Fear No Fear

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

“A new commandment I give to you: that you love one another—just as I have loved you, that you also love one another.“

John 13:34

This is the key to any marriage or any relationship at any level. We MUST choose to love the other person. There are differences to the levels of intimacy between them, how much you let the other people see the inner you, there are levels of physical intimacy reserved for close friends, and passionate intimacy reserved for spouses. It’s a choice about heart attitude. About who we let in and who we would rather not. It is about who we interact with with LOVE and who we interact with with MANNERS. Manners are good. Positive behaviours are good. We SHOULD interact with people by treating them with respect and a good attitude. But Jesus called for us to do more than the world does. More than social togetherness requires. Jesus called us to be like Him.

The GREAT thing is that Adonai NEVER calls us to ANYTHING that He hasn’t ALREADY given us equipment for. Jesus re-iterated to us the command of loving each other which is inherent in the Ten Commandments and throughout the Law, but not specifically stated in those exact words. Jesus gave us exact words so that (1) we would not be confused and (2) because He had provided us an example in Himself. He was able to do this because the Father was giving us Ruach HaKodesh. He is what connects us to the ‘equipment’ we need in order to keep the commandment: His Fruit (Galatians 5:22-23). Without the Fruit of Ruach HaKodesh, we have no way to fulfill the commandment. We need the one to do the other. So, just like with every other aspect of real living (John 10:10), if we aren’t connected to Jesus, we’re not going to manage it (John 15:5).

We also have a choice in how we go about it. Both will WORK, but one is better than the other. First, we can use HIS Fruit. Galatians lists the Fruit of Ruach HaKodesh. They are available to us. We can engage them. They never run out. There is always enough. We can take it, apply it, and benefit from the change of attitude that happens when we are operating in them. It is very much like when we get fruit from the store. We’re picking a particular thing and consuming it, getting the benefit from the fuel. But when we want more, we have to go back to the store to get it. We do not have a renewable source with us. We have to go to the source again and again and again. The second choice is that we use HIS Fruit to grow OUR OWN fruit. To plant His Fruit in our hearts and water them, feed them, care for them, nurture them, to grow them into their own producing trees connected directly to Ruach HaKodesh at the roots. So we draw from His Fruit to grow our fruit, which gives us a RENEWABLE source that we get from THE Source. In the first option we will be inconsistent with the success of operating with the fruit. In the second option, we WILL be consistent because the fruit will be an integral part of who we are.

We’re not called to be Weekend Warriors. We’re not called to be Spot Cleaners. We’re called to be constantly consistent ambassadors of the Kingdom. We’re called to be lights on a hill shining brightly for all to see – operating like light houses which protect ships from hitting the rocky shores. We’re not called to be signal lamps flashing out Morse Code readable only by a select few who are looking directly at the lights – when they are flashing. Consistently will bring RESULTS. Sporadically will be in-the-moment effective. One will satisfyingly feed, the other will take the edge off hunger. They both WORK, but only by growing our own fruit from Ruach HaKodesh’s Fruit will we truly obey Jesus’ command. We need kindness, patience, gentleness, self-control, and all the others to really follow through with the decision to love. If we don’t use all the Fruit, we’ll be stuck imperfectly loving. Real love is the decision to apply the Fruit with every word, every action, and every thought we dwell on about the person we have chosen to love. Without Ruach HaKodesh it is impossible to accomplish. When we change from ONE person to PEOPLE it is doubly impossible.

If we have to stop what we’re doing, take the time to commune with Ruach HaKodesh, hear which Fruit we need, and then engage it each and every time we interact with people – even a single person – we’d never make it through our day. The only way to deal with people the Kingdom way – even a single person – effectively, we have to LIVE it. We have to grow our fruit from His so that they are part of who we are. We have to put Adonai first in all things so that our grateful praise is where we live. Where we breathe. And where we operate from. Constantly connected to Adonai and consistently using our fruit in each and every circumstance we encounter. It’s how Jesus operated when He was here on Earth. It is how He trains us to operate through the Word. It is THE Way. It takes time to develop, just like a regular orchard. But the advantages and benefits of having grown our own fruit and invested in our Kingdom character, bringing ourselves into alignment with Adonai and HIS Way of thinking CANNOT be overstated. It is where the BLESSING activates: Adonai’s kind of love.

Daily Affirmation of the Goodness of Elohim: Isaiah 30:18

“Therefore Yahweh waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he will rise up to show you mercy, for Yahweh is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him.” Adonai is EAGER for us to find Him. It’s like a scavenger hunt where all the items are easily spotted. He wants us to see His goodness all around us. To seek the source of that goodness. To choose to align ourselves with Him. To humbly submit to Him. And to live in the fullness of the BLESSING that He seeks to see us live in. He is waiting for us so that He can show us Grace. So that He can show us Mercy. So that He can BLESS us. Not with a simple deposit of dollars and cents. But with the BLESSING. Spiritual life. Emotional life. Relational life. Physical life. Financial life. The WHOLE package. All of it coming out of Him like spokes on a wheel. Like petals growing from a flower. Like wheat growing from the ground. He is desirous to see us living to the fullness of how He created us to live. We don’t have to wait for the complete restoration of all things. We don’t have to wait for the renewed Earth and the renewed Heaven. We can have it NOW. Not the fullness of it, but so much of it that we FEEL full. He wants us to draw from Him LIFE and then function in it. Every day, in every way, getting from Him all that we need, all that we could want, and all that we could give to everyone around us so that THEY see His goodness, His mercy, and His grace – and start desiring the same thing! Blessing leading to more blessing leading to more blessing until we’re ALL overtaken by His desires for us. 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