Fear No Fear

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

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.“

John 15:1

Superheroes are a unique American invention. They didn’t really exist before Americans started making them. ‘Hugo Hercules’ ran in the Chicago Tribune in 1902 and was the first comic superhero. Buck Rodgers followed in 1928 in Amazing Stories. The rest is history. First America, then Canada, and then the world started creating superheroes. These were sometimes ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances, but it soon became people who were imbued with supernatural powers (not necessarily magic or the occult – like Superman). They used these powers to do good or to do evil. It was all about using something more than yourself to solve problems and fix situations that were completely beyond yourself. It became a solid dream for hundreds and thousands of children. It is an idea that at some level appeals to us all.

This modern fantasy is adored by millions. Marvel Studios alone has generated revenue of just under thirty billion dollars (revenue, not profit) since they started their cinematic universe in 2008. Other studios have been vying for some of that pie too. Because the idea sells. Seeing an issue beyond yourself and getting the power to fix it yourself. It’s the same idea that the devil had the snake present to Eve in the garden. He deceived her into thinking there was a situation beyond herself that needed fixing and presented her with the means for her to do it herself. I’m not saying superheroes are evil per se, just pointing out that it is a common human flaw to dream of doing it ourselves. We have that dream and Eve was able to be deceived by that dream because the truth is that for anything of true value to be accomplished, we need Adonai involved. Not ‘involved’ like He is hanging around to give a hand, but ‘involved’ meaning that He is the starting point, the fuel, the method, and the end. WE cooperate with HIM, not the other way around. In other words, He is the SOURCE, and we are the contact point.

We cannot do anything if Adonai isn’t doing it. When we try to accomplish things, we just muddle around. Our best efforts don’t count for much. They work on a HUMAN level from time to time, but that level is FAR BELOW where things should be. Who wants to make the prettiest pile of trash in the dump? The dream is to make something real that isn’t trash. For that, we NEED Adonai. And to cooperate with Him, WE need to change. WE need to humbly submit to His rightful position. WE need to align with Him. WE need to find out what His point of view is. It is us moving to Him so that the impossible is possible. And Jesus is the Way we move.

Without Jesus to guide us by giving us a place to inhabit, we can’t accomplish anything. Without Jesus being the Way for us, we don’t get anywhere. Without Jesus providing the fuel, we have no fire. He is the connection to the Father. He is the vine we are growing out of. If we separate from Him, we’ll have nothing inside us to produce life. No life, no fruit. Just dreams and messy scribbles. The other side of the coin is that if we ARE connected to Him, we are filled with life. We have the ability to grow fruit. To be a blessing. To produce and produce abundantly. When we are connected to Jesus, there is NOTHING that is impossible because Adonai doesn’t SEE the impossible. ALL things are possible when we look at things His way (Matthew 19:26).

This is why Ruach HaKodesh always points us to Jesus. That’s why He never stops talking about He who overcomes (John 16:33). That’s why He is always reminding us of what Jesus said (John 14:26). That’s why He corrects us and guides us and convicts us about trusting in Jesus in EVERY situation (John 16:8). Because JESUS is the path to LIFE. JESUS is the VICTORY. JESUS is the fuel for the fire we are to be in this world (Matthew 5:14-16). It is all accomplished in and through Jesus. He is the VINE. He is our power source. Without Him, we are an unplugged Television. Unable to show the world anything of real beauty or truth. We need Jesus to accomplish anything of what we have been called to do. The walk of a believer is impossible outside of Jesus. We CANNOT do it ourselves. We CANNOT manage it alone. We NEED Jesus. Plain and simple. With HIM we have full, abundant, and joyful life welling up inside us. Without Him, we’re a withered branch, good for nothing but the scrap pile. Jesus is LIFE. Jesus is VICTORY. And the ONLY place we truly belong is in Him.

Daily Affirmation of the Goodness of Elohim: 2 Corinthians 2:14

“But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ, and who reveals the fragrance of the knowledge of him through us in every place.” Adonai doesn’t make losers. Adonai makes winners because Adonai creates us and then places us in Jesus. The more we realise the place that He puts us, the more we can accomplish. It’s like discovering you can play the piano. Or finding out you are great at sports. You might not have considered it before, but when you suddenly find yourself doing what He says you can do the way He says it should be done, the world opens to us. Life becomes richer. Interactions become deeper. And as we go through our lives, we find that there is something to learn about how Jesus loves us in every corner of our lives. Every task. Every action. Every day. There is ALWAYS something new about the love of Jesus to learn. The miracles, the supernatural moments, the mundane chores turned into loving service, they all come because of the love of Jesus. They are the love of Jesus manifested to us. They are the spice that makes life full of majesty and joy. The love of Jesus defeats everything that comes against us, because we get to see how HE sees us. How HE made us. We don’t have to settle for less. We don’t have to settle for how WE feel. We don’t have to settle for what the world says is possible, right, or good. We can have more. We can have what ADONAI says is possible. What HE says is right and good. We can have what JESUS has because we can be in HIM the same way that He is in US. 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