Fear No Fear

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

He does not dispute continually, nor keep his anger forever.

Psalm 103:9

We have free will. “And Yahweh God took the man and set him in the garden of Eden to cultivate it and to keep it. And Yahweh God commanded the man, saying, “From every tree of the garden you may freely eat, but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you shall surely die.”” (Genesis 2:15-17). Adonai was able to tell us that because we were like Him. “So God created humankind in his image, in the likeness of God he created him, male and female he created them. And God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it, and rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of heaven, and over every animal that moves upon the earth.”” (Genesis 1:27-28). Like Adonai, we can make choices. We can obey Him like He asks, or we can disobey Him and not do what He asks. There are no other choices. We have the ability to make those choices. We always have. We always will. Adonai hasn’t reneged on anything. He changes not (Malachi 3:6).

The good news is that Adonai can be relied on. Trusted in. Believed. He is CONSISTENT. The bad news (from our point of view) is that WE are supposed to be like HIM. In His image and in His likeness means be like Jesus. Paul understood that (1 Corinthians 11:1). John understood that (1 John 2:6). Peter understood that (1 Peter 2:21). Jesus taught it to us (John 13:13-17). It isn’t hard to understand why we tend NOT to teach that much: our flesh doesn’t like it. However, it doesn’t change the TRUTH of it. We are to be like Him. Period. We can obey Him in this or disobey Him in this. We can ONLY accomplish it in HIM, remember? In Jesus, with Ruach HaKodesh, that’s how. Living in Jesus is the ONLY way to do it because ONLY JESUS managed it. In HIM, we get to be as HIM because He paid for sin and washed us clean of OUR sins so that we could die to the whole SIN thing and LIVE IN HIM as HIS righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21). In HIM we are something, outside of HIM we are NOTHING (John 15:5). We can do it, but only can do it through Jesus. HE overcame so that WE could enjoy the fruit of His overcoming (John 16:33).

This cooperation with Jesus is SO important because Adonai will NOT “dispute continually“. If we asks us to do something, He expects us to do it. He will ask us. He will deal with us. But He is NOT going to argue with us. He will get someone else if we won’t. Moses tried to beg off. Jonah tried to run away. Abraham tried it his own way once. Gideon tried to beg off. Adonai asked them more than once, but He wouldn’t ask forever. The Israelites were told to clear the promised Land, but they didn’t. And He stopped telling them to. They ended up in a situation He did not want them to be in. But they insisted. It didn’t work out well. It gave them more opportunities to fail that he wanted them to have. Because He asked them to do something and they said no. He wasn’t HAPPY about it either – but He doesn’t keep His anger forever. Adonai is ALWAYS speaking to us. He WILL ask us to do things. But not forever. Are we going to obey or are we going to disobey?

What does this have to do with thanksgiving? With praise? With gratitude? Well, He gave us free will. WE will make the choice. But we are not left to stand alone in that choice. Ruach HaKodesh is there encouraging us to trust in Jesus. Jesus is there encouraging us to trust in the Father. We have His armour. We have His fruit. We have the overcoming reality of Jesus in which to succeed. None of that goes away because we are asked to do something that maybe we don’t feel ready to do. It is all there BECAUSE He has asked us to do something. We can think about it. We can. But we aren’t to waste time thinking. His asking us will turn to: ‘are you going to or am I going to ask someone else?’ He will NOT contend with us over it. He WANTS to give us the blessing that comes with obedience. He does NOT want for us to lock ourselves in the yard OUTSIDE the blessing. The benefits of obedience are MUCH MORE than we can see in the moment of the decision. It is about more than getting, it is an opportunity for WORSHIP.

Worship is blessing Adonai, plain and simple. How do we bless Him? We please Him. It is a blessing to Him. How do we please Him? We trust Him (Hebrews 11:6). When we are asked to obey, it is an opportunity to THANK HIM. We can thank Him for the opportunity. We can thank Him HE is trusting US to trust HIM. We can tell Him that we are not sure. We can tell Him we’re nervous. We can tell Him that this is stretching us to the max. We can tell Him the MOST IMPORTANT STUFF: we WILL obey and we WILL trust Him because we have NO IDEA how to do it. That ALL we know is that He WILL see us through. It is worship. And we only have a limited time to give it. This should NOT cause dread. Instead, it should cause excitement. Eagerness. We should be on the edge of our seats, eager for the opportunity to say ‘yes’. To thank Him. To worship Him. And then to rely on Him throughout the entire experience.

Daily Affirmation of the Goodness of Elohim: Numbers 14:40

“They rose early in the morning and went to the top of the mount, saying, “Here we are. We will go up to the place that Yahweh said, because we have sinned.” The Israelites refused to enter the Land. Adonai was NOT happy about it and said ‘fine’. Since they were REFUSING to obey, He would enforce that decision. Their opportunity was over. The NEXT generation would go instead. Suddenly, they decided to go. But the blessing on the obedience was GONE. Adonai was tired of arguing with them. He REFUSED to go. They INSISTED on going and got soundly beaten. There is an opportunity to obey and when it is gone, it is gone. But Adonai is GOOD. Joshua and Caleb said YES and tried to get everyone ELSE to say yes too. It didn’t work. Their lives were even threatened (Numbers 14:10). But they refused to say no. Adonai honoured that and honoured them. When the next generation went in? Joshua and Caleb were with them (Numbers 14:24; Joshua 14:6). Adonai ALWAYS honours those who say YES. Those who cooperate with Him to make the impossible possible (Matthew 19:26). 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