Fear No Fear

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

“Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. The one who comes to me will never be hungry, and the one who believes in me will never be thirsty again.“

John 6:35

We need to remember this one. In fact, the remembrance of this should be part of our daily prayers. Jesus acknowledged the Father as the giver of daily bread in His prayer (Matthew 6:11). Jesus KNEW that He KNEW that He KNEW that He would have the Father’s bread DAILY. That He would NEVER hunger for it. Yet as a whole we the Church often talk about our hunger for His presence. Our hunger for His blessing. Our hunger for what He has already freely given us in Jesus. It’s like we’re standing in front of a fridge talking about how hungry we are – but we’ve already been told to help ourselves. We should never be ‘desperate’ for Adonai. He’s already with us. We ALREADY have Him and we NEVER need to hunger for what He has placed in our hands. We only need to eat it.

When Jesus was breaking cultural traditions at the well in Samaria by talking with a Samaritan (a woman in this case), He told her that He was water. “Jesus answered and said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again. But whoever drinks of this water which I will give to him will never be thirsty for eternity, but the water which I will give to him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.”” (John 4:13-14). I live in a water-rich country. I am never without ample drinking water available to me. And I enjoy it. Water is a true blessing and Adonai REALLY knew what He was doing when He created it. I have as much as I want. I only need to open the tap. There are times that I long for it. So I go and get it. I am never ‘desperate’ for it because it is right there. It comes up out of the pipes out of the cistern at my will. I open the value and there it is. Jesus is the cistern and He is right there inside of us. Which means I never need to open the pipes to be filled. It springs up within me and gives me life. After I got saved, I never needed to open the tap again. It is always there hydrating my soul with His water. I am totally, utterly, and always satisfied.

I am able to be satisfied because I KNOW what Jesus provided. I’ve had to learn that, but once I did I knew it. It was available to me just like the water in the taps of my home. The Word gave me that knowledge. But the Word wasn’t simply there inside me. I had to go to the Word and consume it ON PURPOSE. I had to EAT it. And that is the difference between bread and water. The water in my home is there all the time. Bread I have to bake. It is something that I have to DO in order for it to be something that I enjoy and take sustenance from. This is the model of reliance that Adonai used in the desert. “And Yahweh said to Moses, “Look, I am going to rain down for you bread from the heavens, and the people will go out and gather enough for the day on its day; in that way I will test them: Will they go according to my law or not?” (Exodus 16:4). Adonai PROVIDED the bread (manna), but the Israelites had to go COLLECT it. If they didn’t, they wouldn’t get fed. If they did, they were able to feed. The Word works the same way.

Jesus declared that He was the Word and the Word was Him (John 1:1-4). If we would engage with Him on a daily basis, we would never be hungry. We would ALWAYS have something to eat. ALWAYS be satisfied. ALWAYS be what we want to be: not lacking. It was David’s experience and he sang about it. “Yahweh is my shepherd; I will not lack for anything” (Psalm 23:1). We can live the same way – if we remember that Jesus isn’t an automatic pilot, that is. Jesus told us that WITH Adonai all things were possible (Matthew 19:26). The word ‘with’ implies more than intent. It implies ACTION. We need to reach out and take the hand we’re offered. We need to pick up the Word and read and/or listen to it. We have to engage our intentions and study it. Look at the words and find out what they mean. Ruach HaKodesh WROTE the scriptures. If we listen to what He has to say about them, we’re bound to learn SOMETHING. We need to CHEW it mentally if we want to have a hope of DIGESTING it.

It isn’t a once and done thing. Yes, Jesus IS the Word. Jesus IS the bread that will satisfy the belly of our spirits. Jesus IS the bread that will fill our heart with all good things. This is true. But WE need to engage with the process DAILY (Luke 9:23). No matter how much we ate yesterday, today we also need to eat. It is part of what keeps us functioning in full. That’s a shadow and type for our spiritual lives. We need the Word DAILY to keep functioning in full. To keep our energy up. To keep our muscles and minds firing on all cylinders. It is a daily process we need to repeat again and again. We need to be praying every time we do for Ruach HaKodesh’s guidance and correction. For revelation about what we’re reading. For insight. For instructions on HOW to apply it. When we engage DAILY, it makes ALL the difference. No more starving between meals. No more dizzy spells and flashes of weakness. We can be strong in HIS might. Strong in HIS joy. Because the Word gives us access to partnership with Him. And that is worth remembering.

Daily Affirmation of the Goodness of Elohim: Psalm 119:105

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” The Word is RADAR for our hearts. Darkness isn’t fun. You can’t see anything. Everything that is comforting and good during the daylight hours turns into sharp-edged opportunities for bruised toes. Or opportunities to trip and fall. Or to knock something down. It’s hard to navigate in the dark – especially if you live with other people who may move things around without you knowing it. Spiritually, the world is full of minefields. Full of things people or the devil are shifting around. Easy to stub toes. Easy to trip. The Word cuts through all that with laser-like precision. It is the 3D full-scope radar that shows us everything that can cause us harm and everything that will do us good. Adonai gave it to us by having Ruach HaKodesh write it down through anointed people with a true desire for Adonai’s heart. It helps us, warns us, builds us up, and provides strategy against our enemies. It helps us pull down strongholds and bind up those thoughts that would seek to sink deep and detonate inside us. It’s always relevant and Adonai never contradicts it or opposes it. He gave us a reliable tool. He gave us a school to train our minds. He gave us the path that always and ever leads directly to His throne if we’ll submit to what we find in it. 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