Fear No Fear

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

For we don’t desire to have you uninformed, brothers, concerning our affliction which happened to us in Asia: that we were weighed down exceedingly, beyond our power, so much that we despaired even of life. Yes, we ourselves have had the sentence of death within ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead, who delivered us out of so great a death, and does deliver, on whom we have set our hope that he will also still deliver us, you also helping together on our behalf by your supplication; that, for the gift given to us by means of many, thanks may be given by many persons on your behalf.
2 Corinthians 1:8-10 (emphasis added)

Even the best of us can have moments where we forget what we are supposed to do. The great Paul. Depressed. Almost suicidal – despairing of life is a short step from taking it. Unable to trust in himself. In what was happening. In his circumstances. Remember that this guy had a HUGE list of woes (2 Corinthians 11:23-27). Beaten, stoned, perils in the wild, shipwrecked, hunger, cold, and naked. He did NOT have what WE call an ideal life. We can see that naturally, he SHOULD be depressed. He SHOULD get down. But by his own admission, he forgot what he was supposed to do.

Life is life. Full of things that get our attention. We age. Our bodies do things we don’t expect. Or we seem to be unable to do things we used to. We call ourselves old. Or sick. Or weak. We call ourselves all sorts of things. Advertising doesn’t help. It tells us all sorts of messages. We’re told that maybe we have a mental illness – and it’s treatable. Social media gets in on the act. Telling us about the creepy thing we all need to know. The news media joins in promoting bad prices, high costs, supply shortages, political intrigue, lies, conspiracy nuts given platforms, economic threats, housing bubbles, employment concerns, and bad weather. Take away the technological advances, and these are issues that have plagued humanity for thousands of years. Paul would have faced most if not all of them.

Paul’s ‘problem’ is that He took Jesus at His word. Jesus said we should love one another. Paul did that. That’s where his weariness came from. “Besides those things that are outside, there is that which presses on me daily: anxiety for all the assemblies” (2 Corinthians 11:28). Anxiety is a fear baby. It is rooted in fear and it will let fear get a hook into you. Nothing good comes from anxiety. Paul talks about his concerns for the churches – and his rejoicing in their successes – in Colossians (1:24-29; 2:1-7). He prays for them in Ephesians – twice – (1:15-23; 3:14-21). He tried to encourage them (2 Thessalonians 2:16-17). He got so caught up in his concerns for the church and what it was and wasn’t doing – real and imagined – that it turned to anxiety. As you read these verses today, you can see how the quality of his life dropped away to nothing.

Anxiety partners with and calls to fear. It brings the things of the enemy right to your door. You see, anxiety isn’t always an attack on you. We always see the devil and his hordes around every corner. But not everything is an attack from them. First, life can bring attacks against us. Second, they DO attack. Third, they will always prefer to jump to a natural occurrence or man-made situation and make it worse – because they are not CREATIVE. They don’t GET good ideas. They do the same things over and over and over unless WE teach them a new trick. They have a great press agent. It makes them seem powerful, scary, and supernaturally nearly on the same level as heaven’s angels. As if they were an opposite force fighting for dominance while heaven seeks balance. It’s a great story with good visuals and traction in the marketplace, but it is also a load of garbage.

Paul WAS sent a messenger from Satan to buffet him and reduce the effectiveness of Paul’s ministry. “By reason of the exceeding greatness of the revelations, that I should not be exalted excessively, a thorn in the flesh was given to me: a messenger of Satan to torment me, that I should not be exalted excessively” (2 Corinthians 12:7). Demons are the messengers of Satan and it was there to prevent Paul from being exalted in the eyes of the people by the Lord (1 Peter 5:6, Joshua 3:7). Paul being persecuted constantly was a good way to keep people from coming to Jesus from fear of the same happening to them. Paul asked for the persecution to be lifted from him, but God told him that His grace was sufficient (2 Corinthians 12:9). Wouldn’t YOU get depressed if what you wanted wasn’t what God was telling you you needed? Of course. That’s being human. But we are called to be MORE THAN human. We’re called to be CHILDREN OF GOD (1 John 3:1).

We need to remember who we are and what we are to do. “Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” (2 Timothy 3:12). In that persecution – whatever form it may take – what are we to do? “But I tell you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who mistreat you and persecute you, that you may be children of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust” (Matthew 5:44-45). If we love our enemies, we’re practising faith. Faith is the kingdom. The kingdom holds victory. The kingdom holds grace. The Lord showers His grace on those who are part of the Kingdom of God. Love is the key that keeps us where we should walk. “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Could oppression, or anguish, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?” (Romans 8:35). It’s a decision on OUR part, because God doesn’t change. We are to love and practise the Lord’s love. If we do that, persecution holds no sting.

We’re to bless and not curse (Romans 12:14). We’re mocked and called names (Matthew 5:10-12). We can’t bear up under that. But JESUS DOES. And in HIM we can too. When we are in Him, it is HIS strength facing a situation, not ours (2 Corinthians 12:10). It is HIS peace, not ours (Ephesians 2:14-16). HIS armour, not ours (Ephesians 6:13-18). We are something because HE is EVERYTHING (Psalm 68:19). Why settle for regular life? Normal life? That’s boring and less than what you are entitled to. We have the option to operate in the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). “God is to us a God of deliverance. To Yahweh, the Lord, belongs escape from death” (Psalm 68:20). Anxiety is death. Fear is death. It is the antithesis of God. Fear works in the sense realm. God doesn’t work there. Fear works in the arena where we can figure things out. Why we’re fearful, the explanation for why we have anxiety, the world of triggers and coping mechanisms. It can be an effective world, but it is NOT where God works.

God works in the world we do NOT understand. Where we CANNOT figure it out. One where Paul was depressed and thinking about how useless life is and a gift shows up out of nowhere that totally changes his circumstances. The God in whom we should TRUST. We can’t raise the dead – God does it. We can’t deliver anyone from death – God does it. So what if we can’t figure our way out of a problem? God can. And will. If you let Him. If you trust Him. He has delivered. He delivers now. He will deliver in the future. He is the God of MORE THAN ENOUGH (2 Corinthians 9:8-11). He has things in motion we cannot IMAGINE much less understand. Trust Him. Rest in Him. Stay where you are and go nowhere He doesn’t go. Make ‘If You Don’t Go, I Don’t Go’ your motto (Exodus 33:12-13, Matthew 10:38-39).

When you feel fear kicking up, kick it back down by relying on Jesus. By grasping the hope that you have in Him. By holding to the hope you have in Yahweh God Almighty who DOES and IS and WILL DO. Remember who your strength is. Remember who your peace is. Remember who your joy is. Remember who your Lord is. Remember who you are in HIM. When you remember it is HIM not YOU, it is easy to kick anxiety away. Why get worried about something that you aren’t even doing in the first place. THAT is not what we do. We hold to the promises of the one who is doing and going to do the things. We rely on the Spirit, the Son, and the Father. We make GOD number one in ALL things, thoughts, and emotions.

Daily Affirmation of God’s Love: 2 Peter 1:2-4

Stop talking trash. You are NOT old. You are NOT infirm. You are NOT depressed. You are NOT anxious. You are NOT suffering from mental problems. You are NOT confused – not in identity, gender, or sexuality. You are NOT stuck where you think you are. What you are is someone to whom is given all things that pertain to life and godliness. IN Jesus, we age but don’t deteriorate. We renew. The Spirit of Him who raised Jesus to life lives and dwells within you and shines out renewing Spirit light through your whole being, giving life to your mortal flesh. THAT IS WHAT YOU ARE!!! You get to walk in it when you have knowledge of him who called you by HIS glory and HIS virtue. Not by anything YOU did. By what HE did. How much knowledge of Him do you have? Not just intellectually, but heartfully? How much Word is in you about it? How much prayer time are you spending on it with Him? Because it is by ABIDING in Jesus that we get it all. Through HIM we get to partake in His divine nature and all that entails. We won’t be perfected. We will be complete IN HIM because JESUS COMPLETES US. You’re not aging, you’re living. You’re not old, you’re just getting started. Be renewed in mind, renewed in heart, and let it match the renewal of your spirit that is already done. The church as a whole was given the keys to the kingdom (Matthew 18:18-20). Are you using yours? To open the door and claim all that was laid up there for you and just you? Are you getting the stuff He is giving? Or are you standing outside a locked door you have a key to, moaning about how one day you hope you’ll get something from heaven? Up your knowledge of who Jesus is and who you are in Him so that you will be confident to open the door and receive the blessing that has been laid in store for you. It all starts and ends with your relationship with Jesus.

Your Daily Confession of God’s love to YOU:

Today God loves that I _______.