Fear No Fear

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

who satisfies your life with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

Psalm 103:5

When we serve someone, we get a unique perspective on our own self. The things that kick up inside us, the frustrations, the patience, the curtness or gentleness. They all give us insights into where WE are more than we get a picture of where THEY are. Thanksgiving or what we don’t want to give thanks for shows us the areas and the situations that we are or are not trusting in Jesus. Ruach HaKodesh’s MAJOR ministry to the believer is to show them (or remind them) that they CAN trust in Jesus (John 16:8). We ALWAYS need to be trusting in Jesus in EVERY way, but we miss it. It is only through Ruach HaKodesh and His consistent interactions with us that we truly understand where we need to shine the light of His love (Ephesians 3:16-21).

The first thing we need is genuine and authentic communication. Your heart should match what you want to say (intent). Breathe normally and don’t panic – even if you know you’re in the wrong. His presence brings PEACE, not anxiety (Philippians 4:7). Take a moment to think on the words you want to say. Do they honestly and accurately portray what you want to communicate? Focus on and really listen when He speaks back. We don’t always LIKE the things we hear, but that is because we don’t have the light of His love on it yet. If we are being told something by Adonai, we CAN achieve it with His help. We’re cooperators, not dictators. Our brains tend to race ahead when someone is speaking and it fills in any blanks that it hears. Because of that, we only truly take in about a quarter of what we hear. We need to stop, pause, and REALLY listen. We’re listening to understand, not to justify or ‘fix’. We can repeat back what we think we heard for confirmation. We can look at the Word to confirm it. Adonai doesn’t contradict Himself. Everything we hear from Him will be confirmed in the Word. Authentic communication is about bringing your WHOLE self – body, soul, and spirit – into alignment with HIS whole self – Father, Son, Ruach. He even helps us when we can’t manage the words (Romans 8:26-27). It is a two-way street, but He holds our hand as we cross it.

A good waiter or waitress will come by your table (hopefully not when you’ve just put food in your mouth) a few times during your meal. Checking to make sure you have everything you need – and that you can identify it (say in the case of art deco salt and pepper dispensers). Taking notes for anything new you want, and making sure that it gets to your table. Refilling drinks, bringing more of any complimentary items. Generally, they take care of you, enabling you to have the best meal possible by making sure you have everything you need. This is one of Ruach HaKodesh’s roles with us. However, WE also have a role here. We are to be checking in with Jesus. We aren’t to be PASSIVE, but ACTIVE participants in this meal. He is our bread and He is our drink (1 Corinthians 11:17-34), but we can ALWAYS ask for more. We can check in to see if we need to read something specific in the Word, study something new, pray more, praise more (we can ALWAYS use more praise), and also to see how HE is doing. Maybe He is sorrowful about something going on in the world. Maybe there is someone He really wants us to pray for. Maybe He wants to talk to you for a while. Maybe He wants to listen to you talk. Communication is always a two-way street and to make sure traffic is flowing, we need to check in. Consistently, if not constantly. A check-in doesn’t have to be an hour-long prayer session based on all the points of Jesus’ prayer to His Father (Matthew 6:9-13). It can be a quick few word touching base. A moment to arrange for intimate time. A chorus of a hymn or praise song. A verse of scripture that came to mind that you wanted to mention. Maybe even a word of thanks for something He has done that you really appreciate. Like in a restaurant a check-in is making sure you can have a good meal, it isn’t the meal itself. Don’t forget to check in. We’re His kids, and He likes to know where we are. Be responsible and honour Him by checking in.

In a restaurant, we’re not allowed to go to the kitchen and get ourselves some more water. Or bread. Or grab a dessert we’ve suddenly decided to add. The waiter or waitress needs to replace our stuff or get us anything new we need. When we are operating in the Kingdom, we are going to get tired if our resources are not being replaced. If we’re not getting re-filled with fuel. When we make Adonai our Source, we’ll be looking to Him for all our needs, all our direction, and all our wants. If He is the centre of our system, He will replace our strength with His. If we are in Jesus, JESUS is doing the work. We’re along for the cooperation. Praising Adonai renews our strength. It refreshes us. It enables us to keep going LONG after we should have stopped. Adonai is THE transformative power in this existence. If we will obey Him and stay plugged into Him, He will supply ALL our needs – which includes giving us the strength to run the race He has called us to. “Remain in me, and I in you. Just as the branch is not able to bear fruit from itself unless it remains in the vine, so neither can you, unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him—this one bears much fruit, for apart from me you are not able to do anything” (John 15:4-5).

In some ways we are the patrons of the restaurant. In some ways we are the wait staff. In both scenarios, Ruach HaKodesh is the head waiter. The one in charge of all the other staff. The overseer representing the management, as it were. He is the one we communicate with if there’s a problem, no matter which side of the table we are on. He enables us to get messages to the head office. He brings instructions from the head office to us. He is the communicator through which we communicate from spirit to Spirit. He is the one who handles the quick check-ins – going both ways. He is the one through whom Adonai’s strength flows. He is our point of contact spiritually and physically. And the language He speaks is Heaven’s language: thanksgiving. It is through prayer and praise that we manage all of this. Praise keeps communication flowing. Praise keeps us keeping Him in His rightful place. Praise checks in and lets Him know we’re thinking of Him and wanting to bring Him with us into everything we do, say, and think. Praise shows our devotion to Him and reinforces to all involved that we acknowledge Him as our Source and Provider. Praising Him consistently, with regularity, enables us to maintain what needs to be maintained so that our meal is the best it can be.

Daily Affirmation of the Goodness of Elohim: John 6:53-54

“Then Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life in yourselves! The one who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” We’re pretty good at eating and drinking. Of all the things humanity has to do, that’s one we got down right away. But we balk at eating right, don’t we? In the natural world, we claim it’s rabbit food and unfit for people – although it is the PERFECT diet for EVERY SINGLE HUMAN BEING (we are permitted more, however – Genesis 9:3; Romans 14:1-23). In the same way, SPIRITUALLY there is ONE perfect diet for EVERY SINGLE HUMAN BEING – but WE get to choose whether we have it. The meat is the body of Jesus which bore stripes, bruises, and wounds to free us of the bondage of evil altars (1 Peter 2:24). The drink is Jesus’ blood poured on the Mercy Seat to provide substitutionary payment for Sin – Sin period and individual sins (Hebrews 9:12). The New Covenant is Jesus’ covenant with His Father, but they opened it up to all of us. All WE need to do is accept it. To enter into it. THEY did ALL the heavy lifting. All that’s left for us is a decision and some obedience. From threat? NO! From LOVE! His for us and ours for Him. What a GREAT covenant! 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