Fear No Fear

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

Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him. Don’t fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who makes wicked plots happen.
Psalm 37:7 (emphasis added)

We need to be secure in the Lord. It is too easy to look at the world and sulk. Yes, sulk. Like a child who doesn’t get its way. Who wants to eat nothing but candy and dessert. Do the wicked prosper? They seem to. Do they plot and plan and bring wickedness to pass? Yes, they do. Why doesn’t the Lord kill them? Punish them? Well, maybe – and this is a feeling here, not doctrine – but just maybe the Lord loves them so much He is willing to let them taste some good things of this world before they get their judgment. Because in the end, they will fall and fall hard. Judgment exists for all who are not abiding in Jesus the Christ. Because only those who have accepted the payment Jesus made can stand before the Lord sinless and therefore not need judgment.

The wicked and how they are or are not should not be our concern as far as how we live. Our walk is determined by our faith, not by how the wicked are doing. Put the wicked out of your mind when you are deciding on how to walk. We should think of the wicked only in terms of being a witness to them. Being there to help them. To share with them the good news that they don’t have to keep going the way they’re going. But that witness is marred if we are living in jealousy, fear, and failure. Why go our way if all they see is discontent. They may not understand what they see, but the peace that should emanate from us should draw them like moths to a flame.

The Lord is not sitting up there in heaven waiting for His chance to squash us. He is waiting for everyone to turn to Him. With willingness and humble honesty. “Therefore Yahweh will wait, that he may be gracious to you; and therefore he will be exalted, that he may have mercy on you, for Yahweh is a God of justice. Blessed are all those who wait for him” (Isaiah 30:18). He is waiting to shower you with Grace and Mercy. He has given you the faith to believe and wait on Him. Our job is to rest and wait on the Lord. In His perfect peace. That is what our faith should be focused on. Faith expresses itself in obedience to a command. Your faith doesn’t work if you haven’t commanded it. It waits for an order. What orders are you giving it? What is it you are directing it to believe in?

“Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, I give to you. Don’t let your heart be troubled, neither let it be fearful” (John 14:27). We can choose to rely on the Lord. We can choose to be humble and agree with Jesus who said that in Him we are everything and in ourselves nothing (John 15). Paul struggled with that until he finally got the message. “He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Most gladly therefore I will rather glory in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest on me” (2 Corinthians 12:9). We have the authority to wield the name of Jesus. To command things and take dominion over our circumstances and the world around us. But only in Jesus will anything happen. Only according to the Word of the Lord and the will of the Father. We do what He says and how He says and where He says – exactly the same as Jesus did on earth. We can heal the sick, raise the dead, walk on water, and slip past our foes – IF we do what the FATHER says. Only what He says. We won’t be called according to what we think would be cool to do. We won’t be called according to what we think should be done. We will ONLY be called according to WHAT THE FATHER WILLS.

We can do this because we are in Jesus. We are to put aside the cares of this life. Put aside our ego. Our careful thinking. To lay aside the sin that looks so good and feels right to our flesh. We are called to more than that. We are called to put ourselves against all that and go forward in Christ the Lord. “looking to Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising its shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2). “By this we know love, because he laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers” (1 John 3:16). No believer is an island. Jesus did for us so that we can do for others. Not from fear. Not because we’re worried about what will happen. Because of love. In love and for love. This isn’t necessarily easy. If it was, it wouldn’t be called a race. We wouldn’t have to endure or stand. We’d kind of chill out and then party.

“He who overcomes will be arrayed in white garments, and I will in no way blot his name out of the book of life, and I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels” (Revelation 3:5). That’s Jesus talking to His church. We need to overcome. Jesus overcame. He faced trials, persecutions, and chose to sacrifice Himself for us. He overcame. He won in every way you can win. He never had to borrow money. He was never poor. He always had enough. Needed a boat? Had it. Needed food? Had it. Needed money to provide for others? Had it. Needed a house? Had it. But He wasn’t accepted by anyone in the world. The religious leaders were against Him, the authorities weren’t thrilled with Him, the people misunderstood His mission and tried to pigeon-hole Him into a militant saviour, He was betrayed by a close friend, He was interfered with by His disciples, His family didn’t support Him, and everyone He met wanted something from Him. He had it all, full prosperity and total blessing, but He also had persecutions and laid down His life. We’re called to follow Him.

To have full blessing and total prosperity, but to be willing to leave any and all of it behind at a moment’s notice. To witness to the world in our lives and actions, while being misunderstood by them and pigeon-holed. To speak to them of the things of the Lord, while they mock, deride, and legislate ways to hobble our message. There are places in this world where we are unable to say the name of Jesus in a public forum. Athletes and celebrities the world over have ‘technical issues’ with their news broadcasts as soon as they start talking about Jesus. People mock Christians, show bad examples to the world, and actively fight to weaken or destroy the message. The immoral try to force their practices on the church while citing human rights – rights that society has made up and therefore rights that society oversees. Oh, not all of you agree with that. But it’s true. God laid down laws, but humans decided what our ‘rights’ are. Human rights, animal rights, they’re all humanly arbitrary and change from society to society, from decade to decade. If God had laid them down they would be immutable and changeless. Like His Law. Like His moral code. Like His Righteousness.

That doesn’t jive with the world and that is why we are told again and again not to fret because of the wicked. The wicked are working overtime to prevent the church from being the church. From being effective. From being who they are called to be. If we look like everyone and everything else – even if we aren’t on the inside – there is NO REASON for anyone from the outside to come in. Why is de-churching an issue? Because too many churches look exactly like the world. If they are like the world, why should they bother to stay in the church? Why do the same thing as at home, but with more judgment? If you are worried about de-churching in your congregation, look at how much of Jesus you’re showing. Is He shining through bright and clear? Is the Word being proclaimed no matter if the world agrees with it? Are the hard corrections of the Word being ministered? Remember, His yoke is light (Matthew 11:28-30) IF we are resting in Him.

Am I off subject here? No. These are intimately connected issues. The world says that we need to treat everyone the same. Jesus agreed with that. He said love one another. The world says that anyone can do anything they feel like, provided it doesn’t violate the will of someone else. Jesus disagrees. We aren’t to violate the will of other humans (Titus 3:2 and 9). But we cannot do anything we feel like. “A man’s heart plans his course, but Yahweh directs his steps” (Proverbs 16:9). “The heart is deceitful above all things and is exceedingly corrupt. Who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9). That’s the Old Testament, you say. Gentle Jesus didn’t hold to that. Oh yeah? He said, “That which proceeds out of the man, that defiles the man. For from within, out of the hearts of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, sexual sins, murders, thefts, covetings, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, and foolishness. All these evil things come from within and defile the man” (Mark 7:20-23). Does ANY of that which Jesus said sound like what is coming out of the world today? Gentle Jesus doesn’t mean He wasn’t JUST Jesus, RIGHTEOUS Jesus.

Jesus didn’t compromise. But Jesus loved. He loved them too much to let them stay self-deceived. He told them when things they were doing were hurting them. He didn’t tell them those things weren’t attractive. He didn’t tell them those things didn’t feel good. He didn’t let their lifestyle choices keep Him from healing them or ministering to them. But it didn’t change that at the end of their road judgment waited. It didn’t change the fact they were headed for death. Jesus told them that. He actively loved them, showing them a better way than mere enjoyment and feeling. He modelled for them a better way than chasing what looked good. He showed them the Father and the Father’s love. Not a wish to judge, but a wish to save. However, He did not hide the fact that if the saving wasn’t accepted, judgment would come.

We are called to share the same message. Again, how can they take our message seriously if we dilute it with envy? With worry? With fear? Are we saying our God is More Than Enough except for fancy things? Are we saying our God Has Overcome the World except for workplace position? Are we saying our God can Do The Impossible except where legislation is concerned? You cannot serve two masters (Matthew 6:24). You will either be an effective witness for the Lord, or you’ll be a compromised wishy-wash that no one listens to. We need to wait on the Lord. We need to rest in Him. When we do, everything makes sense. When we do, everything has peace to it. Storm outside the boat, peace inside the boat. Hurricane hitting Jesus, we’re cuddled in the Holy Spirit’s arms. Untouched, dry, and snuggly. “In peace I will both lay myself down and sleep, for you alone, Yahweh, make me live in safety” (Psalm 4:8).

We have peace in Jesus, but we must be patient. We are yoked to the Lord, right? Well, that means that driving is not our responsibility. It isn’t the responsibility of Jesus either. We’re yoked TO Him. It is the Father who is driving. We are empowered to be patient because the individual who is hand in hand with us is Jesus. He isn’t kicking at the goads. He isn’t pulling away. Why should we? “I have told you these things, that in me you may have peace. In the world you have trouble; but cheer up! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). If He is the Overcomer, we can let Him do the lion’s share. After all, with HIM all things are possible (Matthew 19:26). We can do that by taking all that fretting, all that anxiety, all that worry that we have about all the things that turn up and appear imperfect to us and give them to Him (1 Peter 5:7). Once we have done that, any time they come to mind we can do three things. First, tell the thought it is in Jesus’ hands so talk to the Lord about it not you. Second, thank the Father in praise that He has it well in hand. Finally, as you praise and thank Him, listen to see if there is anything He wants YOU to do. If you rely on Him, thank Him, and wait for Him to move in, around, or through you, you will not only have peace but no missteps. The Lord does not lead us awry (Proverbs 3:5-6).

The people of the world cannot worry us. The plans of the people of the world cannot worry us. We have the Lord on our side. Mighty in battle. The breath of just one nostril can alter the physics of our world (Psalm 18:15). If He is for us, we can have total and absolute assurance that things will work out for our good – whether here in this exact moment, a moment in the future, or in the far future of eternity (Romans 8:28). It might be a bumpy ride, it might have persecutions, and the world might even think they’ve won; but we won’t be fooled. We will be confident, peaceful, and joyful in the Lord who is our shepherd, guide, and GOOD Father. We will have peace. Perfect peace. Amen.

Daily Affirmation of God’s Love: 2 Timothy 1:13

I lose my balance. I have the flu. I can’t do that. I get dizzy. I don’t have strength. I always drop things. These are negative statements of faith. You are putting faith in them. You are issuing commands in the spiritual realm. You might not mean to, but you are. You are bolstering up the walls of prevention. You are preventing yourself from walking in the positive because you are choosing to walk in the negative. It can get worse. God heals when He wants to. This is my burden. I’m just waiting for my manifestation. They sound okay, but they’re negative. If you’re waiting for a manifestation, you should be thanking God you’re whole instead of talking about the waiting. God doesn’t lay burdens. God always wants to heal. God sent out the word on healing enabling it to manifest when He took hits for us and lashes for us. Every time a fist hit Him. Every time He was slapped. Every time the lash bit into His flesh, healing was being released. We are to put our faith in the Word. He always does according to His Word. If you’re waiting, idle in praise not negativity. Don’t talk about what isn’t yet, talk about what is already in Jesus. I’m healed. But I can see that you… I’m healed. You wait. You’ll see. I’m healed, praise Jesus! Faith expresses itself in obedience to a command. Your faith doesn’t work if you haven’t commanded it. It waits for an order. Give it one by speaking the Word positively. Go with the Father, not with your feelings.

Your Daily Confession of God’s love to YOU:

Today God loves that I _______.