Fear No Fear

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

“When there is no prophecy, the people cast off restraint, but as for he who guards instruction, happiness is his.”

Proverbs 29:18

How do you know you’re in chains if you cannot see them? Without vision, humanity does what it wants, when it wants, and how it wants. It NEVER ends well. Ever. In ALL spheres of our lives and existence, we NEED vision. And if it ISN’T Adonai-given, it will include LACK. We need to NOT limit Adonai. We need to realize that we are robbing ourselves of revelatory information – which starts with Him telling us we are captives and need saving. If we can’t or WON’T see that, we’re done before we even start the race. Jesus came to give SIGHT to the BLIND – physically, spiritually, emotionally, you name it. He is a TOTAL WHOLENESS God.

There is no record of anyone in the Old Covenant being healed from blindness. In fact, it was an expected proof of the Messiah. “Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be opened. Then the lame shall leap like the deer, and the tongue of the dumb shall sing for joy, for waters shall break forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert” (Isaiah 35:5-6). It is the main reason that when Jesus healed the blind, the Pharisees fought so hard to discredit it (John 9:1-34). It was pointless for the spiritually blind to receive their sight before Jesus came because it is in Jesus that we have the authority to deal with the spiritual things that are revealed to us (Ephesians 6:12). That’s one reason why the devil hardly makes an appearance in the Old Covenant: he had authority over us (2 Corinthians 4:4) until Jesus came and through His sacrifice and resurrection enabled us to stand against the devil in Jesus (James 4:7). We were blind until the LIGHT came (John 8:12) to give us a chance to be free.

It is really a process of us letting His Light in, and then following His instructions (commands) about what is revealed. Like a toddler dressing itself for the first time, we don’t realise our pants are inside out, our shirts are buttoned wrong, and everything clashes. Sometimes we don’t even realise our underwear is on the outside. I remember when my youngest girl was dressing herself. It took a LOT of convincing before she would accept that sheer tights weren’t acceptable pants. This is the kind of blindness we have. Or what about when you get to high school and college age and start sharing with your friends. You learn that some of the things you think are perfectly normal are NOT NORMAL. You can see places where YOUR family are the weird ones. You didn’t see it before, but after hearing what everyone else does, now you do. That is the kind of blindness we have. We don’t even KNOW that we are in the wrong or that what we are experiencing is NOT NORMAL. Only when Jesus sheds His Light on it, do we begin to see.

Part of what Ruach HaKodesh does is to explain to us what we are seeing. To describe to us in terms that we understand what it is that is really happening. It is Him apply His wisdom to our situation. But we have to know we were blind in this area in the first place. That’s one of the jobs of the Word. To renew us to the idea that what we think isn’t what is. “Sanctify them in the truth—your word is truth” (John 17:17). That was Jesus’ prayer for us. That we would be transformed into proper thinking. It’s our job to lean into that and get the Word into our minds and hearts so that we can really consider it and listen to what Ruach HaKodesh has to say about it (Romans 12:2). To get those glimpses into the Mind of Messiah that lead us to engage completely transformative actions, words, and thoughts (1 Corinthians 2:16). Job experienced a transformation like that when confronted with the reality of God’s majesty (Job 42:1-6). Like Job, WE can transform our expectations to a level higher than ourselves by accepting what His Light reveals to us. When we refuse to let Him help us to see, we rob ourselves of that revelation and the opportunity it affords for us to change.

Adonai doesn’t want us to stand still. He doesn’t want us to rest on the past. Adonai wants us to be forward thinking, forward speaking, and forward moving (Philippians 3:13). We are to go where He leads us (Matthew 11:28-30). We are to follow Jesus’ example (1 John 2:6). And we are to listen to what Ruach HaKodesh says about everything (John 14:26). This is freedom from blindness. It is the freedom to truly see and then to alter our perceptions and opinions to be like His (Matthew 19:26). Jesus is the LIGHT and we should let Him drive away ALL the shadows in our lives so that we can start applying HIS wisdom and obeying HIS commands – whether we get an explanation or not – in order to demonstrate and live in the fullness of our love for and trust in Him.

Jesus IS the LIGHT and Ruach HaKodesh continuously BRINGS that Light to our attention. Showing us what it shows. Explaining to us what we are seeing. And letting us know the action to take. He is bringing it, so we need to make sure we aren’t rejecting it. Sometimes it’s pretty bright and can strain our ‘eyes’, but in the end, we will have what He has promised and it will be better than we could EVER have imagined.

Daily Affirmation of the Goodness of Elohim: Mark 8:26

“And he sent him to his home, saying, “Do not even go into the village.”” Ruach HaKodesh doesn’t always tell us WHY. He shows us what Jesus is revealing to us. He challenges us to trust fully and believe that Jesus can do what He says He can do. But we don’t always get an explanation. It is important for us to trust Him most at those times. When Jesus brings us out of something – circumstances, thinking, or ideas – in order to deliver us, it is important not to go back! He brought us out to help us walk in some level of freedom, going backward gives opportunity to get caged again. That’s different from when He sends us places to help deliver other people. Never go back to what He has shown you to be darkness. Never go back to what He has shown you to be a weak imitator designed to hijack your common sense. Never go against the BLESSINGS that He brings to us through our FREEDOM in Himself (John 8:36). He lets us know where to walk. He gave us the Word as a map. He gives us Ruach HaKodesh as a leader, guide, corrector, and teacher. He gives us everything we need to never get back to where we were dark, lost, and stuck. And He comes along with us as a constant companion so we can rely on HIS strength and HIS determination and eat HIS Fruit. 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