Fear No Fear

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

For as the heavens are high above the earth, so his loyal love prevails over those who fear him.

Psalm 103:11

I have been doing manual-style labour for about forty years now. I wasn’t that good in the beginning. I think I made more work than I accomplished. Eventually, I got the hang of it. I got better at it. And now if I say I can do it, I can do it and do it well. My children, however, are not that capable yet. Not that they don’t have ABILITY. What they lack is OPPORTUNITY for practise. What I would NEVER do is to hold them to MY standards because of THEIR ability. I know they aren’t READY. They can’t DO IT. Adonai made the same decision about us. Before the world was created, Adonai decided that He was going to make a Way, what the Way was going to be, and that He was going to throw the doors open to EVERYONE. We weren’t CREATED yet. We COULDN’T do anything. Not good. Not bad. We didn’t EXIST. But Adonai spiritually accomplished it at that point for us anyway. NOT because of US and what WE could do, but because of HIM and HIS LOVE for us. THAT is loyal love. THAT is mercy. It is part of His character and He ESTABLISHED it.

Now that we’re here, we can do some stuff. But the mercy was ALREADY established. That LOYAL LOVE already existed. WE are NOT a factor in it. It’s like the Himalayan mountains or the Mariana Trench. They are established. We aren’t a factor in their formation. They exist INDEPENDENT of us. We can choose to let them be a factor in our lives. We can dive into the one or we can climb the other. Many people have, and have died because of that choice. Adonai’s loyal love ALSO exists independently of us. We can CHOOSE to let it be a factor in our lives, or we can despise it. But IF we let that loyal love be a factor in our lives, it will gain ascendancy in our lives through HIS strength. It will defeat our broken thinking. It will defeat our broken habits. It will defeat our broken actions. It will PREVAIL and gain the UPPER HAND in our lives. Adonai’s loyal love are the nails that keep our old selves on the cross of Jesus (Romans 6:8).

Adonai’s thinking is FAR ABOVE the thinking of the sinner (Isaiah 55:8-9). Adonai likes to give us two things where we cannot be in the both at once. We cannot stand in the East AND in the West. We cannot be in the troposphere at the same time we are in the exosphere. We cannot be in the depths of an oceanic trench at the same time we are on a mountain peak. We cannot be knowledgeable and ignorant at the same time. We cannot be foolish and practical. When we put our focus and our intent into ONE thing, we cannot also put it into ANOTHER thing (Matthew 6:24). Adonai uses these terms so that we understand how SEPARATE the thinking really is. When Adonai uses ‘above’ or ‘below’ it showcases His natural and superior position. Not lording it over us, but pointing out where He is versus where we are. Kind of nudging us and saying, ‘Look. You’re down there. I’m up here. I have a GOOD view. Trust me. I can SEE what’s coming. You can’t because the mountains are blocking your view.’

Ruach HaKodesh is DEVOTED to rejoicing with us about Adonai’s mercy. About each and every warning. About each and every corrective measure. About each and every direction and instruction. About each and every moment that we get to spend time together with Adonai. About the moments, minutes, years, and decades that Adonai has been personally loyal in His love toward us. The chances we have been given. The readiness to show us GRACE and MERCY when we repent of our mistakes (1 John 1:9). We can be SO THANKFUL when we think about Adonai’s loyal love. How OFTEN He shows us in our lives and in our histories. It’s easy to spot. And Ruach HaKodesh WILL point it out to us if we will ask and then listen. It is EVER PRESENT in our lives, so we have an EVER PRESENT reason to be grateful and to praise His Name.

Sometimes, words are hard for us. I believe that is why we have the psalms. So we can use His words as ours. They are the words we can use to say what we REALLY want to say. Psalm 136 is an entire psalm of thanksgiving for His loyal love. Because it endures. Because it is trustworthy. Because of what He created. Because of PIECES of His creation that He made. Because of how He leads us. Because of how He fellowships with us. Because of His WILLINGNESS to love us. From mighty kings to dreaded enemies, all things that rise in our lives are covered by His loyal love. Because He supplies us in all our needs. Just BECAUSE. His loyal love is forever and I thank Him for it. The more I get His Light on it, the more I thank Him for it. He truly is a GOOD God!

Daily Affirmation of the Goodness of Elohim: Lamentations 3:22-24

“The loyal love of Yahweh does not cease; his compassions do not come to an end. They are new in the morning, great is your faithfulness” We can be difficult people to deal with. We can be so difficult that the Father needs a mediator to give a better perspective to Him than the one WE are presenting (1 Timothy 2:5). But even with all of that, His mercy doesn’t RUN OUT. His loyal love doesn’t GET THIN. Every single day, He makes it ANEW. The absolute BEST part of that is that we go to sleep at night. We are dormant during the hours of darkness. WELL, as ADONAI gave the day to His people, EVENING and THEN morning is the DAY. So when we are tired, exhausted, spent, and recovering with sleep, Adonai is starting it all over again and filling up His MERCY and LOYAL LOVE so that when we open our eyes, we’ve already been covered by it for HOURS and HOURS. Adonai loves us SO MUCH He covers us BEFORE we need covering. He protects our relationship with Him BEFORE we start trying to climb the fence or walk in the weeds. Adonai was ready before creation for EVERYTHING that was going to come. He is our SOURCE and CANNOT be depleted. He is MORE THAN ENOUGH, praise His Name! 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