Fear No Fear

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

And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him, and unrolling the scroll he found the place where it was written, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because of which he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to send out in freedom those who are oppressed, to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.” And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of everyone in the synagogue were looking intently at him. And he began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

Luke 4:17-21

From the get-go, Jesus told people WHY He was there. WHY He had come. He kept the dying for us on the quiet until near the end because people wouldn’t have accepted it (Matthew 16:22). It was a neccessary thing, so He kept it to Himself until the time came. The MISSION didn’t change, however, and He did NOT keep it a secret. Again and again Jesus proclaimed what He was here to do and why (Matthew 4:17). Jesus came to set us free. To set us FREE. TO SET US FREE. Period. “So if the son sets you free, you will be truly free” (John 8:36). Our problem has always been how we PERCEIVE that freedom. We always seem to see it and teach it from a SPIRITUAL reality, and that is partly true. We ARE to get free spiritually speaking. We are to be rich in spirit. We are to be these things in our spirit first (3 John 2). But Jesus meant free PERIOD. In EVERY way we can be free. It was true then. It is true now. Nothing has changed (Hebrews 13:8).

We are not meant to be blind. We are not meant to be oppressed (persecution for Jesus’ sake is a different thing). We are not meant to be captive. We are not meant to be poor (spiritually or otherwise). We are not meant to be brokenhearted. We are not meant to be outside the abundant life of His favour. We are meant for more than that. Jesus came to restore us to that in Himself (John 15:5). Jesus came to give us all that we are missing. To empower us in all the ways we were deficient. To give us a right to His authority, His amour, and Ruach HaKodesh’s fruit. So that we can not only be in Adonai’s IMAGE, but also cooperate in His character to be in Adonai’s LIKENESS. To make HIS THINKING ours.

You can lock up a body, but not its mind. You can kill a body, but not its spirit. In Jesus, we can be free no matter our circumstances. In Jesus, we can have everything we need. In Jesus, we can be blessed so much we can bless everyone around us Adonai wants us to (and He ALWAYS wants us to bless someone) without feeling lack. Jesus came so that in and through Himself, we would HAVE no lack. It is such a simple concept. It is such a large amount of ifs, buts, and ands. Not because it needs them. But because we have become convinced humanity is just another animal grouping and lack is the natural condition.

The natural condition of humanity is top of the food chain right underneath Adonai Himself (Hebrew 2:7-9; Psalm 8:5). In JESUS we can stand there. Not in totality, not until our flesh suit gets an overhaul. But in our spirit (Ephesians 1:13) and increasingly in our soul (mind, heart, and emotions – 2 Corinthians 3:18). Until we ARE perfected, we NEED to stay in Jesus. He is the way we connect with what we should be (2 Corinthians 5:21). We need to renew our thinking to His (Romans 12:2). To stir ourselves up until it is spilling out of us (Jude 1:20). Until we can’t HELP but let Jesus shine out of every part of us – being the light this world NEEDS (John 8:12; Matthew 5:14). When we do, we cooperate with Adonai as He draws humanity toward Him. Toward the possibilities we have in Him and from Him. Toward the purpose of life: to give Him glory with everything we have.

Ruach HaKodesh is a major part of that. He IS the Ruach that is upon the Anointed One. He is the power line through which the Father is operating (Romans 8:11). Jesus needed Him. The disciples, apostles, and early church needed Him. We need Him too. Without Ruach HaKodesh, this whole mission is just a lot of hot air and good principles. There is no POWER to bring it to life. To charge it with the juice of the Kingdom. To set us FREE in Jesus. To bring about the transformation from poverty thinking to Kingdom thinking. To kill lack. He is the current that flows through every step we take following the Word and the guidance of Jesus. Jesus gave us His mission and asked us to continue it. Killing the thinking of lack in our lives and helping others kill their lack-filled thinking is what enables us to freely see, freely receive, and freely give again to others ALL that Ruach HaKodesh has brought to us from Adonai. It is more than enough because HE is more than enough and we are to take it – not selfishly, but selflessly – so that others can have the more than enough that lives inside of us now and forever. Amen.

Daily Affirmation of the Goodness of Elohim: 2 Corinthians 9:8

“And God is able to cause all grace to abound to you, so that in everything at all times, because you have enough of everything, you may overflow in every good work..” The definition of poverty is looking at more than you need and deciding that you need more ‘just in case’. It’s how we train ourselves. We call it rainy day thinking. Or prepping for disaster. Or preparing for retirement. Or a dozen other things. But Adonai declares that we will have MORE THAN ENOUGH because He IS more than enough. It means we CANNOT run out. Whatever He asks us to give, we will have a replacement plus some. Every time. It’s how we grow in our giving. We should never give emotionally or under duress. That isn’t real giving. REAL giving is when Adonai speaks to us through Ruach HaKodesh and asks us to give. When HE is asking – even if it stretches us or doesn’t make sense – there is already a plan in place to get more into your hands than you started with. Adonai didn’t give Job more than he started with because of anything Job did – Job spent CHAPTERS saying wrong, but then wholly repenting. Adonai gave it because it is His character to be GENEROUS. If Adonai is giving He’s going to make sure we have enough to share. He wants us ALL to see how generous He is. Not because we deserve it (because we don’t), but because it is His nature to give. He holds back nothing, but makes sure that we are able to receive what He wants to give. 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