to praise Him about. To praise Him and be joyful. Truly joyful. When our mind is on Him – and Ruach HaKodesh is constantly talking to us about how to keep our mind on Adonai – then we have PERFECT peace (Philippians 4:7).

Daily Affirmation of the Goodness of Elohim: Psalm 91:8

“You will only look with your eyes, and see the punishment of the wicked.” There is punishment for the wicked, no matter what it looks like when they are at the top of their system. When it comes – the Day of the Lord – it will shake the world. Everything will change. But the righteous – those who are actively and consistently practising the presence of Adonai – may not even notice. At least, not to be fearful, anxious, or worried. They will witness the punishment of the wicked. The failure of all the wicked trust in. But they will not be affected. They won’t feel panic. They won’t gloat or refuse to help those in trouble, but it will be as if it is happening in a movie and not to them the audience. In a very small way, I’ve experienced this through a pandemic. I knew it was happening. I knew people were upset and struggling. We prayed for them. We helped where we could. But it didn’t touch our house. We experienced no lack. We experienced no mental hardship. It was business as usual. It was because right from the very beginning we made a concerted effort to rely on Adonai and LISTEN TO WHAT HE SAID. Not all of it made total sense, but it ALL worked out. Every idea He gave us worked. Every instruction we obeyed achieved a good end. If we managed it then, we can do it again. But what is coming is so much more than what has been. We ALL need to practise relying on Him. In small ways every day. And every day letting those ways get bigger. Adonai is MORE THAN ENOUGH for all of our needs. We CAN rely on Him. We CAN obey Him. We CAN let Him lead us. He WANTS to save us. To HELP us. To SECURE us. He loves us. We are NOT in the cold. We are NOT alone. He is ALWAYS with us and ALWAYS waiting to bless us through ALL circumstances, big and small. 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