Fear No Fear

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

 But we ought to give thanks to God always concerning you, brothers dearly loved by the Lord, because God has chosen you as first fruits for salvation by the sanctification of the Spirit and faith in the truth,

2 Thessalonians 2:13

We all are thankful for the things that are good in our lives. Every Thanksgiving celebration we pull out our list of things that we are grateful for and we list them. We have feelings of thankfulness. We have warm feelings about them. But being grateful or having gratefulness is all about us having the things, or experiencing a thing, or HAVING experienced a thing. Gratefulness or being grateful is about the thing in and of itself. What WE are called to be is full of GRATITUDE. The difference is that gratitude is about the SOURCE of the things, not the things themselves (or the way they came to you, particularly). It is about SAYING thanks, instead of BEING thankful. We are meant to SHOW gratitude toward Adonai, not just HAVE it.

“For the one at work in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure, is God” (Philippians 2:13). “Remember this and pluck up courage! Call to mind, you transgressors! Remember the former things from a long time ago, for I am God and there is none besides me, God and there is none like me, who from the beginning declares the end, and from before, things that have not been done, who says, ‘My plan shall stand,’ and, ‘I will accomplish all my wishes,’ who calls a bird of prey from the east, the man of his plan from a country from afar. Indeed I have spoken; indeed I will bring it to being. I have formed it; indeed I will do it” (Isaiah 46:8-11). Adonai is a DOING and a SAYING Elohim (God). WE are to be the same way. “And you will decide on a matter, and it will be established for you, and light will shine on your ways” (Job 22:28). “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you want and it will be done for you” (John 15:7). If we base OUR words on HIS Word, then we aren’t ‘declaring’ to the universe or trying to trick our brains into ‘manifesting’ a certain behaviour. We are getting OUR thinking and OUR will into alignment with HIS will so that we can receive the physical arrival of what ADONAI has promised. It is about HIS will on Earth, not OURS – or our (junior partner and steward) will only when it is in alignment and agreement with His (senior partner and owner).

Our gratitude needs to be WORDS. Words that are SAYING thank you for the things and DOING the job of recognising, acknowledging, and giving total credit to the SOURCE of the things. For example, someone hands you $20 and says Adonai laid it on their heart to bless you. You say thank you to them, you’re thankful for the money, and you show gratitude toward Adonai for being your source (not always at the same time, but it isn’t wrong to do so). Remember that ALL good things come from Adonai (James 1:17), so it is NEVER wrong to be thankful to a human agency (male or female) while simultaneously giving credit where credit is due: your GOOD Father in heaven. The trouble with possessions (objects or wealth) is that we can focus on THEM, not who GAVE them. When does money become evil? When we love IT, not HIM. We should be able to freely give every penny we have in our possession (on us, in the bank, everything) and every possession we have. We can ONLY do it when Adonai is our absolute source and our relationship with Adonai our most treasured possession. It is a hard lesson for ALL of us, but once learned it is so FREEING. When we learn it, we can have ANY amount of money and ANY kind or amount of possessions and they will not affect us AT ALL. One of the foundational steps of that lesson is the proper application of gratitude.

Ruach HaKodesh is the prime source of our reminders about what Jesus said to us (John 14:26). One of the things Jesus says to us is: ‘My Father wants you to have this.’ Health? The Father wants you to have it. Wealth that brings Him glory? The Father wants you to have it. Blessing in EVERY area of your life? The Father wants you to have it. Success in all the ways He calls you to walk? The Father wants you to have it. Overcoming in the face of persecution and trials? The Father wants you to have it. Being EXACTLY like Jesus was and DOING exactly what Jesus did? The Father wants you to have it. Jesus tells it to us as we hit each and every point on that list (plus all the ones not mentioned). And Ruach HaKodesh reminds you of all the things Jesus said to you about it. That it was available. That you could have it. That it was the Father’s will. That it was good and right to receive and engage them. We’ll never open these gifts if we forget to take them; or take them, but forget to open them; or take and open, but never use them. No matter where we are on that scale of action/inaction, Ruach HaKodesh will remind us of what we COULD have and what we COULD be walking in. All the time.

Much of what we fail in is because of a lack of knowledge about that thing. We either don’t know we can have it or we don’t know the proper application of what we have. Our whole lives in EVERY area are about coming into alignment with the will of Adonai and then obeying. Or if you prefer it is coming into alignment with the will of Adonai through our actions, words, and thoughts. We CANNOT do this outside of Jesus – if we could the Law would have been a ministry of life and not death to show our need for a Saviour (2 Corinthians 3:6-10). We NEED to be IN Jesus for this to work AT ALL (John 15:5). We stay IN Jesus because of Ruach HaKodesh’s teaching, guidance, and correction. He is ALWAYS pointing to Jesus who is ALWAYS pointing to the Father who is THE source of ALL life and ALL power. We can and should be thankful for everyone in the chain on the way to the Throne, but we NEED to and MUST ALWAYS STRIVE TO BE showing the Father our GRATITUDE for what He has done. It isn’t something our flesh does naturally (selfish soil that it is), but it IS something we can learn to practise consistently through our relationship with Ruach HaKodesh and our obedience to the guidance, teaching, and correction He shows us.

Jesus lived a life of gratitude to the Father (John 11:41-42). We should be living one too. Let us NEVER forget to whom and for what reasons we are grateful. Let us NEVER stop expressing it with our words. May it be one of THE lessons we are intentfully practising on a daily basis.

Daily Affirmation of the Goodness of Elohim: 2 Timothy 1:7

“For God has not given us a spirit of cowardice, but of power and love and self-discipline” Adonai calls us. Before He calls us, He makes sure we have the equipment we need. Soldiers are not told to charge a hill and THEN given uniforms and equipment. Uniforms and equipment come FIRST. In the same way, Adonai enables us to be equipped BEFORE it is needed (Ephesians 6:10-18). We declare our reliance on Adonai and His written Word BEFORE we need to rely on them (Psalm 91). We bless BECAUSE we’ve been blessed. We SOW because He gave us seed. We love because He is love. We’re saved because He made a Way of salvation. We spread light because He IS light. It is all about Him. HE does it all and HE equips us all, so that we can do what we’re called to do. We’re called, yes. But we are the equipped. We are the prepared. Because in Jesus we have all things and can cooperate with Him in all things. He has made our Way and given us what we need to walk it. 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