Fear No Fear

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

“And other seed fell on the good soil, and when it came up, it produced a hundred times as much grain.” As he said these things, he called out, “The one who has ears to hear, let him hear!”. . . . “But the seed on the good soil—these are the ones who, after hearing the word, hold fast to it with a noble and good heart, and bear fruit with patient endurance“

Luke 8:8; 15

These verses are also covered in Matthew 13:8-9; Mark 4:8-9 and Matthew 13:23; Mark 4:20. The fourth kind of receiving is RESTING receiving in which we receive according to our trust in Adonai. There is a graduated reception, but ALL receive at least some. This isn’t receiving because this person worked to trust more or failed to exert enough trust, but trust based on our own thinking. If we haven’t pulled down the strongholds in a given area, we will be hard pressed to receive all that we can. For example, one person might have the trust to believe a surgery will go well where another person might have the trust to believe that surgery isn’t neccessary at all. They BOTH have trust, they BOTH believe, and they BOTH receive according to where they were at. Adonai gave and they received. Adonai’s giving is always the same measure. It is our reception that varies. Some forty, some sixty, and some a hundred fold. We have to hear, we have to understand, we have to believe, and we have to trust. As far as I can tell, only Jesus did it perfectly. So our success will be measured by how much in any given situation we rest in Jesus.

As you have probably guessed, this is not entirely PASSIVE. After all, Jesus said the seed fell on GOOD GROUND. Good ground isn’t shallow. Good ground doesn’t have weeds (or a lot of them). Good ground isn’t hard and rocky. Good ground has been prepared. Good ground has been worked to make sure it drains the best, gets water, get sun or has shade (depending on the needs of the plant), and is READY to receive. This isn’t passive. This is soil that has been stewarded well by who owns it. There is work to be READY. After it is received, the work is all done by the seed, not the farmer. All the farmer does is let it work, tend it, and wait for harvest. The major labour of the farmer is the preparation time. Preparation time is NEVER wasted time. Without it, nothing will be received.

When we don’t fully prepare, we find ourselves not quite believing or trusting as much as we COULD. We limit ourselves and we limit Adonai. When the Israelites didn’t listen and obey Adonai, Adonai could not do what He wanted to because they wouldn’t receive it. They hindered Him (Psalm 78:41). We are in the same situation. We can believe what He says the way He says it, or we can limit what we are willing to receive. Maybe we think we don’t deserve it. Maybe we think He won’t want to. Maybe we think He doesn’t do things like that anymore. There are a hundred different human reasonings that we can use, but they all came to the same thing. Having strongholds in our thinking that limit what we are willing to accept. That’s why our fight is against strongholds, not people (2 Corinthians 10:3-5).

Noah built a boat BEFORE there was a storm (Genesis 5-7). Issac planted seed in the middle of a severe drought (Genesis 26:1-5,12-17). Both men did things that seemed crazy. There was no human reason for it. But they had a word from Adonai. They chose to obey because they believed He was trustworthy. Because of that, when harvest time came, they got a LOT. Isaac got a hundred-fold harvest. In a drought. Noah saved his family. These things took time. They didn’t look like they were working right away. But their heartfelt belief and total trust got them big results. Peter had enough trust in Jesus’ power that he leapt out of a boat to walk on water. The other disciples also had trust in Jesus’ power. But not enough to get out of the boat. They were still saved, just like Peter was. They were totally delivered together as a group. But Peter got an experience they didn’t. What we believe and how we trust determines what exactly we will walk in. It isn’t a question of right way or wrong way. It is only a question of what you are willing to let Adonai give you. We all need to learn to receive.

We need to HEAR the Word and work to UNDERSTAND it. Both with our own efforts of reading, listening, and thinking AND listening to Ruach HaKodesh and seeking His wisdom on it (James 1:5). We need to spend TIME in the Word and develop our ROOTS. Stirring up the soil of our heart and getting it ready. That means spending time in prayer as well as reading the Word. Spending time praising Adonai and listening to His point of view (Romans 12:2; Psalm 150:1-6). We need to spend FOCUSED time with Adonai by being careful what ELSE we listen to, watch, and read. We need to pay attention and curate what it is we’re sending into our hearts. We don’t need weeds. Part of this is making sure we are RESTING in Jesus’ strength. Letting His Joy determine our strength levels (Nehemiah 8:10) and remembering to engage His Joy at all times (Philippians 4:4). When we actively do these things and work to make sure our heart is ever-ready for the things of Adonai, we will be developing GOOD soil for His GOOD things to take root, grow, and give us an ABUNDANT harvest (3 John 2; Luke 6:38). When we practise these things consistently, we are preparing for our harvest. When we practise these things consistently, we are learning to receive.

Daily Affirmation of the Goodness of Elohim: Proverbs 11:24-25

“There is one who gives yet grows richer, but he who withholds what is right only finds need. A person of blessing will be enriched, and he who gives water also will be refreshed.” Receiving isn’t about hoarding. Jesus had money, His own house, yet He also received from people. He was also always giving. He was so generous so often that the disciples assumed Judas was being sent to give to the poor – during the middle of one of THE most important festivals of the year. That’s someone who blesses. But that blessing, the act of giving (be it money, time, healing, or teaching) was VITAL to Jesus and the source of His strength (John 4:32). In giving, we learn to receive more completely. Because it won’t be a point of greed. We aren’t the final stop. We will understand that we are part of a flow. We are a single point in a multi-stage circuit. When we truly GET that, we start to stop being greedy. We start to stop wanting greener grass and bigger, better, badder things. We start seeing everything as an opportunity to grow. To bless. To encourage. We start seeing the way in which a heart of gratitude and a giving nature satisfy us in a way nothing else really does. Because we have been created with Adonai’s character as our pattern. He made a Way for us to give, encourage, build up, and yet never be diminished. Never be depleted. Never be starving and never be thirsty. But always, in Jesus, to be full, hydrated, and ready for more and more and more ministry. What a GREAT life! 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