Fear No Fear

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

Every grain offering of a priest must be a whole offering; it must not be eaten.
Leviticus 6:23 (emphasis added)

Animal sacrifices were generally in four categories. Burnt, sin, guilt, and peace. Burnt offerings were completely consumed on the altar. Sin or guilt were partially burnt on the altar and the rest consumed by priests (it was a source of their food because they didn’t have time to engage in regular trade or farming). Peace were divided between the altar, the priests, and the one who brought it. No matter what was brought, no matter where it was consumed or how (eating or fire), the ENTIRE sacrifice was consumed. This was true of animals and this was true of others (grain, wine, oil, etc). The entire thing got used. This offering was to be offered with oil, burnt up as smoke. It would be nothing but smoke in the end and none of it was to be eaten. Morning and night. A perpetual offering before Adonai. Smoke as a whole offering.

A soothing aroma (Leviticus 3:11&16). There is no temple anymore. But there is still a soothing aroma. “For we are a sweet aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing—to the latter an odor from death to death, but to the former a fragrance from life to life. And who is adequate for these things? For we are not like so many others, hucksters who peddle the word of God for profit, but we are speaking in Christ before God as persons of sincerity, as persons sent from God” (2 Corinthians 2:15-17). “Therefore, be imitators of God as dearly loved children and live in love, just as Christ also loved us and gave himself for us, a sacrificial and fragrant offering to God” (Ephesians 5:1-2). “For I have received everything, and I have plenty. I have all I need because I received from Epaphroditus what you sent—a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, very pleasing to God” (Philippians 4:18). “Then he came and took the scroll from the right hand of the one who was seated on the throne, and when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders threw themselves to the ground before the Lamb. Each of them had a harp and golden bowls full of incense (which are the prayers of the saints)” (Revelation 5:7-8). WE are the soothing aroma. Our obedient carrying out of our calling from Adonai. Our gifts and offerings to one another. Our prayers to Adonai. Our living in love as Messiah Jesus did Himself. THIS is the soothing aroma to Adonai that Temple sacrifices were the shadow of.

When Jesus became the physical offering for sin (Hebrews 13:10-12), He was wholly consumed. He lost ALL His blood. His body was beaten, torn, bruised, whipped, stripped, and completely spent. It didn’t even look human anymore (Isaiah 52:14). He took sin in wholeness and wholly dealt with it. NOTHING more to do with it. That WHOLENESS changes us and changes the situation completely. “So then, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; what is old has passed away—look, what is new has come! And all these things are from God who reconciled us to himself through Christ and who has given us the ministry of reconciliation. In other words, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting people’s trespasses against them, and he has given us the message of reconciliation. Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making his plea through us. We plead with you on Christ’s behalf, “Be reconciled to God!” 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 5:17-21). Because we are the righteousness of Elohim, we are able to WHOLLY engage with Him.

There are glimpses of it in the Old Testament. There are those who wholeheartedly (mind and body) obeyed the Word. “except Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite, and Joshua son of Nun, for they followed the Lord wholeheartedly.’” (Numbers 32:12). They didn’t have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, but WE DO! When WE wholeheartedly follow Adonai, we are following with our mind and body AND spirit. When we are WHOLLY in Jesus, He touches us WHOLLY in return (John 15:5). Adonai Elohim NEVER fails. It is WE who fail. We don’t wholly engage. We don’t wholly believe. We let doubts rise. We don’t place our whole trust in Him. We look for the miracle, we look for HIM to move, to do the thing. But WE aren’t engaging. WE aren’t calling down the Anointing. WE aren’t praising Him for what IS, but isn’t yet. We aren’t engaging in thanksgiving for everything He has ALREADY done. Thank Him for this too: He’s merciful and doesn’t hold it against us.

He helps us. He corrects us. He guides us. He talks to us. He comforts us. He ministers Grace to us. He is a GOOD God. He is a GOOD Father. He is a MERCIFUL Father. His mercies endure forever. They renew every morning. Interestingly, the Hebrew day started at night when the first three stars had appeared. It ended the same time the next day. Which means Adonai renews His Mercy at the time we LEAST need it (night when we sleep). It is ready for us for when we MOST need it (say when we’re active). It covers us at ALL TIMES. The price for sin has been paid. Everything He does now is all about our relationship to Him. All about our calling. All about our love for Him – in which we will be obedient. We were placed on this earth to give Him praise (which is His due) and to work (Genesis 2:15). We’re to tend to Creation. We won’t do it well if we’re not doing it His way. We can’t help save others if we’re not listening for His words. We can’t glorify Him if we’re not in the spot He wants to move, ready to do it His way, and point all fingers right at Him. He wants to get us ALL Blessing, right? That includes OURS and the ones for those around us. We bless because we’re blessed. We are part of the vehicle He uses to get blessing out into this word – tending to it.

We need to be submitted to Him. We can’t follow Him wholeheartedly without being submitted. If He isn’t first place, how can we see where He is guiding us? You put what you DON’T want to or what you REFUSE to see (Matthew 16:23). We need the Word to take up a central place in our lives so that we are Word focused. We don’t sin by accident. We sin by choice. “But each one is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desires. Then when desire conceives, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is full grown, it gives birth to death” (James 1:14-15). We identify thoughts as wrong from Adonai’s point of view by using the Word. “But examine all things; hold fast to what is good. Stay away from every form of evil” (1 Thessalonians 5:21-22). We can’t do that if the Word isn’t in us. Ruach HaKodesh doesn’t deal with us based on what we haven’t heard and don’t know. He deals with us based on what we know Jesus (the Word) has said (John 14:26). How can we identify a bad thought and come against it with the Word if we don’t have the Word in our hearts? We know that the Word helps us submit to Adonai because it shows us His Mercy and Goodness. Creation itself shows us His Glory. We can see our proper place and humbly submit to Him. Once we’ve done that we need to stand on the Word. THAT is what makes the devil run from us. THAT is what makes those thoughts dissipate. THAT is what enables us to reject negative feelings before they become negative emotions. THAT is what enables us to disregard negative emotions as we CHOOSE positive emotions based on the Word and what it says we can have, feel, emote, and be. “So submit to God. But resist the devil and he will flee from you” (James 4:7).

We don’t get to pick and choose what we will submit to Adonai. That isn’t a sacrifice. If we look at it from OUR point of view it can seem to be big sacrifices. Loss of lots of fun things. But not from HIS point of view. He isn’t asking us for much. And He isn’t asking us for anything HARD. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke on you and learn from me because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and my load is not hard to carry” (Matthew 11:28-30). The Father drives us, Jesus is yoked with us, and Ruach HaKodesh guides the waters that refresh us from within. It is RESTFUL. But it is meant to be a TOTAL commitment.

We don’t give our lives, but hold back our mental state. We don’t give our lives, but hold back our trauma. We don’t give out lives, but hold back our emotions. We don’t give our lives, but hold back our children. We don’t give our lives, but hold back our entertainment. We don’t give our lives, but hold back our employment or education. We don’t give our lives, but hold back those things we think are right or feel are right or agree are right based on human thinking. We are to give ALL to Him. Work, entertainment, sexuality, emotions, relationships, everything. NOTHING is to be held back. NOTHING is to exist without Jesus inside it. He’s in your bed. He’s in your kitchen. He’s in your career. He’s in your tv. He’s on your couch. He’s in your vehicle. He’s on the phone with you. He’s there in the good. He’s there in the bad. He’s there all the time. He never leaves. He never wavers. He is constant.

Jesus’ consistency helps US to be consistent. Jesus’ consistency enables us to be successful in what we do. The more areas we submit to Jesus, the more areas we will experience success in. The more we are actively placing the WHOLE of our lives – our WHOLE sacrifice – under His Lordship, the more victory we experience. JESUS is our victory. JESUS is our Lord. Our sacrifice is a pleasing aroma. The more of us we have sacrificed, the more of us has opportunity for blessing, and the more of us is giving off a pleasing aroma to Adonai. Give yourself WHOLLY to the One who gave Himself to restore ALL of us, heal ALL of us, and provide abundant life for ALL of us. Walk in the WHOLE healing (body, mind, and spirit) He holds out. Don’t keep back anything. Not anything good. Definitely not anything bad. Give it WHOLLY to Him and receive WHOLLY from Him. He is a God of WHOLENESS. Be His children of WHOLENESS too.

Daily Affirmation Jesus IS Messiah: Isaiah 42:7

“to open blind eyes, to release prisoners from dungeons, those who live in darkness from prisons.” The Messiah would open blind eyes. It would be a mark of His ministry. There are many miracles and healings in the Old Covenant. No blind were healed, however. Not once. The closest was the spiritual blindness that Elisha called down onto the Aramean soldiers and then ask Adonai to lift (2 Kings 6:18-23). Jesus healed the physically blind eight (8) specific times: Matthew 9:27-31, 12:22-23, 20:29-34; Mark 8:22-26, 10:46-52; Luke 18:35-43; John 9:1-41. Jesus ALSO healed an unknown number of physically blind in Matthew 15:29-31 and 21:14. It was a mark of His ministry and a known one. “He replied, “I do not know whether he is a sinner. I do know one thing—that although I was blind, now I can see.” Then they said to him, “What did he do to you? How did he cause you to see?” He answered, “I told you already and you didn’t listen. Why do you want to hear it again? You people don’t want to become his disciples too, do you?” They heaped insults on him, saying, “You are his disciple! We are disciples of Moses! We know that God has spoken to Moses! We do not know where this man comes from!” The man replied, “This is a remarkable thing that you don’t know where he comes from, and yet he caused me to see! We know that God doesn’t listen to sinners, but if anyone is devout and does his will, God listens to him. Never before has anyone heard of someone causing a man born blind to see. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” They replied, “You were born completely in sinfulness, and yet you presume to teach us?” So they threw him out. Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, so he found the man and said to him, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” The man replied, “And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?” Jesus told him, “You have seen him; he is the one speaking with you.” [He said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him. Jesus said,] “For judgment I have come into this world, so that those who do not see may gain their sight, and the ones who see may become blind”” (John 9:25-38). Jesus heals the blind. Jesus heals the spiritually blind. Jesus heals the physically blind. Jesus is the healer who opens the eyes of the blind. 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