Fear No Fear

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

Jesus replied, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
John 14:6 (emphasis added)

Jesus is THE Truth. He isn’t A truth. He isn’t one truth among MANY. He IS. He is the WORD. And He is TRUTH. “Set them apart in the truth; your word is truth” (John 17:17). This is a characteristic of Adonai Elohim. “God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a human being, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not make it happen?” (Numbers 23:19). The wise recognise it (Psalm 25:5). It’s part of His Armour (Ephesians 6:14). It lines the paths that we all walk (Psalm 86:11). Truth is a major part of the believer’s walk and a cornerstone of the believer’s victory in ANY arena.

A covenant is a promise usually under seal between two or more parties especially for the performance of some action. It is a BINDING agreement. To BIND is to constrain, to make secure, to restrain or restrict, to put under obligation, to tie together, and to CAUSE to STICK TOGETHER. This is covenant. A covenant cannot stand on lies. A covenant has to be truthful. Both parties need to understand what is required of them. Both parties need to understand the penalties involved. Both parties should understand the rewards involved. Both parties MUST understand that the covenant is binding, what it entails, and the personal responsibilities they have. The only way that you can truly grasp the import of a covenant is to give yourself to truth.

“A lying tongue hates those crushed by it, and a flattering mouth works ruin” (Proverbs 26:28). “A false witness will not go unpunished, and the one who spouts out lies will not escape punishment” (Proverbs 19:5). Words have momentum. Death and life are in the power of the tongue (Proverbs 18:21). Words of truth build up our lives. Words of death break down out lives. It doesn’t go unpunished. Not even when you ‘get away’ with it. No, the fruit of the tongue rots your life in all sorts of ways. You might cover it up, but deep down you feel it. There is an epidemic of anxiety and depression in the world today. How much of it is the fruit of our tongue? Not saying ‘I’m depressed’ and you are OR ‘I’m happy now’ and suddenly no longer being depressed. This is more than wishful thinking. This is not manifesting the way the world teaches it. It is farming and it is foundational.

“And the Lord smelled the soothing aroma and said to himself, “I will never again curse the ground because of humankind, even though the inclination of their minds is evil from childhood on. I will never again destroy everything that lives, as I have just done. “While the earth continues to exist, planting time and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, and day and night will not cease.”” (Genesis 8:21-22). Our words make a statement. They make a spiritual THING. The next time we say those words, the THING gathers momentum. Words have momentum. If you are someone who does not speak truth, you have the momentum of unbelief or doubt. That is the spiritual THING you are establishing. It is the rule of your mouth. That rule, that unbelief and doubt, if what your flesh and your mind recognises as true when you speak. It starts small – like a seed. I’ll be there at eleven, but you don’t get there until noon. I’ll pick up the trash, but you don’t. I’ll bring some home, but you forget. I’ll do my homework, but you dither without really doing it. I didn’t say that. I didn’t do that. I would never do that. Oh, I agree so-and-so is terrible, but they’re a friend of yours. Words that do not correspond truthfully with your actions and thoughts. This is the momentum you have. Then comes marriage.

Marriage is a covenant. It is the state of being united as spouses in a consensual and contractual relationship recognised by law. That marriage covenant IS the constrained security that will CAUSE you as a married man and woman to STICK TOGETHER. Love is a choice. We take that choice and decide to enter into a covenant. The covenant is what causes the married couple to stick together. Like water set to boil is caused by the heat to boil. Like food placed in a freezer is caused by the cold to freeze. Being in covenant will stick you together. However, that will only prove true if you are both in covenant. You cannot BE in true covenant without TRUTH. What momentum did your words create in you as a person before you got married? Was it truth? Or was it unbelief? Was it not-truth?

You will see divorce or separation as a viable option if you do not believe in your covenant. You will see cheating and adultery as a viable ‘mistake’ if you do not believe in your covenant. You will see marriage as one option among many, a thing that may or may not work, if you do not believe in your covenant. You will NEVER consider ANY of those things or ANYTHING ELSE to be viable in ANY way if you DO believe in your covenant. But if your words have not created the momentum of truth, your mind and your flesh will not believe your wedding vows. They’ll be pretty words. They’ll be a nice goal. They’ll be a tradition. But they will not be the binding legal parameters of your covenant. It doesn’t matter how much therapy you have. It doesn’t matter how many couples retreats you go on. It doesn’t matter how dedicated you are to date night. It doesn’t matter if you have a babysitter and a new outfit. If you do not have a momentum of TRUTH, you will have a LIFE (not just a marriage) that is on the rocks.

“Everyone who hears these words of mine and does them is like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the flood came, and the winds beat against that house, but it did not collapse because its foundation had been laid on rock. Everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain fell, the flood came, and the winds beat against that house, and it collapsed—it was utterly destroyed!” (Matthew 7:24-27). Jesus is THE Truth. He needs to be the foundation of our lives so that truth is the foundation of our lives. A marriage that is wounded or fractured or even broken can be healed with the touch of The Healer. But your flesh and your mind will kick against it as long as you do not have truth as your momentum. Don’t be a child with an assignment on floor 98 who stands in an elevator pushing every button hoping one will work and take him to where he needs to be. You’ll be there for a LONG time. That is the WRONG kind of momentum.

When we build a track record of truth we can arrest the momentum of unbelief we’ve cultivated. We can pull that weed as we get the real crop rising. It takes time to slow that unbelief momentum. It takes time to start the momentum of trust. We can go back and forth on it, and our results will be inconsistent. We need to press on toward the truth. We need to do it consistently. We need to start it in the home. In our relationships. Right where we live, whether we WANT to or not. Whether we FEEL it or not. We need to speak TRUTH. The effect of truth in a relationship – even in small ways – has a HUGE result. It is not always IMMEDIATE, but it will IMMEDIATELY start you in the right direction.
It works with ANYTHING in the Kingdom. It works with ALL kinds of healing. Peter thought he knew some stuff. Then he started to sink (Matthew 14:22-33). Fast forward a little while and he got baptised with Ruach HaKodesh with the other believers. IMMEDIATELY the steps he had been taking became evident. The truth he and the other believers had been thinking on, speaking to each other about, and backing up with the scriptures was ready. When called on he preached (Acts 2:14-42). He was able to IMMEDIATELY command healing when he got the chance (Acts 3:6-7). Everything in Peter’s life was becoming to be about the truth. He wasn’t perfect every day, but he was consistent. It set him free (John 8:32).

The truth will set US free to. It will set our marriages free. We will be able to start channelling everything in our marriages toward Jesus. Everything has to go through Him. When we take our marriages as a UNIT and make sure that it is going toward Jesus, that Jesus is where we position our marriages, then we will be on the right track. We speak truth, whether our spouse is nearby or not. The truth will become our watchword. It is what we will see all around us. When TRUTH is our foundation, the TRUTH of Jesus and the TRUTH of the Word, then we will start to BELIEVE our covenant. We will begin to know it, treasure it, nurture it, develop it, and make sure that it is the second-most precious thing in our lives. Jesus first, covenant second, the rest of the family after that (because we cannot be our best as parents if we are not living our best as a couple). We can push the button for our floor, go directly there, and be ready to get off and do what we have been called to.

Partners cannot be partners if they cannot trust each other. We cannot trust if we do not believe the words that are coming out of each others mouths. We cannot trust if we do not believe the words that are coming out of our own mouths. We don’t lead our homes by personality. We lead based on the truth. Our marriages are not about personality, not about our likes or wants or desires. Our marriages are to be about Jesus. Loving like Him, submitting like Him, faithful to the Truth like Him. It is the first step to any and all healing regardless of the sphere. Let truth come out of your mouth. Let it be the momentum that carries you through your life, through your marriage, and through your healing. Don’t let unbelief get into your momentum. Don’t let words of death get into your mouth. Speak truth so that you can live truth so that your words will prove your dedication to the truth of your covenant and your belief that it is worth saving, worth healing, and worth being part of. The momentum you develop is the healing you hinder or the healing you accept and walk in. It is up to you. Make the choice. Start your momentum rolling.

Daily Affirmation Jesus IS Messiah: Isaiah 50:6

“I offered my back to those who attacked, my jaws to those who tore out my beard; I did not hide my face from insults and spitting.” Messiah would be smitten on the cheeks. He would not hold back from obedience even when it cost Him comfort. Even when it cost Him pain. “Then they spat in his face and struck him with their fists. And some slapped him” (Matthew 26:67). Jesus was beaten and smacked on the cheeks. The religious elite did it (John 18:22). Roman soldiers did it (Matthew 27:30). Jesus was smitten. Jesus IS Messiah!

Your Daily Confession of Jesus/Yeshua’s Identity:

Yeshua is the Christ, the Son of the living God.

Matthew 16:16b