Fear No Fear

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

Jesus answered them, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only will you do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen.
Matthew 21:21 (emphasis added)

Doubt is a trust killer. They say that doubts in a relationship are inevitable. That when two disparate people come together in a relationship, the realisation that you are not both perfectly compatible will give rise to doubts. And that it is okay that it happens. That doubts can mean that things are progressing to another stage of commitment, which means new things, uncharted territory, growth potential, and the doubts are what walk with you on that journey (www.harleytherapy.co.uk is where I found this idea. Others say it is a sign of critically thinking about your relationship. Or that it can be a response to stress (who doesn’t doubt things when they suddenly turn in a new way?). But doubt – no matter how much we as humans say it is a benefit – is an unnatural state that kills trust.

Jesus walked this planet in total trust of His Father. Consequently, He had no issues with engaging the things His Father told Him He could. When He spoke, He had expectation. He TRUSTED the result the Father said would occur WOULD occur. Anytime thoughts came up contrary to that, He pushed them aside and focused on what the Word said. He kept His flesh under control by leaning into the Word, into prayer, and into fasting. He spent time alone with the Father – sometimes all night. He sacrificed sleep for time with the Father. He sacrificed fellowship at times to spend time with His Father. Jesus was EXTREMELY Father focused. “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” (John 14:10). Peter confirmed it. “with respect to Jesus from Nazareth, that God anointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil because God was with him” (Acts 10:38).

While it would be normal to think that those around Him went from unbelief to belief to uber belief, it wasn’t so. The disciples – all the men and women around Jesus, but ESPECIALLY the Twelve – had many opportunity for trusting the Father just like Jesus, but didn’t always take them. “But these words seemed like pure nonsense to them, and they did not believe them” (Luke 24:11). They were DOUBTING. This is just after the resurrected. They’d seen Jesus DIE. We can forgive them for not believing. But when the women reported seeing Jesus – women who the Word gives no indication were prone to stretching the truth – they doubted. Thomas is known for it, but he didn’t doubt. He rejected belief. “The other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he replied, “Unless I see the wounds from the nails in his hands, and put my finger into the wounds from the nails, and put my hand into his side, I will never believe it!”” (John 20:25). He had a choice, and he made the wrong one. But he did not DOUBT.

Doubt can mean without a way. Perplexed. It can be so perplexing you almost despair. It means being unable to hold to trust. Wavering. Wishy-washy. Uncertain as to which way to take, so you do nothing and stay still. Being anxious or distracted. It is having a belief, but then not knowing whether to hold onto it or get rid of it. Being LUKEWARM about it. The disciples OFTEN struggled to believe, but they almost NEVER wavered about it. Being full of doubt and lukewarm was the charge Jesus levelled at the church of Laodicea. He said they were neither hot nor cold (Revelation 3:15). His warning was harsh. “So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I am going to vomit you out of my mouth!” (Revelation 3:16). It was a VIOLENT thing. A DISGUSTING thing. Jesus really, REALLY didn’t like lukewarm people. Since He doesn’t change, He still doesn’t.

Peter had a habit of being totally HOT or totally COLD. Sometimes within a few minutes of each other. “Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16). Peter was HOT. He had been given the answer by Ruach HaKodesh. The revelation Peter received was the rock Jesus would build the church on. Peter on on fire. Ten points for him. Less than ten minutes later… “So Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him: “God forbid, Lord! This must not happen to you!”” (Matthew 16:22). Jesus rebuked him for it (vs 23). Peter was COLD. But Jesus could handle that. Didn’t mind it. He doesn’t take offence when we are sincere – even if we are sincerely wrong. He doesn’t LEAVE us in the wrong. That’s why we have the Word (2 Timothy 3:16-17) and Ruach HaKodesh (John 16:8). The Word can correct us on EVERY point. Ruach HaKodesh convicts us on righteousness. He reminds us we could trust Jesus on it – no matter what ‘it’ is. He reminds us of who we are in Messiah. He reminds us we don’t have to be wishy-washy lukewarm underachievers in the spirit. He reminds us we have all heavenly blessing available to us whether we have five dollars to our name or five million. If we know who we are in Jesus, we won’t have doubt. Our realisation of Him will change our thinking on what is and isn’t possible.

When we CHOOSE to trust, we also CHOOSE to not have doubt. We choose to hold onto Jesus. What Jesus said. What the Father said. The leading of Ruach HaKodesh. We choose to hold on and NOT get shaken around (Psalms 16:8). We can choose to hold on and believe even when we are seeing the physically impossible (Acts 12:13). According to Jesus, we can CHOOSE our beliefs. We can CHOOSE who we put trust in. Humans make mistakes, Adonai NEVER does. His trust is TRUSTWORTHY. “Then Jesus said to him, “‘If you are able?’ All things are possible for the one who believes.”” (Mark 9:23). Doubt kills trust. We have free will. We can CHOOSE to trust. We don’t even need to be foolish about it. When we KNOW that someone (Adonai) is trustworthy and has NEVER steered you wrong, doesn’t it just make SENSE to trust them?

If we submit to Him and keep His Word in front of our eyes, we will be saturated with the information we need to base our trust on. He will PROVE all those ‘prove it’ things that we latch onto when we are trying to figure out what we believe. The Word has NEVER failed to be true. Our understanding has failed, but the Word has NEVER failed. He watches over His Word to see it accomplished (Jeremiah 1:12). “In the same way, the promise that I make does not return to me, having accomplished nothing. No, it is realized as I desire and is fulfilled as I intend” (Isaiah 55:11). We can TRUST. We can reject DISBELIEF. We can walk on His paths (Proverbs 3:1-12). We can CHOOSE Him and ALL His benefits. No anxiety. No doubts. No stress. No fear. Wall to wall Jesus and Ruach HaKodesh. We CAN do it. If we choose to believe. Belief is so important. We can trust Him, but if we are wishy-washy about whether or not what He says is true… Get ready for the vomit comet. Jesus is serious about belief. It’s about time we were too.

Daily Affirmation Jesus IS Messiah: Isaiah 11:4

“He will treat the poor fairly and make right decisions for the downtrodden of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth and order the wicked to be executed.” Messiah’s character would be Truth. No lies. No deception. One hundred percent truth all the time. No matter what. “Jesus replied, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). Jesus clung to the truth. He never wavered. He proclaimed the truth no matter WHAT people thought about it. He was trustworthy in His charge and mission. He is the one we need to trust, and with every fibre of our being cling to that. 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