Fear No Fear

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

Look, the Lord’s hand is not too weak to deliver you; his ear is not too deaf to hear you. But your sinful acts have alienated you from your God; your sins have caused him to reject you and not listen to your prayers.
Isaiah 59:1-2 (emphasis added)

As everyone knows, there are two people at fault in every marriage quarrel. YOU. Not really, no. But we DO like to point our fingers, don’t we? We do it as kids. We do it as adults. We do it at school. At job sites. We do it in families. And we do it in our most personal relationships. No, it is not normal. The world would like you to think so, but it is not. Strife is not normal. It is everywhere, but it is an abnormality that was never meant to be. Strife is the atmosphere of hell. When we actively participate in creating it, we alienate ourselves from Adonai. It’s a marriage killer.

Stereotypes. ‘A husband is a third child. Men who look after children are babysitters so give them help. Women don’t want to hear your opinions when they ask for them. Men want to golf all the time. Women want to shop all the time. Wives are terrible with money. Sex gets boring and pointless. He/She doesn’t even act like an adult. You’ll fight all the time. You never get time alone/They’re never around. Marriage is stale and the end of all adventures. Spouses are pigs and never pick up after themselves.’ There are MANY more. Stereotypes might work for writers who need some quick drama for a television show, but in real life they are nothing but hotbeds for negative feelings and pressure. The problem is that with all that TV we’ve watched all these years, we’re programmed to accept the stereotypes as viable models of behaviour.

Frequently, it is our expectations that sauce us issues. They’re expectations of how our partner should be acting, how things should function, and what the division of labour/responsibility should be. Things that WE don’t like happen and we aren’t shy about saying something. When we’re confronted by a partner who is venting about something they don’t like, our flesh wants to rise up. Wants to defend our actions/words. Wants to strike back. Wants to make sure we ‘win’. Sometimes it gets worse when we’ve actually done the thing, because guilt and shame get added to the mix. We end up like little kids calling names with no conscious thought toward the damage all that fussing is causing.

Marriage will not be truly successful without Adonai at the centre of it. Yes, two people can stay together. Look at the world. There are a lot of successful unbeliever marriages. But at a heart level, they are not what they COULD be. And they also are not fulfilling the purpose that Adonai had for them to accomplish. From HIS point of view, there is more to marriage than managing to keep from being divorced. In order for us to have, to accomplish, to enjoy, and to experience everything that marriage can and should be, Jesus needs to be at the centre of it. If we are in strife all the time, we’ve distanced us from Adonai. Self-centredness is a guaranteed way to keep from hearing Adonai. ALL strife is self-centred because a person in strife is refusing to see the other person’s side, they are refusing to consider whether they need to apologise, and they are ignoring the other person’s emotions. While we are not responsible for someone else’s emotions, there are times and ways that we express ourselves that we KNOW will be hurtful or cause issues. An atmosphere of strife is an atmosphere of sin.

Everything not done in TRUST, seeking to glorify Adonai, is something done in sin (Romans 14:23). This is true in every place in our lives. Everything we do, everything we say, and everything we think. It ALL should be coming from a place of TRUST. The reason is because we are in the Age of Grace. Sabbath is a lifestyle, not a day. We are to be completely dependent on Adonai for everything. We are to cast all our cares on Him (1 Peter 5:6-7). A ‘care’ is serious attention or consideration applied to doing something correctly or to avoid damage or risk. It’s selfishness. It’s me-me-me-me. Cast all of YOU onto Him and take all of HIM into YOU. That’s the exchange of the resurrection. “But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here, for he has been raised, just as he said. Come and see the place where he was lying” (Matthew 28:5-6). You remember what was in that tomb? Everything He didn’t NEED.

We do not NEED to be involved with everything. We don’t need to have our fingers in all the pies. We ARE capable of trusting Adonai for things. We can take Him at His word. We can walk in what He says we can walk in. You cannot receive a blessing if you do not realise you are already blessed. If you don’t know something is yours by RIGHT, you won’t put our your hand for it. It works the same way for marriage. Do you KNOW you have a good marriage? Not looking at the bumps and dents, but looking at what is REAL right there? Adonai creates good marriages in the exact same way He creates good children. His food. His water. His fruit. His armour. When we don’t take what is ours by RIGHT, we are left defenceless. We are left with our own ideas. We are left with the lies that our hearts come up with. We repel the justice that Adonai wants to bring to the marriage unit. What we need is to embrace the redeeming that Jesus brings to life. Not just to individuals, but also to marriages.

““A protector comes to Zion, to those in Jacob who repent of their rebellious deeds,” says the Lord. “As for me, this is my promise to them,” says the Lord. “My Spirit, who is upon you, and my words, which I have placed in your mouth, will not depart from your mouth or from the mouths of your children and descendants from this time forward,” says the Lord” (Isaiah 59: 20-21). Instead of pointing fingers. Instead of trying to make plans to fix issues. Instead of recriminations. Instead of resentment. Instead of making things difficult. We could take what our protector offers. We can USE His Spirit to filter ourselves. We can take the words He gives us and speak them. Speaking things based on the Word. Standing on the TRUTH. Embracing the peace, joy, patience, kindness, and gentleness that we could exude all day and all night long. Being a BLESSING because we know we are blessed. Being someone who LOVES. Being someone who INVITES Jesus in. Being someone who TALKS JESUS to those closest to them as well as the ones far away. This is a PROMISE to us and we KNOW that Elohim doesn’t lie (Hebrews 6:18).

Our marriages can be an Oasis of the Word. Not using it as a weapon, but as a towel. As a bowl of water. To wash each other. To serve each other. To be builders up. To be encouragers. To be people who run from strife straight to the communion table to re-set our values. To re-set our sights. To re-set what is truly important. Not weaponising communion or the Word. Using them to DEFUSE situations as we cast our cares onto the one whom we are DEPENDENT on. Looking to Jesus for ALL our answers whether it is about shopping, raising the kids, making meals, teaching about His ways, our sex life, fixing our homes, or anything and everything else that comes up.

They aren’t problems, they’re situations. They are opportunities to fellowship with Adonai. He has ALL the answers to EVERYTHING. How much fun it IS to find the answers together as a couple at the feet of Jesus. Situations strengthen us. Strife weakens us. Fighting weakens us. It might LOOK like it is bringing us together, but it is bringing us together away from Him. Embrace His ways. Embrace His marriage. Embrace His blessing for you, for your spouse, for your marriage unit, and for your whole family. Realise you have it, and you’ll find it in your hands.

Daily Affirmation Jesus IS Messiah: Isaiah 52:4-5

“For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: “In the beginning my people went to live temporarily in Egypt; Assyria oppressed them for no good reason. And now, what do we have here?” says the Lord. “Indeed my people have been carried away for nothing, those who rule over them taunt,” says the Lord, “and my name is constantly slandered all day long.” Messiah would suffer vicariously for humanity. He would be tried, but would commit no crime. He would be punished, but for nothing He did. He would submit to the Will of Elohim and suffer for humanity to pay the price required for redemption (Genesis 2:16-17; Romans 6:23). “Then the chief priests began to accuse him repeatedly. So Pilate asked him again, “Have you nothing to say? See how many charges they are bringing against you!” . . . And they crucified two outlaws with him, one on his right and one on his left. [“And the scripture was fulfilled that says, ‘He was counted with the lawless ones.’” – omitted from some manuscripts]” (Mark 15: 3-4, 27 & [28]). “Then the whole group of them rose up and brought Jesus before Pilate. They began to accuse him, saying, “We found this man subverting our nation, forbidding us to pay the tribute tax to Caesar and claiming that he himself is Christ, a king.” So Pilate asked Jesus, “Are you the king of the Jews?” He replied, “You say so.” Then Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, “I find no basis for an accusation against this man.” But they persisted in saying, “He incites the people by teaching throughout all Judea. It started in Galilee and ended up here!” Now when Pilate heard this, he asked whether the man was a Galilean. When he learned that he was from Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him over to Herod, who also happened to be in Jerusalem at that time. When Herod saw Jesus, he was very glad, for he had long desired to see him because he had heard about him and was hoping to see him perform some miraculous sign. So Herod questioned him at considerable length; Jesus gave him no answer. The chief priests and the experts in the law were there, vehemently accusing him. Even Herod with his soldiers treated him with contempt and mocked him. Then, dressing him in elegant clothes, Herod sent him back to Pilate. That very day Herod and Pilate became friends with each other, for prior to this they had been enemies. Then Pilate called together the chief priests, the leaders, and the people, and said to them, “You brought me this man as one who was misleading the people. When I examined him before you, I did not find this man guilty of anything you accused him of doing. Neither did Herod, for he sent him back to us. Look, he has done nothing deserving death. I will therefore have him flogged and release him.” But they all shouted out together, “Take this man away! Release Barabbas for us!” (This was a man who had been thrown into prison for an insurrection started in the city, and for murder.) Pilate addressed them once again because he wanted to release Jesus. But they kept on shouting, “Crucify, crucify him!” A third time he said to them, “Why? What wrong has he done? I have found him guilty of no crime deserving death. I will therefore flog him and release him.” But they were insistent, demanding with loud shouts that he be crucified. And their shouts prevailed. So Pilate decided that their demand should be granted. He released the man they asked for, who had been thrown in prison for insurrection and murder. But he handed Jesus over to their will. . . Two other criminals were also led away to be executed with him. So when they came to the place that is called “The Skull,” they crucified him there, along with the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. [But Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” – lacking in some manuscripts] Then they threw dice to divide his clothes” (Luke 23:1-25, 32-34). Jesus was accused of crimes He did not commit. Jesus was accused of breaking the Law of Moses, which He did not. Jesus was accused of political shenanigans, He had nothing to do with politics of nations. Jesus was beaten, mocked, crucified, and His death was cheered. He did it all out of love for humanity (John 3:16-18). Jesus suffered and died for you and for me. Jesus IS Messiah!

Your Daily Confession of Jesus/Yeshua’s Identity:

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

Matthew 16:16b