Fear No Fear

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

Don’t fret because of evildoers, neither be envious against those who work unrighteousness.
Psalm 37:1 (emphasis added)

God is the Lord God Almighty. Period. He is the Lord. He is God. He is above all things. There is NO OTHER besides Him (Deuteronomy 4:35). You can KNOW it (Psalm 46:10). He is worthy of the acknowledgement of who He is (1 Kings 18:39). He doesn’t hide who He is (Psalm 27:8). If you seek Him, He will tell you EXACTLY who you are (Exodus 3:14).

“Shout for joy to Yahweh, all you lands! Serve Yahweh with gladness. Come before his presence with singing. Know that Yahweh, he is God. It is he who has made us, and we are his. We are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him, and bless his name. For Yahweh is good. His loving kindness endures forever, his faithfulness to all generations” (Psalm 100).

He can do ANYTHING that He wants to (Jeremiah 32:27). He is the Living God AND the everlasting KING (Jeremiah 10:10). God has done things that are beyond our reasoning. Beyond our explanation. When they are witnessed, we KNOW that HE did it. “As soon as we had heard it, our hearts melted, and there wasn’t any more spirit in any man, because of you: for Yahweh your God, he is God in heaven above, and on earth beneath” (Joshua 2:11). He is our God (2 Samuel 22:32). He is our ROCK (Psalm 18:31). He made the heavens and the earth and is the God of all the kingdoms of the earth – whether they acknowledge Him or not (2 Kings 19:15, Isaiah 37:16).

Since all of this is true (and more – read Job 38-41), who am I to question Him? I am human, so I do it. But really… who am I? On my own I am not on my own power or own merits worthy of His love and affection, much less righteousness, blessing, or fair judgment. Yet I am. “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have ordained, what is man, that you think of him? What is the son of man, that you care for him? For you have made him a little lower than Elohim, and crowned him with glory and honor. You make him ruler over the works of your hands. You have put all things under his feet” (Psalm 8:3-6). It isn’t because of ME, I assure you. It is ALL because of HIM.

He loved me first (1 John 4:9-19). He loves me best – He died for me (John 3:16-18). He gives me His wisdom (James 3:17). He gives me peace (John 14:17). He gives me free will (Galatians 5:13). He gives me dominion over my environment (Romans 6:14, 1 Peter 4:11, Psalm 8, Genesis 2:15). And He invites me to participate with Him in doing all that He wants to do here on the earth (Matthew 19:26). We have the Word to guide my thoughts along His path (Psalm 119:105). We have the Holy Spirit dwelling within us to guide us, correct us, give life to our bodies, encourage us, and point us toward Jesus (John 16:13, 1 Corinthians 2:10-13). I have Jesus who will never leave me or forsake me (Hebrews 13:5-8). If this is all true, and it is, then who am I to grab hold of damaging opinions and ideas all on my own?

I have a brain that can reason. I have a mind that thinks and figures things out. I have read and do read many things on many subjects. I’m interested in a lot of things. I don’t have eyes blind to the things of the world – good and bad. But who am I to make up my mind? Really? I am stuck in the Arrow of Time. I can’t go back and forth and gauge my actions. I cannot see the end result of things here on the earth, much less the things that happen after that. I’m not good at any of that because it is NOT the capacity of a human being. That’s why secular thinkers want to convince you that since MANY, MANY of the deities worshipped by humanity over the eons have been made up by humanity, they ALL must be. They have a vested interest to decide God is subjective and not objective. But Yahweh God IS objective. The God of the Bible. The God of Israel. The God of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob. THAT God is OBJECTIVE: ‘of, relating to, or being an object, phenomenon, or condition in the realm of sensible experience independent of individual thought and perceptible by all observers : having reality independent of the mind’. He can be perceived all on His own ‘perceived without distortion by personal feelings, prejudices, or interpretations.’ God doesn’t need us to know Him to exist. He exists regardless of what we do, what we think, and what we know.

Since I worship a God who is independent of human thinking. Who didn’t give us a book full of human thinking. Who doesn’t conform Himself to human thinking. Why would I think that what I THINK matters to Him? This is truth: it doesn’t matter. Since that is true, why are we getting so bent out of shape about what happens with people who are not ourselves?? We get that way. God knew we would and put warnings about it in the Word (Proverbs 3:31, 24:1-2; Psalm 73). One of the harshest about envy is in Galatians 5:19-21 “Now the deeds of the flesh are obvious, which are: adultery, sexual immorality, uncleanness, lustfulness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, strife, jealousies, outbursts of anger, rivalries, divisions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these; of which I forewarn you, even as I also forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit God’s Kingdom.” That is serious stuff.

It is NONE OF MY BUSINESS if the wicked seem to prosper. They are going where no one in their right mind would want to do. It is NONE OF MY BUSINESS if the wicked DO prosper. It isn’t my affair. That’s between them and the Lord. If they do not turn to Him, they are going to get judged (Hebrews 9:27-28). MY business is their spiritual welfare. MY business is spreading the Gospel message. MY business is the Good News that God isn’t mad at them, disappointed with them, upset with them, or wanting them judged. This is the TIME OF MERCY. This is the time to come to our senses and turn to the Lord. MY BUSINESS is to be praying for them. To pray that the ministers of the harvest get to their doors and bring them into the Kingdom (Matthew 9:37-38). MY BUSINESS is to be willing and obedient if the Lord tells me I am one of those ministers for someone. I pray for those who appear to be wicked. I don’t know if ANYONE is wicked because I cannot see their hearts. I go by whether the Holy Spirit has asked me to pray for someone or a situation. There is no judgment – who knows how many people were called on to pray for me so that I could come into the Kingdom (I can think of quite a few and that’s without stretching).

The unbelievers in this world are not my enemy. Those persecuting believers and other innocents are not my enemy. What is BEHIND THEM is. I pray for the enemies of the church, of believers, of Jesus the Christ, of Israel. I pray for them. I pray that the example of love and trust in the Lord witnesses to them. I pray that the angels sent by the Father to minister to His children will leave such a presence that they will know something supernatural is happening. I pray that their blindness will come to an end. I pray that they come to the knowledge of the Lord God Almighty, and turn to Him for redemption. I pray that their sins are not held against them if such a thing is possible. I pray for them and it hurts me to see what they do. But how can I judge them? How can I look at whatever they are amassing and be jealous of them? How can I say, why do I have to be persecuted and suffer and fast and still not end up with all the things? Why would I want ANYTHING that might make me miss the Lord. No thank you. I’ll go with Jesus on this one: “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?” (Mark 8:36).

The Lord didn’t wait for me to be saved to save me. The Lord didn’t wait for me to be saved before He showed me kindness, love, and blessing. I truly hope that the wicked get all the blessing and good that they can handle if they aren’t going to commit to the Lord before the end of things. It is NOT a good trade, but I would rather have them have some goodness and comfort before the judgment than live in misery. I pray that ALL OF US live closer to the Lord. We can all use it. His Mercy. His Grace. I do not envy the evil people of this world or the massive wealth they collect. I have something so much more than that. I have REAL riches. I have REAL treasure. I have something that CANNOT pass away. AND it will take me with it. I will leave NOTHING behind me. I can take it with me, because it is what takes me.

“We are therefore ambassadors on behalf of Christ, as though God were entreating by us: we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For him who knew no sin he made to be sin on our behalf, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:20-21). This is my business. To be in Jesus, live by Jesus, strive for Jesus, and let Jesus run my life, my world, and submit to His rule with humble brokenness. IN JESUS I am everything (John 15). The world needs to know that. The people around me. The people who read me. The people who hear me. The people the Lord brings across my path. All of them. They NEED to know that Jesus is real, the Father is real, the Holy Spirit is real, they’ve picked their pronouns, they are GOD, and HE IS REAL. And He loves them. He died for them. He made a way for them. He made a way for you. He broke disappointment through the cross. You CANNOT disappoint Him. You CANNOT be disappointed by Him. That is the best news, isn’t it? Tell yourself that every day. Read the Word on it daily. Take communion on it daily. Let it transform the way you think, the way you act, and the way you operate.

Drop envy. It is fear-based. Drop judgment. It is fear-based. Refuse to fear. Refuse to be bitter or judge. Instead, love. Instead, bless. Instead, pray. Let the love of Jesus wash over you, fill you up, overflow you, and splash on everyone around you. Be an ambassador. THAT is your business, and it is mine too. Let’s excel at it.

Daily Affirmation of God’s Love: James 2:15

Seed and harvest. Tree and fruit. Peanut butter and chocolate. Okay, that last one isn’t biblical, but we ARE used to pairing things. That is because the Lord pairs things. We need to pay attention to WHAT He pairs, because it is NOT to harm us. It is to warn and empower us to work as He works (Luke 10:1-9). Thing is, we forget who God is. What God is about. Walk in forgiveness, Walk in love. Walk in mercy. That means not wondering what is wrong with someone when you see them walking in a way you don’t think they should. It means not judging someone or changing how you treat them just because you don’t like their lifestyle or how they refer to themselves or how they dress. The history of the church is unfortunately filled with people acting like people. Telling whole groups of other people they can’t come in because of how they dress or their nationality. How are we supposed to preach to the lost, if we won’t let the lost anywhere near us?? Part of the problem is that we aren’t supposed to be locked up in a building one day a week. Yes, church is vital and provides a great ministry to the body of Christ. But it is meant for the Body of Christ, not the lost. We find the lost where Jesus did. In the streets and the alleys. In the towns and villages. In the cities and by the shore of the seas. THAT is why pairing is so important. Because when we get into the dirty world, the world is in fact dirty. There is sin and wickedness out there. There is stuff outside our comfort zone and we need to show them mercy. To show them love. To meet them where they are at and tell them about the God who is more than enough. If we don’t show that mercy, what will God say to us? Will He be happy that you refused to share Him with the world? No. He will not. Show mercy. It kills a judgmental spirit inside you. Show them how much God loves them by how much YOU love them. Be merciful. Just as He was to you.

Your Daily Confession of God’s love to YOU:

Today God loves that I _______.