Fear No Fear

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

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not of yourselves. It is the gift of God, not of works, so that no one should boast.

Ephesians 2:8-9

We know from the Word that we are to always be moving forward. If we aren’t doing our best to progress, we’re not obeying Adonai (Philippians 3:12-16). We don’t always succeed. We stumble. We decide to sit down. We step off the track. Adonai’s opinion of us doesn’t change. His love for us doesn’t change. His joy in us doesn’t change. His song over us doesn’t change. Our performance does not affect how HE deals with us. Our performance affects how WE deal with Him. If we listen, we’ll hear Ruach HaKodesh telling us that.

This is important because we NEED to ALWAYS remember that Adonai is GOOD TOWARD US. “Love is patient, love is kind, love is not jealous, it does not boast, it does not become conceited, it does not behave dishonorably, it is not selfish, it does not become angry, it does not keep a record of wrongs, it does not rejoice at unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth, bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (1 Corinthians 13:4-7). It goes on to say love NEVER fails. Adonai IS love (1 John 4:8). If Adonai is love, how could He EVER act outside of how love acts? You can’t use the Old Testament as an example because Adonai NEVER wanted negative things to happen, ALWAYS acted out of love. Look at the horrible things doctors do to the human body to kill cancer. Chemotherapy does TERRIBLE things to our bodies, but people do it to other people to deal with the thing that will kill them. Adonai spent CENTURIES warning people of the consequences for their actions before He sent the judgment they refused to turn away from. In other words, it was always OUR decisions and OUR actions that caused the judgment. Adonai was there loving us, trying to lead us, and doing everything He could to help us, AND showing MERCY in the judgment righteousness demanded. Adonai is LOVE. He is ALWAYS good to us – whether we receive and acknowledge it or not.

Are you in Jesus? Are you saved? If you are, there is NO WRATH toward you from Adonai. He judged sin through Jesus. There is no JUDGMENT left for you (Romans 8:1). That means that the bad things are NOT sent from Him. He is NOT sending them to teach you a lesson – but He will teach you lessons using anything and everything you experience. The source of ALL bad things is sin, death, and the devil (John 10:10). Fallen world. Broken thinking by broken people causes a LOT of bad to happen. Why do bad things happen? Fallen world and broken people. If you are in the world, bad things will occur. Bad things happened to Jesus. He was mocked, scorned, treated terribly, not believed, not supported, hounded, and people tried to kill Him a few times. But He was victorious is everything He did. Any soldier will tell you that war is a terrible thing and you are NOT always comfortable. At the same time, you can be the victor. Covered in blood, experiencing battle, and the victor. From the moment of His birth until the moment He chose when to die, Jesus NEVER experienced defeat. He was winning at birth, winning at twelve, winning at thirty, and winning in the ordeal of the cross. He ALWAYS was the victor. He calls us to be the SAME WAY AS HE WAS/IS. In Him we overcome because HE overcame (John 16:33).

Ruach HaKodesh told you that when you were cut off in traffic. When your parking spot was stolen. When you were fired. When you got attacked by the mugger. Adonai did NOT send it. Adonai is NOT the source or the cause of it. He can help you. He can teach you. He can lift you. He can deliver you. He can protect you. He is a fortress. He is a strong tower. He is the guiding light. He is EVERYTHING. But He did NOT send the bad. It is against the character of Adonai to be the source of bad things (1 John 1:5; James 1:13) because ALL GOOD THINGS come from Him (James 1:17). Every time a bad thing happens Ruach HaKodesh tells us two things: Adonai did not send that and trust Jesus. When you panic, you create more problems than you solve. People have died in situations that were survivable because they panicked. Rescuers are trained so that they won’t panic, but think and act appropriately. In HIM we have peace. In HIM we have guidance. We can trust Him, listen, and obey. Then we can be victorious over the bad that is trying to swamp us. Just like Jesus was.

Ruach HaKodesh never wants you to forget that Adonai is good toward you. He is a GOOD Father. He is a GOOD God. He is a GOOD caretaker. He is a GOOD source. He is a GOOD supporter. He is GOOD and He is RIGHTEOUS! He is Faithful. He is trustworthy. He is merciful. He is gracious. He is GOOD. And He IS Adonai Elohim Almighty. Don’t let negative things take your eyes off of that TRUTH. Listen to Ruach HaKodesh. ALL good is Adonai. ALL bad is NOT Adonai. All means ALL. No exceptions. Trust in Jesus’ goodness. Look to Him and listen to Him. He’ll NEVER let you down. He is on the case!

Daily Affirmation of the Goodness of Elohim: Psalm 46:8-9

“Come, see the works of Yahweh, who has placed desolations on the earth. He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth; he breaks the bow and cuts off the spear. The wagons of war he burns with fire.” I am NOT criticising people, but I don’t understand their desire to take pictures of their meals and share them on social media. It’s just not me. I don’t do that. But I AM tempted to share pictures of my kids’ art – something NO ONE but we as parents want to see. There is something built into human beings that makes us want to share. Share our food, our vacation pictures, our kids’ accomplishments, our favourite shows and books, and pretty much anything you can think of. It is amazing to go online and see what people collect and share. The things that make them go ‘lookit this’. Well, that comes from our innate desire to worship Adonai. We were created with that within us. We are MADE to point to Adonai and say ‘lookit Him’ as loudly as we can. To tell everyone we come across ‘look what Adonai has done’. It is the physical demonstration of Adonai’s goodness. In case I haven’t said it clearly, there is NOTHING that I have accomplished that was done outside of Adonai. He has enabled me to do ANYTHING and EVERYTHING of value in my life. ANY job I have done well. ANY meal I have assembled. ANY guidance I have given. ANYTHING I have taught (whether natural school or spiritual principles). ANY good idea I have had. It is ALL from Adonai. I would have been LOST (and was) without Him. It is ALL because of HIM and I give Him ALL the glory, thanks, and credit. Praise Adonai, look what Adonai has done for me! Look at what He has done for YOU! He is SO GOOD to us! Tell someone about it. Rejoice in Him for what He has done for you and for others! Be joyful for them! Let them have an opportunity to be joyful for you! Tell me if no one else will listen! Adonai is GOOD and WORTHY of ALL of our praise. He has done SO MUCH for us. Look at what He has done! 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