Fear No Fear

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

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 (emphasis added)

If you remain. If. The implication is obvious. We must CHOOSE to do it. We must WORK at it. We must NOT LET GO of it. If we don’t, we will NOT remain. It’s like meeting someone who is going to pick you up for work or a party or some other appointment. You decide ahead of time to meet on the corner of 5th and Vine. If you REMAIN there, they will arrive and pick you up. If you get distracted by people, stores, or the weather, you might find yourself moving from that spot. It won’t matter if you are at 4th and Vine or 6th and Vine or at 5th and Vine but indoors shopping. You will NOT get picked up if you do not REMAIN. In the SAME WAY, we need to REMAIN IN HIM if we expect His words to REMAIN IN US. It is the key to how we can ask for whatever we want – and receive it.

“Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you, I do not speak on my own initiative, but the Father residing in me performs his miraculous deeds. Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father is in me, but if you do not believe me, believe because of the miraculous deeds themselves” (John 14:10-11). This is JESUS identity. This is WHO HE WAS. Joined with the Father. Physically, Jesus was a human male. Spiritually, Jesus was joined with the Father. That’s what He meant when He said “No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven—the Son of Man” that’s the NET. But other translations include this: “the one who is in heaven“. The NET translators – looking at human language alone – found it too hard a reading to include, but they have an extensive footnote about it. Yet if you think about our own spiritual lives, while we are here on Earth PHYSICALLY, we are also RIGHT NOW in Heaven – just as Jesus was. Jesus was living the life we also can live.

“and he raised us up together with him and seated us together with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:6). “For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ” (Galatians 3:27). “He is the reason you have a relationship with Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”” (1 Corinthians 1:30-31). There we are. In Jesus. In the heavenly realms. Right now. Feeling good, full righteousness, completely healed, and we have EVERYTHING of Heaven. Every single blessing. Right now. Doesn’t look like it, does it? But it’s real. Your spirit is sealed into His (Ephesians 1:13-14). Everything that is true for Jesus RIGHT NOW is true for you RIGHT NOW. It’s just SPIRITUAL reality. What we do here on Earth is gain revelation about that reality. About who we are in Jesus. The victory we have right here on Earth is exactly equal to the knowledge we have inside us about who we are in Messiah Jesus. “God made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we would become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

In the same way, our interactions in this life are good or bad in direct proportion to our knowledge of the authority available to us in the Name of Jesus. “Then Jesus came up and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (Matthew 28:18). “The Father loves the Son and has placed all things under his authority” (John 3:35). “After God spoke long ago in various portions and in various ways to our ancestors through the prophets, in these last days he has spoken to us in a son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he created the world” (Hebrews 1:1-2). “As a result God highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow—in heaven and on earth and under the earth—and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9-11). Everything that was made was made through Messiah Jesus (John 1:3). And when the Word says everything it means EVERYTHING. “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation, for all things in heaven and on earth were created in him—all things, whether visible or invisible, whether thrones or dominions, whether principalities or powers—all things were created through him and for him. He himself is before all things, and all things are held together in him” (Colossians 1:15-17). EVERYTHING means EVERYTHING and EVERYTHING is under HIS authority. Therefore EVERYTHING is subject to the authority of Jesus’ name.

Jesus is the WORD and the Word is JESUS. “Now the Word became flesh and took up residence among us. We saw his glory—the glory of the one and only, full of grace and truth, who came from the Father” (John 1:14). If we put that Word inside of us something chemical happens. On a spiritual level. On an emotional level. On a mental level. On a physical level. On every level that we have. The Word stirs us. We are dirt (Psalm 103:14, Genesis 2:7). The Word is SEED. When we put the seed into our dirt, our dirt does to that seed what dirt DOES to seed: it produces GROWTH. The great thing is that WE don’t have to DO anything. Adonai created us and formed us to be producers (Genesis 1:26-27). He made the Word to retrain, reform, renew, reform, and bless. “Do not be conformed to this present world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may test and approve what is the will of God—what is good and well-pleasing and perfect” (Romans 12:2). If we plant that Word and submit to that Word and obey that Word, then it will transform us through its GROWTH.

Today’s verse isn’t a promise that the Father will do what we want in the Name of Jesus. No. It is a promise that we will change to want what He wants. To value what He values. To ask for what He wants us to ask for. Why would He EVER say no to what HE wants? You see how it works? Nothing can stand against that! “So submit to God. But resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and make your hearts pure, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn, and weep. Turn your laughter into mourning and your joy into despair. Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will exalt you” (James 4:7-10). It is ALL about us doing what JESUS did. And Jesus ALWAYS did what the Father showed Him to. Jesus ALWAYS said what the Father told Him to. Jesus submitted to the Father’s will REGARDLESS of how He FELT. “may your kingdom come, may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). “He said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Take this cup away from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”” (Mark 11:36). ““Father, if you are willing, take this cup away from me. Yet not my will but yours be done.”” (Luke 22:42).

If we put His words into us and STAY IN THEM. If we read the Word and THINK ABOUT IT. As we work. As we play. As we live. As we travel. There is ALWAYS a conversation you can have. With your loved ones. Your kids. Your partner. Even your friends. Just thinking ‘Hey this crossed my mind. What do you think?’ It’s how we put it before us all the time (Deuteronomy 11:18-19). It’s a way we can make sure to keep Him in the place where He belongs (Deuteronomy 13:4). It’s a way to bring TRUE health, FULL health, spirit-soul-body health, into your life in (Proverbs 4:20-22). You have a cellular disease? Jesus’ Name MADE the stuff those cells are made from. They have to submit to Him. You have ANY kind of problem? He made the stuff that stuff is made from. It has to submit to Him. Does this mean we can command things willy-nilly? NO!!!!! We have to use the Name as we have been granted to: in the perfect will of the Father. Just like Jesus.

If you REMAIN in Him, He will REMAIN in you. Don’t shut the door on the Word. Keep it open. Keep the water flowing. Keep Adonai where He belongs. Tremendous blessing is available to us. Tremendous victory is available to us. Tremendous health is available to us. Tremendous success is available to us. Tremendous abundant life is available to us. In EXACT proportion to what we KNOW about Him. Who we are in Him. What His Name commands. What the will of the Father is. If we REMAIN in Him, He remains in us. When He remains in us, the very atmosphere around us changes from planet Earth to planet Heaven. THIS is our mission: His Will on THIS Earth. Know who you are in Him. Know what the Word does. Know what the Name does. Walk in His Will. It is what makes us who we are. It turns problems into situations. It turns disaster into victory. It turns a fight into a rest. If we go to Him and STAY WITH HIM, then all things of HIM will be ours. Submit and obey and be humble about it. In HIM we are. In HIM we are no longer thirsty. In HIM we are no longer hungry. In HIM we are everything He says we can be. It is the ONLY place to live. Work hard to keep that door open and never, ever, EVER close it. Keep the Word flowing to that we can see the all He has. It is ALL about Messiah Jesus. He IS the Way to go (John 14:6). Make YOUR expectations, HIS. YOUR dreams, HIS. YOUR goals, HIS. It will all make sense in HIS time, HIS way, and HIS will. It is ALWAYS a risk, but our TRUST provides for us very, VERY rich dividends (3 John 1:2). Keep that door open and enjoy the breeze.

Daily Affirmation Jesus IS Messiah: Isaiah 11:2

“The Lord’s Spirit will rest on him—a Spirit that gives extraordinary wisdom, a Spirit that provides the ability to execute plans, a Spirit that produces absolute loyalty to the Lord.” Messiah’s character would be wisdom and understanding. Both of them aspects of His character because of His THEN unique relationship with Ruach HaKodesh. These aspects of His character would make His interactions with the rest of humanity extraordinary. “But he had to pass through Samaria. Now he came to a Samaritan town called Sychar, near the plot of land that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there, so Jesus, since he was tired from the journey, sat right down beside the well. It was about noon. A Samaritan woman came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me some water to drink.” (For his disciples had gone off into the town to buy supplies.) So the Samaritan woman said to him, “How can you—a Jew—ask me, a Samaritan woman, for water to drink?” (For Jews use nothing in common with Samaritans.) Jesus answered her, “If you had known the gift of God and who it is who said to you, ‘Give me some water to drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” “Sir,” the woman said to him, “you have no bucket and the well is deep; where then do you get this living water? Surely you’re not greater than our ancestor Jacob, are you? For he gave us this well and drank from it himself, along with his sons and his livestock.” Jesus replied, “Everyone who drinks some of this water will be thirsty again. But whoever drinks some of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again, but the water that I will give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up to eternal life.” The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water.” He said to her, “Go call your husband and come back here.” The woman replied, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “Right you are when you said, ‘I have no husband,’ for you have had five husbands, and the man you are living with now is not your husband. This you said truthfully!” The woman said to him, “Sir, I see that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you people say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem.” Jesus said to her, “Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You people worship what you do not know. We worship what we know because salvation is from the Jews. But a time is coming—and now is here—when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such people to be his worshipers. God is spirit, and the people who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (the one called Christ); “whenever he comes, he will tell us everything.” Jesus said to her, “I, the one speaking to you, am he.”” (John 4:4-26). Jesus was able to set outside social and religious boundaries with ease as He was led by Ruach HaKodesh. Jesus was able to pierce into the hearts of those He spoke to through Ruach HaKodesh. Jesus was given revelation knowledge and wisdom by Ruach HaKodesh. Jesus had wisdom and knowledge as part of who He was. It is visibly part of His interactions with the world and people around Him. 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