Fear No Fear

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

“You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father! That one was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand firm in the truth, because truth is not in him. Whenever he speaks the lie, he speaks from his own nature, because he is a liar and the father of lies“

John 8:44

The devil is a very FAIR boss. He gives us exactly what we deserve. Thing is, though, that he also tries to give us what we BELIEVE we deserve. If we BELIEVE we deserve bad things, we will accept bad things. We won’t even fight it. Because we believe that we deserve it. That’s why the battlefield is in our MINDS. If we think it, we’ll start to believe it. When we believe it, we’ll accept it. Why do abusers always use this strategy whether it is on an individual level (like domestic abuse) or a larger level (like the Nazi party)? Because they learned it from their father. The devil does it because that’s how belief works. He simply changed what he wants us to believe from a positive (the Word) to a negative (himself). He can’t give us what we don’t believe we deserve.

“For the compensation due sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23). Death is the result of Sin. Before Sin, there was no death. Nothing died. Death happens because the body succumbs to some form of deterioration. Your body is unable to stave off something that comes on it and it dies. Before Sin, there was nothing to stave off. Before Sin, your body would have been perfect and able to function no matter what. Sin brought about the conditions by which we die. What we see in the natural (that process) also exists in the spiritual. Our hearts deteriorate and we start to succumb to that which is coming on us. Not because it’s natural or normal, but because we have let into our hearts that which deteriorates and not that which builds up. We’ve brought in death, not life. The result is that we weaken and die. To avoid spiritually falling apart every time something comes our way, we need to be full of LIFE.

“The thief comes only so that he can steal and kill and destroy; I have come so that they may have life, and have it abundantly” (John 10:10). Jesus brings life. And Jesus sent Ruach HaKodesh to us so that we could have MORE life. “And if the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, the one who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also make alive your mortal bodies through his Spirit who lives in you” (Romans 8:11). This is life: knowing Jesus (John 17:3). That knowledge guards our hearts and keeps them from deteriorating. If our hearts remain strong, the rest of us is strong (Luke 6:45). If we are strong, it will be because of JESUS and the LIFE He brings. It is HIS strength that we rely on (Psalm 119:28). It is HIS Word that renews our thinking to what HE says is possible (Romans 12:2). It is in HIM (Jesus) that we can become who HE says we can become (2 Corinthians 5:21).

We get what we deserve if we let the lies of the devil inside our hearts. We get what Jesus deserves when we let the truth of Adonai inside our hearts. Why? because we will ONLY engage that which we BELIEVE. That’s why trust in Jesus isn’t enough. We ALSO need to believe. When we believe Him and THEN trust in Him? Nothing can stop us. We are fully pledged. That’s why we can confess it with our mouth or be baptized. The physical evidence of what’s inside us doesn’t scare us. We’re not ashamed of it. We KNOW we have His life lighting us up. We BELIEVE it. We TRUST Him. Jesus ALREADY paid the price, so WE get the wages due Him. We get the salvation. We get the reward. We get Ruach HaKodesh – Jesus’ own spirit. We get the relationship with Adonai which is eternal life. We receive what is owed Jesus because we believe His Word and trust in Him. We are RESTING in Jesus and Adonai is our Source for EVERYTHING. We REJECT the devil’s lies and stand on the Word (James 4:7). Why take his wages? Why take the lies? Why believe in ANY identity that is less than the righteousness of Adonai in Jesus? Why settle? We resist it in every other area of our lives. It’s about time we start resisting it in our spiritual relationships too. We should embrace His LIFE and rest in Jesus. Pick up His pay stub. It’s TOTALLY worth it!

Daily Affirmation of the Goodness of Elohim: Colossians 2:8

“Beware lest anyone take you captive through philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world and not according to Christ,” Human thinking can come up with some pretty great and cool things. But they PALE in comparison to what Jesus can share with us. human thinking can get you to accept a lemon for a trade-in and walk away thinking you’ve made a smart deal. Human thinking is sadly often about taking what we think feels good and making it seem like a smart deal. Like an inherently good thing – instead of a good thing because it FEELS good. Adonai warns us about that all the time. He is constantly reminding us about Jesus so that we can see the good example. So that we can KNOW the truth and be set free by it. Not a little free or partially free. TRULY free. We have to take care to make Jesus our example every time. We’re blessed, though, because Ruach HaKodesh NEVER lets us forget Him. Ruach HaKodesh is ALWAYS pointing to Jesus and the TRUTH that brings us freedom completely and totally. 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