Fear No Fear

(All scripture from the World English Bible, ebible.org, all rights reserved)

Saul was afraid of David, because the LORD was with him, and had departed from Saul.
1 Samuel 18:12 (emphasis added)

We have promises that the Lord will never leave us. Saul had the same promises. He had the promise of protection. He had the promise of God watching out for and guiding him. He had the promise of a kingdom that would remain as leaders of Israel forever. Saul could have walked in that. But he didn’t. When we look at our promises from the Lord, we have to ask ourselves whether we are walking in them, or not. Like Saul, we get warnings. Saul had two major chances to obey and he missed it. “So Saul died for his trespass which he committed against Yahweh, because of Yahweh’s word, which he didn’t keep, and also because he asked counsel of one who had a familiar spirit, to inquire, and didn’t inquire of Yahweh” (1 Chronicles 10:13-14).

Saul didn’t inquire of Yahweh. He didn’t seek the guidance of the Lord. He sought the guidance of the enemy. He didn’t keep Yahweh’s word. He was told exactly what to do, and he didn’t do it. We’re told in the Old Testament and it’s confirmed by Jesus in the New that we are to keep the commandments of the Lord (Deuteronomy 6:1-2, Leviticus 22:31, John 14:15-24). We’re blessed when we obey. “But he said, “On the contrary, blessed are those who hear the word of God, and keep it”” (Luke 11:28). Obeying the Lord is evidence that we love Him. “For this is loving God, that we keep his commandments. His commandments are not grievous” (1 John 5:3). We believe in Him, we worship Him, and we seek to obey Him because He is God. We do that, we get blessed. We do that, we get to stay on the promises that the Lord has given us. This is belief. This is faith. “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world: your faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” (1 John 5:4-5).

God lays down His promises like paths. They are where we should walk. “Trust in Yahweh with all your heart, and don’t lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Don’t be wise in your own eyes. Fear Yahweh, and depart from evil” (Proverbs 3:5-7). The best thing is that the Lord doesn’t keep things secret from us when they are things we need to know. He makes no secret of what He is, who He is, and how He is. He doesn’t hide. He isn’t capricious. He tells us plainly and clearly what He wants from us and what we should be doing. He is as clear as can be. He doesn’t want us to misunderstand. He doesn’t want us to go wrong thinking we’re going right. That’s one reason why we were given the Holy Spirit.

“Nevertheless I tell you the truth: It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I don’t go away, the Counselor won’t come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. When he has come, he will convict the world about sin, about righteousness, and about judgment; about sin, because they don’t believe in me; about righteousness, because I am going to my Father, and you won’t see me any more; about judgment, because the prince of this world has been judged. I still have many things to tell you, but you can’t bear them now. However, when he, the Spirit of truth, has come, he will guide you into all truth, for he will not speak from himself; but whatever he hears, he will speak. He will declare to you things that are coming. He will glorify me, for he will take from what is mine and will declare it to you. All things that the Father has are mine; therefore I said that he takes of mine and will declare it to you” (John 16:7-15).

The Holy Spirit is our helper and teacher. Like any good teacher, He is there to help us to understand. He’ll correct us if we are going wrong – if we will listen to Him. Our paths are laid out. We know where we are supposed to place our feet because it is the only place that is lit up (Psalm 119:105). We get a warning from the Holy Spirit if we start to walk off it. But we have the right to choose. We CAN walk off the path. We CAN tell Him ‘No. It’s all right. It’ll be fine.’ It never is. Disobedience is sin. Obedience is faith. Faith pleases the Lord and disobedience cannot. We need to stay on the path. The Holy Spirit guides us and points us to Jesus. He does that because we need to abide in Jesus. We need to follow Jesus. It is in Jesus, through Jesus, by Jesus, and for Jesus that we overcome and succeed. John 8:12 “Again, therefore, Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life.””

It isn’t the first time Jesus said that. It won’t be the last, because Jesus still speaks to us today. He isn’t giving new revelation. He is expounding on the Word. Commentary like we produce to explain the Word, but it is the Word telling us about the Word. Through the Holy Spirit we have access to all the things that we need. We have all the teaching in the universe. Does this mean ignoring teachers? No. We need as much Word as we can get. We don’t rest from God. We rest IN God. We do that through the Word because the Lord sanctifies us with the truth and the Word IS truth (John 17:17). Listen to teachers. Listen to commentary. Read the Word. Listen to the Word. Get renewed. Get excited. Get transformed. More of Jesus, less of you. Jesus didn’t come to condemn us (John 3:17, 8:10-11). He came to save us. To see us restored to what we were meant to be. Restored to right relationship with Almighty God. To be where we can walk with Him, talk with Him, and fellowship with Him.

God is RIGHTEOUS. We are not unless we are in Jesus. We NEED Jesus. We NEED His renewing power. He came so that we could become what He is. So we can lay our SELVES down and pick up US IN HIM. It’s better than anything else. It enables us to enter His gates with thanksgiving and boldness (Hebrews 4:16). We are the righteousness of God in Jesus. “For him who knew no sin he made to be sin on our behalf, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus attaches us to Him and pumps into us the stuff of life. John 15 tells us He is the vine. We are the branches. In Him we are everything. On our own we are nothing. Through Him we bear fruit. We get what we need from Him and when we use it how He wants, when He wants, and where He wants, we bear fruit. Remaining in Him. Keeping His Word before our eyes.

If we love Him, we’ll do this. If we love Him, it won’t be a burden. It won’t. It won’t be a chore. It won’t be something we would rather not do. We don’t sigh and say ‘fiiiiiiine’. We won’t drag our heels. Kick dust with our feet. “Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30). Jesus said it and He meant it. It is TRUTH. We aren’t forced labour. We’re willing slaves. We’re eager to please because you can’t love someone without wanting to please them. To have them happy. Because of something you did. To bring simple pleasure to them. That’s everything. Those are the moments that make a relationship. Why do we try and do things differently with the Lord?

If we get close to the Lord, the Lord is close to us. He doesn’t squidge away from us. He never feels glommed on. He never minds. He loves to be close to us. But the Lord is RIGHTEOUS and we cannot get close to Him without being righteous. That means we cannot do it ourselves. Our efforts mean nothing. No matter how good we are. No matter how kind. No matter how lawful. None of it is enough. Without the Lord, it is all so much noise and glitter. It cannot bring satisfaction. It cannot bring anything. It’s only works based on nothing. No foundation. No depth. Our efforts won’t get us anywhere near the Throne. We NEED Jesus. We need His Spirit. We need to abide in Him. We need His righteousness as our own. We need His eternal living spirit. When we are in Jesus, we have all that. We become as He is. We get close to Him and He is close to us.

If He is with us, nothing can be against us with any success. Not even a little. Saul lost his fellowship with the Lord. He disobeyed. He rebelled. He kicked the yoke off. He was out there on his own. Exposed to the curse. To the world. Prey to what prowls. He was full of fear. But if we abide in Jesus, we have no reason to fear. We have to fear on purpose. We have to choose it. We have to pick it up and dwell on it. Because fear is NOT the default of the Kingdom. It is NOT of the Kingdom. Faith is the default of the Kingdom. Eager expectation that the Lord will do what He says He will do. Manifested obedience, doing what pleases the Lord in order to please the Lord.

This is exciting stuff. It gives me tingles. Because I know that I know that I know that I know that it is true. This is the way. Jesus IS the way. It’s the only way. When we are obedient to the Lord, when we abide in Jesus and walk the path that He is lighting up, we are in the best place in the universe. There is NOTHING better than being with the Lord. Nothing. We should all crave it. We should seek it with all that we have. To be with the Lord. It is what we were created for. To be with the Lord. To worship Him. Not because we have to. Because He deserves it. For being who He is. What He is. That’s it. That’s all.
Stay planted in Jesus. Grow there. Develop there. Deepen your knowledge of the Lord. Let all of your old life fall away. Let the Lord renew you in every way. Let Him rebuild your life the way He wants. To be a tower which praises Him, glorifies Him, and points the light back on Him. “Praise Yah! Praise God in his sanctuary! Praise him in his heavens for his acts of power! Praise him for his mighty acts! Praise him according to his excellent greatness! Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet! Praise him with harp and lyre! Praise him with tambourine and dancing! Praise him with stringed instruments and flute! Praise him with loud cymbals! Praise him with resounding cymbals! Let everything that has breath praise Yah! Praise Yah!” (Psalm 150).

Get close to the Lord. Be obedient. Let His Spirit rest on you. Let it live in you. Enjoy the lack of fear in the Kingdom. We can’t fear when He is at our side. How can you fear with the Lord at your side? Nothing can come against us and triumph. Weapons crafted with the INTENTION of coming against us can’t triumph (Isaiah 54:16-17). Trust in Him. Throw it all on Him and trust Him to work it out. He will. He is trustworthy. He is merciful. He is marvellous. He is our Father. He is a GOOD Father. He is a GOOD God. He is Yahweh. Love on Him today.

Daily Affirmation of God’s Love: 2 John 1:6

Funny thing about commands. They aren’t suggestions. They aren’t notices about what would be advisable. They aren’t a pick and choose pile of jelly beans. They are commands, which means that in order to do right we need to obey. That’s how commands work. That can seem harsh. But it is simply the truth. How does this affirm God’s love for us? The Lord doesn’t leave us alone. He does not leave us on our own. He gives us Grace. He gives us Faith. He gives us His Holy Spirit to help us. To guide us. To correct us. To help us see that the Lord says something is so because it IS so. We don’t have to agree. We don’t have to feel it. We only need to obey. If we’re feeding on the Word, the Lord will renew us to where we agree in our whole selves instead of only with our decision maker. The Kingdom isn’t about feelings. It is about faith. Manifested obedience and eager expectation of the Lord’s trustworthiness. If we cultivate that, we will find it easy to walk in the commands that we have heard. Whether that is about purity or about loving our neighbours as ourselves. Whether that is about not lying or about feeding the poor. It won’t matter because when we walk in what we have been commanded to, we become more and more like Him. And since He says it is so, that means we also will say that it is so. Sanctified with the Word, because the Word is truth. Seek to obey in the same way you seek to breathe. Make it a part of who you are. It is living the love that He shows us every day.

Your Daily Confession of God’s love to YOU:

Today God loves that I _______.