Fear No Fear

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

“Do you not know that you are God’s temple and the Spirit of God dwells in you?“

1 Corinthians 3:16

This is such a simple thing we often miss it. We can’t see the trees for the forest. We get so caught up in the idea that Adonai IS Elohim Almighty that we forget some of the things He said. Yes, He is Almighty. Yes, He is enthroned above all Creation. Yes, He is exalted above all things. Yes, He is righteous. He is absolutely all those things and more! But He also dwells inside of you. Which means when we want to reach Him, we only need to speak. We could even speak quietly. He isn’t a far off. He is LITERALLY inside us. As close as our ribs or lungs or beating hearts. We are with Him and He is with us in such an indescribably close way that we are NEVER reaching out for Him. We’ve REACHED Him.

Seeking Adonai isn’t about travelling somewhere to get to where He is – spiritually OR physically. It’s about noticing Him. It’s about actively listening and then actively obeying right where you are. It’s seeing the trees, not just a far-off mass of forest. It’s realising that He is WITH you and modifying your behaviour to match. I used to pray wondering if He heard me. Imagining Him in some vast hall of a throne room, seeing prayers like wisps of smoke rising up and collecting on the ceiling where He may or may not be able to make them out. But the reality is that I was calling out the window to a person who was right beside me. I have an alarm set for when my kids need to be inside for the night. Often I dismiss it early because they have already come in. Other times I call out the window, letting them know it’s time. Once, when my son was inside, the alarm went off. So I opened the door, gently shoo’d my confused son outside onto the deck, and then told him it was time to come inside. It got a laugh because it was ridiculous. I think I have often got a laugh from Heaven because I was crying outside to the person already inside.

Ruach HaKodesh is here with us as our guide, teacher, comforter, corrector, and reminder so that we won’t forget where Adonai is. He reminds us Adonai is not our enemy, but our loving Father. He reminds us Adonai is not some distant, unknowable force, but our betrothed husband. He reminds us Adonai isn’t a wrathful judge, but a loving brother interceding for us with mercy from grace. We are reminded He is our help. We are reminded He loves us. We are reminded He is our strong tower. We are reminded He is our redeemer. We are reminded He is our hope. We are reminded He is our Source and provider. We are reminded He is our renewer. We are reminded He is our present and our future. We are reminded He is Almighty Elohim. We are reminded He is our Father, our FAMILY, our FRIEND, our SAVIOUR, our LORD, and our KING. If we listen to Ruach HaKodesh, we will always have a picture with us of who IS with us. A sense of the presence that will NEVER leave, NEVER lift, and NEVER fail. Ruach HaKodesh is the Check Engine light of our lives.

Many of our calls and cries to Adonai are answered when we know He is with us. When we are willing to believe His words and trust that He can perform them, all but a minuscule few are answered. Imagine that. Living life knowing that all your questions have answers and the answers are at your fingertips because the writer of the answers is inside you. Not in an abstract or super spiritual way, but in a provable, demonstrable, knowable way. In a reach out and touch way. We can’t reach out and touch the answers right away every time, but we can reach out and touch the SOURCE of the answers. Someone we KNOW is interested in our best interests. We can reach out and touch because He is WITH US. He promised to be and NEVER lies. Ruach HaKodesh is the down payment on that promise. Adonai IN us, not just Adonai WITH us.

The presence of Adonai speaks for us as well as to us. It is a PROOF of the faithfulness of Adonai. If He is true in ONE way, He is true in ALL ways because His words all carry the same weight of TRUTH and RIGHTEOUSNESS. His presence is not a FEELING. His presence is PEACE. It is like incense in a room. We may or may not choose to breathe it in, but it is there. It is MEANT to be taken in. It is MEANT to be enjoyed. It is MEANT to be experienced. That is one reason why we are encouraged to be restful. To be quiet. To be calm. So that we can lay aside the care and busyness of the world, of our physical lives, and take in His presence. To experience the proof that He IS with us. That He IS God and AS God is WITH us. When we are still and actively listening to Ruach HaKodesh, we answer Paul’s question. YES. Yes, we KNOW He lives within us. Yes, we KNOW we are His temple, His dwelling place. And we are GRATEFUL.

Daily Affirmation of the Goodness of Elohim: Isaiah 41:10

“You must not fear, for I am with you; you must not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, indeed I will help you, indeed I will take hold of you with the right hand of my salvation.” Adonai with us is so much more than a chill-out session. It is so much more than prayers and devotion. The knowledge that Adonai IS with us brings us confidence in MANY areas. We gain confidence that the strength we need is right there to be engaged. We gain confidence that the help we need is right there to be accepted. We gain confidence that the secure grasp we need to keep us held back from failure is right there ready to encircle us. We gain EVERYTHING. Not because we MERIT it, but because He LOVES us. Because we are HIS and He is OURS. Joined in Jesus. Covenanted together. A family because He came and made a Way for us to have Him and EVERYTHING that comes with Him. Talk about peace, security, and confidence. 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