Fear No Fear

(All scripture from the NET, netbible.org, all rights reserved)

Then Jesus said to those Judeans who had believed him, “If you continue to follow my teaching, you are really my disciples and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
John 8:31-32 (emphasis added)

I don’t really know my neighbours. I think I’m a bit of a disappointment to them. On the one side there’s a family with a teen son. He likes Fortnite and creating music. He plays football and practices a lot. The mother works in insurance and has been focused on health for the last few years. The father likes cars. Takes good care of his. On the other side there’s an older couple. She teaches kindergarten and gives kids homemade reusable water balloons at the end of the year. She gardens and is more of a cat person than a dog person. He likes fish. Has a huge pond in his backyard with a fountain, fish, and plants. He goes fishing in a boat he keeps on the property line. Both sides are good people. Nice and cheerful. But that’s it. I don’t even know their names. Except the son. I know his. I could probably borrow something if it was an emergency. I couldn’t just walk into their homes and use their stuff. We are barely acquaintances. That’s on me, not them. I haven’t reached out. But I’m working on changing. If I don’t have a relationship with them, I’ll be limited as to what I can give them.

Adonai wants a relationship with us. That’s why He told us about prayer. That’s why Jesus taught us about communication and communion with the Father. That’s why Ruach HaKodesh coaches us and talks to us and gives us GREAT suggestions as to what we should say – even taking over and speaking through us spirit to spirit. We praise Him at the beginning (Psalm 100:4). We have the privilege of standing right there with Him, crawling into His lap to talk (Hebrews 4:16). And we thank Him for what He has done, what He is actively doing, and what He’s about to do (1 Thessalonians 5:18) – Jesus is on the case! But what about that middle part? We’re able to talk to our Heavenly Father. We can be right there at the Throne. But what do we do then? We don’t need to tell Him what we need, He’s got that covered. We don’t HAVE to tell Him our problems because He knows all about it already – but we CAN. After we’ve gotten it off our chest, shared, vented, and spilt the tea; we listen. What are we listening FOR? What is the PURPOSE of this prayer time? What USE is it to us?

Prayer helps us to choose not to be anxious by embracing thanksgiving over His knowledge of us. “Do not be anxious about anything. Instead, in every situation, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, tell your requests to God” (Philippians 4:6). It helps keep us watchful over our thanksgiving (Colossians 4:2). It helps us manage our relationships with one another and keep things healed between us (James 5:16). It keeps us positioned for hope and patience (Romans 12:12). It helps eliminate our suffering, while not needing to alter our circumstances (James 5:13). It helps us not to lose heart (Luke 18:1). It helps to foster fellowship (Acts 2:42). It helps keep us from anger and strife (1 Timothy 2:8). It keeps us from dwelling on what could become temptations (Matthew 26:41). We’re supposed to do it consistently and without letting anyone stop us (Colossians 4:2; 1 Thessalonians 5:17; Ephesians 6:18; Romans 12:12). The reason is PRESENCE. “The Lord is near all who cry out to him, all who cry out to him sincerely” (Psalm 145:18). “When you call out to me and come to me in prayer, I will hear your prayers” (Jeremiah 29:12). “Therefore let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and find grace whenever we need help” (Hebrews 4:16). “All these continued together in prayer with one mind, together with the women, along with Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers” (Acts 1:14). “Now it was during this time that Jesus went out to the mountain to pray, and he spent all night in prayer to God” (Luke 6:12). “Seek the Lord and the strength he gives. Seek his presence continually!” (1 Chronicles 16:11).

We pray, then, to get close to Adonai Elohim. He resides in our heart through our entrance into the Covenant between Father and Son. Our prayers don’t need to reach heaven. They only need to reach our hearts. We are to pray with intent. With belief, trusting in Him. “For this reason I tell you, whatever you pray and ask for, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours” (Mark 11:24). Believe what? Ask for what? “But now Jesus has obtained a superior ministry, since the covenant that he mediates is also better and is enacted on better promises” (Hebrews 8:6). What ARE these better promises? The Word. The TRUTH of the Word being available to us in Jesus. “Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3). “Remain in me, and I will remain in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it remains in the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me—and I in him—bears much fruit, because apart from me you can accomplish nothing” (John 15:4-5). Jesus is the Word (John 1:1-5), so it is in Him and through Him that we are sanctified. “Set them apart in the truth; your word is truth” (John 17:17). In the Old Covenant (the Law), the Word was used to show our need for a Saviour and show how sinful we really were. In the New Covenant, we are able to participate as children of Elohim (Jew and Gentile) in His Blessing, Nature, and Righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21).

What then do we pray? The Word. We gratefully engage with the Father in praise. Entering into direct fellowship with Him. And then, in the character and mindset of Messiah Jesus (John 14:13-14; 1 Corinthians 2:16) – His Name – we align ourselves with His Will. We ask in harmony with Adonai. What do we ask? The Word. “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you want, and it will be done for you” (John 15:7). When Jesus was tempted by the devil, He responded with the Word. Not NEW words, THE Word (Old Covenant). It was already perfect and able to defeat the devil (James 4:7). Jesus used it. Ruach HaKodesh continued to give us commentary on the fulfillment of the Old Covenant in and through Messiah Jesus (New Covenant). That is the full Word. Messiah is coming to Messiah is Jesus to this is life in Messiah Jesus. The whole Word made known. The Father has already declared with words everything He is going to declare with words. We don’t need anything more. We have everything we need. All we have to do now is use it. (This is NOT to say He doesn’t speak, make promises, reveal prophecy, and all of that. He does. But those are things He is saying, letting us know, guiding us, teaching us, and helping us. He is not Declaring Word. He already did that.)

If we find His will on something and move our thinking to align and agree with it, THAT is what we declare in prayer. We are ASKING that He brings to pass what He said He wants to bring to pass. We are AGREEING with His declaration by DECLARING it ourselves. There is NOTHING more powerful than praying the Word. When we are guided by Ruach HaKodesh as to WHAT Word to declare, we know we are in full cooperation with Adonai. It is how it worked with Ezekiel in the Valley of Dry Bones (Ezekiel 37:1-10). It is how it worked with Jesus on the cross (Matthew 27:45-47; Mark 15:33-34 – a victorious and Messianic psalm). It is how it should work with us. If we BELIEVE the Word and if we TRUST in His ability to perform it WITHOUT DOUBTING and DECLARE IT knowing that at that moment the Word went to work, we will see the physical arrival of the Word (Matthew 21:22; Mark 11:24).

If we don’t have that mindset, we can get it. We can stop looking at circumstances. We can stop thinking about what WE can accomplish, achieve, and/or handle. We can stop dwelling on what’s against us. We can find out how He thinks and learn to think the same way (by choice first, and then by habit). “Do not be conformed to this present world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may test and approve what is the will of God—what is good and well-pleasing and perfect” (Romans 12:2). If you are looking to receive, where is the promise of it? It’ll be in the Word. What is victorious over this world, over sin, and over death (which includes all sickness and disease)? The Word (which is written AND also Jesus Himself, including His Name which is His Nature). Everything we seek will be wrapped up in Jesus. When we engage with prayer through the Word, mixing it with our trust in His ability to perform it, we have a perfect storm of circumstances. We will have victory. We will have solutions. We will be walking in the centre of His Will and doing NOTHING outside of it (Psalm 119:105). Praying the ROCK that is the Word. That is where victory in all things lies: in Jesus. THAT is where we have permission to LIVE (John 10:10). Open the Word and let the Word open you.

Daily Affirmation Jesus IS Messiah: Daniel 7:13-14

“I was watching in the night visions, and with the clouds of the sky, one like a son of man was approaching. He went up to the Ancient of Days and was escorted before him. To him was given ruling authority, honor, and sovereignty. All peoples, nations, and language groups were serving him. His authority is eternal and will not pass away. His kingdom will not be destroyed.” Messiah would be highly exalted. Though He was willing to become a lowly position (Isaiah 53:2), Yahweh would lift Him up on high to exalt Him for His faithfulness and obedience in humble submission to the Will of Elohim. “This power he exercised in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms far above every rule and authority and power and dominion and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And God put all things under Christ’s feet, and gave him to the church as head over all things” (Ephesians 1:20-22). The Father honoured the Son and raised Him on high. The Father glorified the Son, because the Son glorified the Father (John 17:1-5). Jesus IS the Son of the Most High (Mark 14:36, 61-62; John 1:34, 10:15; Luke 4:41; Matthew 14:33, 16:15-16). Jesus IS Messiah!

Your Daily Confession of Jesus/Yeshua’s Identity:

Yeshua is the Christ, the Son of the living God.

Matthew 16:16b