Fear No Fear

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

“A tower of strength is the name of Yahweh; into him the righteous will run and be safe.”

Proverbs 18:10

This is a very Messianic proverb. The NAME is a tower of strength. This is the secret – if you can call it that – of peace. We enter the Name. Jesus IS the Name. “Therefore also God exalted him and graciously granted him the name above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven and of those on earth and of those under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9-11). One of the things we need to learn to do is to IDENTIFY with that Name. To see who we are in it. Who we are because of it. And who we are becoming through it. Ruach HaKodesh does just that: reminds us of who we are in Jesus and challenges us to live as we are called and empowered to do.

The world is scary. No one will argue that. Assassinations, terrorist attacks, wars, violent persecution, greed, drugs, political turmoil, gun violence, verbal attacks, HOA fines, the list goes on and on. There is a LOT going on. Some is done with a smile. Some is done with a fist. Some is done with a mean spirit and cutting words. It doesn’t matter HOW it comes across. It is scary because it is unpleasant. You can go to seven different countries and experience seven different kinds of scary and bad things. It is GLOBAL. And here we are right in the middle. We are not called to be scared. We are not called to be shy. We are not called to be quiet. We are called to be citizens of the Kingdom of Adonai, stand tall, and let His Light shine. We cannot do that effectively if we do not know who we are in Jesus.

A name is more than a moniker. It is more than a title. That’s why in the Old Covenant you see several names attached to the same person. As people’s roles changed or accomplishments were accomplished, names were changed to reflect that. Adonai took advantage of that when He put part of His name into Abram’s name (the HA from HaShem) turning it to Abraham. He did it to Sarai as well (the HA from HaShem) turning it to Sarah. Both names denoted descendants. Both names spoke of family. This was a barren and elderly couple. Through thinking on those names, thinking on His name, thinking on His promises to them, and accepting their new role as evidenced by their new names, they came to a place where they trusted and believed Adonai. They became what He said they were. Piece by piece, bit by bit, they turned into fruitful people (Abraham had a total of eight children). Ruach HaKodesh speaks to us CONSTANTLY of who we are in Jesus. Of what our NEW NAME is.

We are little Christ’s. Little Anointed Ones. We are Little Jesuses. We are not Him. We are IN Him. The early church was called that (as an insult) because those early believers were walking around acting just like Jesus had acted. They were saying the same things Jesus had said. They were performing signs, wonders, and miracles through Ruach HaKodesh just like Jesus had. They were as He is. They were doing what He said they would do (John 14:12). Ruach HaKodesh hasn’t stopped telling people this is what they can do. The message is still going out to each and every believer – although not all of them listen and submit to it. We have been called to become like Jesus. Not simply in Heaven where it will be perfected, but also here on this Earth, right now, today. “And we all, with unveiled face, reflecting the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory into glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:18). Not overnight. Not in full. But through Ruach HaKodesh, we can be IN JESUS and get more like Him every day. Because we have HIS name.

“He made the one who did not know sin to be sin on our behalf, in order that we could become the righteousness of God in him” (2 Corinthians 5:21). “I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him—this one bears much fruit, for apart from me you are not able to do anything” (John 15:5). In JESUS we are as He is. In JESUS we have access to all of His Fruit and His character, and we can utilize it. We can use it. We can humble ourselves, and glorify Adonai with our words, our actions, and our thoughts. We CAN do it. That’s what Ruach HaKodesh challenges us to do EVERY SINGLE DAY (John 16:8). He tells is BEFORE we do anything that we can trust in Jesus in this instance. We can trust Him and obey Him and let Him lead. AFTER we do something, He congratulates us or He corrects us, depending on whether or not we fully trusted in Jesus. Often, it’s a mix of both. Yes, we did some trusting and no, we could have done it better. It is NEVER condemnation. It is ALWAYS correction so that we can change our trajectory and do it better.

When we realize that Adonai loves us enough to let us into Jesus, we should have a HUGE confidence boost. No matter WHAT the circumstances and WHAT the situation is, we can be CONFIDENT in Jesus. We can choose to trust HIM and not our feelings (which are ALWAYS subject to change). We can CHOOSE to trust. We can CHOOSE to be grateful. We can CHOOSE to be worshipful. We can CHOOSE to be praisey. We can CHOOSE to follow His guidance that we CHOSE to listen to. This is our comfort. This is our JOY. This is our PEACE: Jesus has this under control and we are going to rely on Him. Adonai doesn’t wait until the last minute to act. He waits for the BEST minute to act and NEVER fails our trust in Him. If we will TRUST, He WILL take care of it. That is the peace of obedience. That is the peace of trusting Him. That is the PEACE that we can walk in EVERY DAY – no matter WHAT has or is about to happen. Amen.

Daily Affirmation of the Goodness of Elohim: Ephesians 5:8

“for you were formerly darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live like children of light” Our confidence in Jesus, powered by the counsel of Ruach HaKodesh, draws people’s attention like nothing else does. Ever tried to sneak-read in bed? It’s hard. That light REALLY shows. Ever tried to quickly check a phone when you’re driving at night? The light is the reason you got caught. There are dozens of tricks you can do with a flashlight and the human body, using the light to see through and into the flesh. Kids love doing that. It’s really cool. This is what WE are. We are the flashlight. We are the phone screen. And JESUS is the LIGHT. He shines whether we try to hide it or not. He shows things you couldn’t see otherwise. People notice. People are disturbed. People CANNOT ignore it. He is LIGHT in darkness. The great benefit is that we KNOW it. We KNOW it isn’t US, but Him. We know the negative isn’t because of us, but the Light that hurt their eyes. We know we don’t need to get puffed up. WE didn’t do the thing. HE did the thing through us. The world may shut up a particular flashlight, but it is only the casing they have destroyed. The LIGHT still shines. Out of you. Out of me. Out of that person over there. The darkness CANNOT overcome the LIGHT. It is impossible. He is the LIGHT OF LIFE and we will ALWAYS overcome when we are in HIM. 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