Fear No Fear

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

In his days, the righteous shall flourish, and abundance of peace, until the moon is no more. He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, from the River to the ends of the earth.
Psalm 72:7–8 (emphasis added)

This scripture is considered one of the markers of the Messiah. An empire stretching from sea to sea is an expansive one. Certainly larger than anything under the control of any of Israel’s kings. When Messiah comes — they teach — he will found a kingdom so vast it will reach the shores of both seas and that will be proof that this is indeed Messiah. Of course, Jesus gave birth to the church-age on the cross and ushered in God’s Kingdom which covers the whole earth. So, while some Jews are looking for a physical kingdom as proof of Messiah (they won’t believe until the 2nd Coming and the Millennial Kingdom — 1 Thessalonians 4:16–17; Revelation 20:1–3), others see this verse as one among many that point to Jesus as Messiah (or ‘mashiach’, Anointed One). These ARE the days of Jesus as King.

“I command you before God who gives life to all things, and before Christ Jesus who before Pontius Pilate testified the good confession, that you keep the commandment without spot, blameless until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which at the right time he will show, who is the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords” (1 Timothy 6:13–15). We get to have two applications of this verse then. The one we get to live now, in the Kingdom of God, the spiritual country stretching across the globe and reaching every heart who welcomes Jesus as Lord, Saviour, God, and King (Romans 10:9–11). We will ALSO get the other application, the future one where Jesus walks this earth again as the Triumphant Lord of Lords, establishes a physical kingdom to rule the planet, and brings the remnant of Israel into believing fellowship with Him (Romans 9:27–29). This is not a remnant with the rest being slaughtered for unbelieving Christ-killers. Remember: The Jewish nation is the olive tree WE GENTILES are grafted into (Romans 11:23–24). If you read those verses you see it is a small group that failed to believe Jesus was Messiah. This is NOT a doctrine of replacement. The Jews are the Beloved Children of Almighty God and always will be. We step-kids can join in with them and learn from them. That is the Grace of the New Covenant to the Gentile. Us gaining their culture as our own and all of us looking to Jesus the finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:1–2).

These are the days of Jesus, King over us all and head of the church (Ephesians 1:22–23). As such, we get the promise of the rest of the verse. The righteous shall flourish and live in an abundance of peace. Looking around the world, you can see that we can flourish in many ways, but the world as a whole doesn’t have an abundance of peace yet. This leads to a logical and reasonable conclusion that we’re talking about spiritual peace. Which is not bad in ANY way. Spiritual peace helps us rise above our physical situation. My circumstances can be victorious while my situation appears poor. Peter and John were victorious while locked up in prison (Acts 5:17–18) and when beaten (Acts 5:40–41). Paul and Silas were victorious when beaten AND thrown in prison (Acts 16:22–25). Our situation is never our circumstance. Joseph’s situation was prisoner, but his circumstance was future second in command of all of Egypt during its height of power (Genesis 39:20–23).

Tell me. What are you going to be? An inhabitor of your circumstance? Or an inhabitor of your situation? Our situation is wherever we find ourselves. Whether that is the poorest of the poor places, the richest of the rich places, a tropical island, or a warzone, we can have peace. “But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we certainly can’t carry anything out. But having food and clothing, we will be content with that. But those who are determined to be rich fall into a temptation, a snare, and many foolish and harmful lusts, such as drown men in ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some have been led astray from the faith in their greed, and have pierced themselves through with many sorrows” (1 Timothy 6:6–10). Contentment means we can be satisfied with where we are while working to improve our situation. Contentment means we are not envious of other people’s things, jealous of prosperous people, not judgmental if someone is doing better than us, and perfectly fine if our situation doesn’t improve. It is a gift of the Lord. It’s meant to protect us from our habit of asking for things we don’t realise we either aren’t ready for or that would harm us (James 4:3–6). When we are content, our situation doesn’t matter. We rest in the shadow of the Almighty saying He is our strength and fortress (Psalm 91). Unharmed under fire. Protected as we walk in humble obedience. The Word as our path and the Holy Spirit as our guide.

When THAT is our mindset, it is a very short step to decide to inhabit our circumstance. Circumstance is a condition or fact accompanying, conditioning, or determining an essential or inevitable concomitant (which is something that accompanies or is collaterally connected with something else). In other words, our circumstance is how God sees us arriving in the victory that Jesus connected to us through the resurrection. Jesus said it is FINISHED. Jesus paid the price, meeting the conditions of sin, and when resurrected opened up to us the inevitable sanctifying path to the Father’s arms. The world wants you to be careful (full of care), but the Lord wants you to be thankful (full of thanks — 1 Thessalonians 5:18). This is more than just saying thanks every time something happens — gladly when it is good and with gritted teeth when less than desirable. We need to be intentful in our daily routine so as to invite thankfulness and reduce the opportunities for sin to knock at our door.

Remember 1 John 3:9 “Whoever is born of God doesn’t commit sin, because his seed remains in him, and he can’t sin, because he is born of God.” We were born again in Christ. We do not sin by nature. Sin is outside our heart’s door (Genesis 4:7). If we live with intent, we will help keep our flesh from opening the door. Face it. The flesh is like an accepting puppy. It’ll greet ANYTHING. But intent is a clearly formulated planned intention (or aim). The design or purpose to commit righteousness. Our clearly formulated plan is the Word (Psalm 119:105). Our aim is Jesus (Ephesians 5:1–2). If we are intentful instead of careful, we will be living with an eye on our circumstance while avoiding the pitfalls of our situation. This is not about perfection, this is about a strategy to put sin down. A strategy to rule sin instead of sin ruling us. We were FREED from that. We were ENABLED to be victorious. Jesus was victorious every day of His life on this earth. Right from the cradle to the cross. He invites us to leap out of the boat of our unbelief and walk on the storm of doubt.

You only need to believe a little bit. Just a tiny, TINY amount. But it has to be more than something you know. It has to be more than something you are believing for. It has to be more than something you believe from your head to your toes that God CAN do for you or anyone else. It has to be TRUE FAITH. Inside your HEART faith. Known the way you know God exists. Known the way you know you were saved. Known the way you know you’re alive. TRUE FAITH. So few people have it. But we all can get it. We get everything that we have faith for. If you have good doctor faith, you’ll have a good doctor. If you have good medical procedure faith, you’ll have good medical procedures. But if you have good I WAS HEALED faith, nothing can so much as come on you. A germ or virus hits you and IT crumbles and dies. Peter had half a mustard seed and walked on water right up to the arms of Jesus. If he’d had a whole seed maybe the two of them would have walked to the shore and waited for the others. This isn’t crazy. This isn’t unbiblical. Jesus talks about it all through the Gospels and the Holy Spirit wrote it onto almost every page of the Word.

It works for ALL THINGS that are Word-based, promised by the Lord, confirmed in both context and in other places of the Word (it echoes and re-echoes the promises of God), and directed by the Holy Spirit. This is the spiritual blessing we have already been given: victorious living. The only thing that can come against us is persecution because we believe in Jesus. Even THAT is an opportunity to be victorious. Are there martyrs in this world? Yes there are. And each one won a victory staying steadfast in their faith. There is NOTHING this world can do to us (Matthew 10:28). We need to run the race (1 Corinthians 9:24–25). Finish it with faithfulness (1 Corinthians 1:1–9). And make sure we haven’t turned to the right or the left (Proverbs 4:27).

This is flourishing. This is living in the abundance of peace in our spirits. It will have a habit of pouring out from our spirit into the rest of our lives and into the lives of those around us too (Luke 6:35–38). “In the same way, the Spirit also helps our weaknesses, for we don’t know how to pray as we ought. But the Spirit himself makes intercession for us with groanings which can’t be uttered. He who searches the hearts knows what is on the Spirit’s mind, because he makes intercession for the saints according to God” (Romans 8:26–27). We don’t always know how to pray. But we are made of spirit. And we have the Holy Spirit within us. Our spirit can join with THE Spirit in prayer. We can pray in the spirit about all things at all times (Ephesians 6:18–20). For ourselves. For others. We can take the fight into the realm of spirit where the devil can’t understand a thing we say and so cannot develop a strategy to take us down. If we use the tools of the Spirit that we have been given access to, then we can stand hand in hand with the Lord God Almighty as we TOGETHER change all the situations we find ourselves in to the circumstances He has called us to (Romans 8:28).

This is how you can crucify fear forever. Tacking it up to the cross daily and walking away from it in the total peace of God. WITH God we can accomplish all things (Matthew 19:26) because it is JESUS who DOES THE THINGS in and through us (Philippians 4:11–13). If this is how we are called to live, you will find it simple to walk in it. It takes effort. We have to take our flesh to task (Matthew 16:24–25), but we have a righteous nature which makes it easier to handle because we can call on and rely on Jesus. Without Jesus we cannot do anything (John 15). We NEED the Lord Jesus every day. If we are thankful for our circumstances at all times, we will be able to slip into an intentful mindset when we tackle our situation — thanking the Lord again with where we are, what we’re going, and when He is doing the work that will take us from here to Him. This peace, this quiet peace before the Throne, is a lifestyle of thanksgiving (1 Thessalonians 4:11–12).

This is faith. Faith in action. Faith in practice. There is no fear in this life of victory. This life of learning in our heart what we know in our spirit. Calling the things that are not into where we can see them, feel them, and experience them (Romans 4:17–18). Living a life of righteous morals. Living a life where the Word is never far from our eyes. Taking responsibility to keep the things of the Lord the primary landscape of our thoughts. To live with intent, making sure all we do, all we say, and all we think is in accordance with the Word. Striving to inhabit the mind of Christ as He turns us into Him. Amen.

Daily Affirmation of God’s Love: 1 Corinthians 10:11-12

Written for our benefit. Examples to us. Make sure you don’t forget them. This is the gist of these verses. Prior to them we see people who rejoice in sexual immorality, running to it like a bride to her beloved. We see idolaters who revelled in their worship of something they had made themselves. People who did not crave the fellowship of and right standing with Adonai Elohim. People who craved the opposite. It does not say these things didn’t feel good. It does not say these things were disgusting. It does not say that these things were vile, horrible, or useless. It doesn’t even imply that they weren’t enjoyable. It clearly states that from Adonai’s point of view they were UNACCEPTABLE. They did not mesh with LIFE, but were the thinking of death. They did not lead to a good place. They did not promote clear thinking or righteous feelings. Look around the world and ask yourself if there are things out there that feel good, that are made by our hands or our thinking, that are enjoyable, and are crave-worthy BUT do NOT line up with Adonai’s point of view. Things that may SEEM to be a good thing, but ultimately speak death. Travelling in a jet going mach 4 feels GREAT – until you hit that mountain peak you didn’t see. Pride goes before the fall (Proverbs 16:18-19). When we stand there wasting time pointing our finger at others and saying ‘Look at that! Look at how foolish they’re being!’, it should ALWAYS catch in our throat and cause us to look at our own lives, our own opinions, our own thinking, and our own actions. Adonai loves us SO MUCH. He gives us examples so that we can more easily order our steps after His. So that we can clearly see His point of view. So that we can align ourselves to act, speak, think, and believe harmoniously with Adonai Elohim. Adonai is gracious and merciful. It is a JOY to walk in His steps. It is a BLESSING to see Him smile on us. Watch the lessons of the Word. Look to what people did – people whose actions are echoed so strongly in the world today – and choose to stand on the side of Adonai every time. Never by accident. always on purpose. Choosing Adonai in love and changing ourselves to reflect Him more and more every day.

Your Daily Confession of God’s love to YOU:

Today God loves that I _______.