Fear No Fear

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

“Whom have you dreaded and feared, so that you lie, and have not remembered me, nor laid it to your heart? Haven’t I held my peace for a long time, and you don’t fear me?
Isaiah 57:11 (emphasis added)

How often do we let ourselves get sidetracked by the things that don’t matter? I’m not even talking about the nonsense stuff like social media, television, and other entertainments that we let take the place of the Word and prayer/praise time. I’m talking about bigger things. They can be work related, school related, or relationship related. Things that can affect your career. Things that can affect the degree you’re working toward. Maybe child care. Or what’s happening with your kids in school. Perhaps finances. The things we call the big things.

Life is insistent. It is something that is right in front of our faces. It’s also one of the biggest weapons the enemy has. He’s a flesh devil. He only understands flesh. The world is flesh. He is really practised at using it to divert us. Sometimes that means getting us absorbed in something. Sometimes that means getting us just worried enough to take our eyes off what is really happening and fear about it. It doesn’t matter to the enemy. As long as we are fully engaging with the world, he’s happy.

We even take in the philosophy of the world. That means we can decide that we are choosing to feel tired. We’re choosing to feel burnt out. We’re choosing to rely on what we feel. None of this is applicable to a believer. Why? The joy of the Lord is our strength (Nehemiah 8:10). If we are in JOY whose source is the LORD, then we won’t be tired. Praising the Lord in spirit and TRUTH releases strength into us. We can spend time together and refresh each other with encouragement (Romans 15:32 and 1 Corinthians 16:18). The Lord refreshes us (Jeremiah 31:25). The Lord renews us (Isaiah 40:31). Not just in our mind (Romans 12:2), or in our spirits (2 Corinthians 4:16), but also in our bodies (Psalm 103:5 and Ruth 4:15). We don’t have to take what the world is peddling, and though you may think it excessive there is real worth with speaking out and denying the decay, damage, and issues the world tries to sell you on whether it shows up in a commercial, a news story, or on a beloved show.

Why do we let things get in the way with our walk with God? We can’t blame technology, our verse comes from thousands of years ago. People were avoiding the Lord. They were focusing on other things. When you start to focus on other things, your faith isn’t being strengthened and deepened. It can’t be unless the Lord is number one. You can coast on a LOT of Word. You can coast on a LOT of revelation. You can coast on a LOT of praise. But in the end, when you have gone through what you have you’ll be dry. That is the way that resources work. That’s why Jesus was pressing into His disciples revelation about living water (John 7:37-39). The spirit will well up within us and keep flowing and flowing and flowing. But it only works as long as we don’t turn off the tap. We can plug it up and shut it off and block it. The Lord told us we have that authority: “Most certainly I tell you, whatever things you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever things you release on earth will have been released in heaven” (Matthew 18:18). If we refuse to accept the spirit and refuse to nurture it, it will close up. Artisan springs are great, but they need care-taking like everything else.

When the Lord gets quiet – like for a long time quiet – the problem isn’t the Lord. The problem is us. We’ve tuned Him out. We’re ignoring Him. We’re doing all that we can to do things our own way. Or worse, trusting on what we think we understand of the Word without asking Him for clarification. ““Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and don’t do the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46). If we’re not listening, we’re not hearing. We’re capable of it, but we do not always do it. Hence one of Jesus’ favourite sayings: He who has an ear, LET HIM HEAR. It’s a choice. Like strengthening our faith. We develop our strength through hearing the Word (Romans 10:17) which includes reading, preaching, teaching, audio bibles, or any other way to get the Word into you. But if we are reading to hit our reading plan quota, it won’t work. If we’re reading because Mom or Dad told us to, it won’t work. If we’re reading because we think we’re supposed to, it won’t work. It ONLY works if you’re reading it to hear from the Lord. With INTENT.

Pray before you start that you get shown Jesus in the Word. That you get a message of encouragement or revitalisation or some other thing. If you are honest in your prayer, humble and willing to submit to what you are shown, you’ll see something. He’ll point it out to you. It might not be world shattering and life changing. It might be a ‘huh, I never saw that before’. It can be small. It can be easily missed. It isn’t always an angel backhanding you to get your attention (Acts 12:7). But ANYTHING is something you weren’t hearing the hour before you heard it. EVERYTHING is worth hearing. Because everything in the Word has a use to teach us, encourage us, correct us, affirm us, restore us, and renew us (2 Timothy 3:16-17). It says we will be thoroughly equipped for every good work. EVERY GOOD WORK.

If we’re equipped, then we don’t need to worry. We don’t need to fear. We don’t need to dread it. We don’t need to have problems that take our eyes off the Lord. Any problems that come up should turn our eyes to the Lord. To see what He wants to do, what He wants us to do, and how we are going to do it. Obedience to what He says, whether we understand or not. Praising Him because we KNOW He has it, so there is a solution and it’s happened in heaven whether it has manifested here yet or not. It’s done at the Throne, so it is done and done and done some more. Period. Full stop. Praise the Lord.

Our spirit knows. It’s connected to God because it got resurrected INTO JESUS’ SPIRIT when we were saved and baptised. It is plugged in in a way that our mind is not and our heart is not and our flesh certainly is not. Who are we going to listen to? Are you going to listen to the flesh? It only sees the world. The world has some clever things, but they don’t mean anything to us. We don’t have to accept them. They aren’t the Word. Are we going to listen to our mind? It only knows what it has been taught. That might not be a good thing. It might be, but it might not be. And even if it has been taught the best, it only knows what it understands and it… well… we’re dirt, remember (Psalm 103:14)? We only understand so much even when we are peak brilliant human being material. Or are you going to listen to your spirit who is connected and inside of Jesus’ spirit, and Jesus’ spirit is connected and inside of the Father AND tells us everything that the Father tells Him (Matthew 10:26-28, John 5:18-20; 12:49 ). That’s a whole lot of TRUTH and trustworthy words, don’t you think? Yet here in our verse God is pointing out that when we are not hearing from Him it is because we have turned away.

What is turning away? Not reverencing Him. Not in our hearts. Not in our minds. Not choosing to revere Him. It’s choosing not to remember Him. But how can we forget God, you say? Ask yourself how often you check in with Him? Do you remember to put Him first? To hold Him in a position of honour? Don’t have that one person whose opinion you value more than any other? That friend or parent or lover whom you need the opinion of before you make a major decision? Shouldn’t God be your first stop? That is remembering Him. That is reverencing Him. That is putting Him in the place of honour and respect and glory. To see what He wants before we check in with anyone else. To obey Him. If He says it, we do it. Whether we agree or not. He knows best.

If He had that position, then whenever that line of communication went quiet we would do everything we possibly could to get it open again. To kneel before the Father and get right. To do what He’s told us. To move under His umbrella. To get back into the habits and consistent actions that keep us honouring the Lord and putting His Word first (Proverbs 4:21). This is why the world yells so hard. If the enemy can get that line of communication cut it is a guarantee that sooner or later we are going to miss it. When we miss it, he’s right there to take advantage of it and help us stumble. But when we are listening to the Lord, then He is first. When He is first, and we submit to Him, then we are empowered to walk where the Lord says. When the Lord says it, it is so and the enemy has to flee before us when we are submitted to the Lord and obeying Him (James 4:7).

Remember the Lord. Reverence the Lord. Listen to the Lord. Hear His Word and deepen your faith. Strengthen your faith. Get that Word through your head and into your heart. Get the Word where it does you good. Submit to what you find in it. Ignore your feelings. Ignore your human perspective. Submit to the Lord’s perspective. Follow Him and let Him direct your path (Proverbs 3:5-6). We are empowered to hear Jesus’ voice and follow Him (John 10:27-28). Commit to hearing it – truly HEARING it – today.

Daily Affirmation of God’s Love: 1 John 4:19

We get to love not because it is something that is normal. It is not something natural. It isn’t. If evolution was more than a human theory (that not all scientists agree with), there would be no love. Any love whatsoever is proof of the existence of God. Rocks don’t love. Trees don’t love. Inanimate objects do not love. Only things with higher cognitive function love. But there are two kinds. Affection and pure. Affection love is based on feelings. It is more of an attraction or passionate thing. It can change. You can come in and come out of it. It is deeper than friendship, but falls short of pure love. Pure love is not based on feelings. It can be platonic and it can be passionate. God IS love and His creation reflects that. We alone among everything on this planet are capable of pure love. We can decide to love and stick through thick and thin. Not moved by our feelings and creating our emotions to match the decisions of our spirits. That makes love an amazing gift and experience. It also means our love can be sinful. It can be mocking. It can be a proud defiance of the Lord God Almighty. If we place that love on inanimate objects (an experience, a beverage, a couch) we distill in our minds what love can be – the truth is we enjoy things and like things, but do not truly love them. If we utilise our love in ways that do not align with the moral of the Lord, then we have used it wrong. If we utilise our love in ways that are against the morals of the Lord, then we sin. If our love is not based in faith, it is sin. Passion is physical. Emotions are a choice of our soul. But love is of the spirit and it needs to be applied with spirit. We have been given the righteous spirit of Jesus. We need to be careful to apply our love in ways that are based on that righteous spirit, not the way we feel or emote. Love is great, but love – like everything else in our walk – needs to be based in righteousness. This is the greatest proof that God loves us. He shares with us His ability to love. We are NOT at the mercy of our feelings. We have been given love. Wield it wisely.

Your Daily Confession of God’s love to YOU:

Today God loves that I _______.