Fear No Fear

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

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.
Matthew 5:9 (emphasis added)

Children are not natural scrappers. They’re natural acceptors. They accept everyone who is decent and loving. Strangers. Family. Different cultures. Different races. Babies just people well. As they grow, we teach them differently. We teach them how to strife. We teach them how to argue. How to be selfish. We are not born sinners. We are born in sin. Dead spirits. An inclination to choose evil. It seems to come naturally to us. But that is what a dead spirit does. Without any checks on our selves, we have only the flesh to look toward. To have our feelings determine what we think is happening. To look with our eyes. To hear with our ears. And without any other input, getting stuck learning what the world is about from our five senses and what we are told from those who raise us. We learn our prejudices. Against each other. Against philosophies. Against economic and political systems. Against God.

“Whoever therefore humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. Whoever receives one such little child in my name receives me, but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to stumble, it would be better for him if a huge millstone were hung around his neck and that he were sunk in the depths of the sea” (Matthew 18:4–6). How many of us will be called to account for what we have taught our children? I am always grateful that the Lord is merciful. That the Lord is gracious. That the Lord is always willing to correct us, to accept our repentance, and teach us in the ways we should go—and to teach our children (Deuteronomy 6:1–9). To admit our faults, our wrong teaching, and to re-instruct them the way the Lord intended them to learn. Just as we were re-taught by others the Lord sent our way.

The world has often taken advantage of children. We’ve corrupted them. Taken advantage of their simplicity. We look down on them. Almost scorning them for their inability to understand and fathom the complex things of life. Yet, God says that we should be like them. “Jesus called a little child to himself, and set him in the middle of them and said, “Most certainly I tell you, unless you turn and become as little children, you will in no way enter into the Kingdom of Heaven” (Matthew 18:2–3). Children have a truthfulness to them. They speak truth as they see it. As it is shown to them. Without a filter. Without malice. Without agenda. They have an honesty about themselves. Something adults lack. When you tell something to a child, they believe it. When you tell something to an adult, they seek to understand it. They need to reason against it. They need to have it explained to them. They want it shown. Sometimes refusing to believe if it cannot be ‘proven’ (John 20:25).

Jesus appreciates our desire to see, hear, taste, smell, and touch. When He walked the earth as a man, He FELT the same way. But like us, he put it aside to have faith in the unseen things. “Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed”” (John 20:29). The world wasn’t made out of nothing. But by the Will and the Word of God, it was made by that which we cannot see. Spiritual material. The physical world we know so well is just a shadow. Which is hard to understand. I’m not sure if we ever CAN really understand. We can understand the idea of it, though. God took the things of HIMSELF and created the things WE know. We can believe the Lord exists and that He rewards those who seek Him (Hebrews 11:6). But it must be by faith. It isn’t that the Lord won’t manifest something for us to see. It isn’t that no one will be caught up in visions or dreams or even to set foot in Heaven for a time. But those things aren’t necessary to our belief. They are not the foundation of what we believe.

This is why idle words are so vital to avoid. Not just because EVERY word is a seed (Matthew 12:36–37). Because our body is like a child. If you lie to a child, they learn not to trust you. Not to listen to you. That what you say may or may not be worth paying attention to—but you’ll have to convince them. When we use idle words (words that don’t mean what we really mean on their face value), we train our bodies not to listen to us. How can we hope to learn to walk in victory when we can’t even tell ourselves the truth? Every word we say needs to be said with INTENT. We need to make sure to walk in the truth whether in small things or in large things. “These are the things that you shall do: speak every man the truth with his neighbour. Execute the judgment of truth and peace in your gates, and let none of you devise evil in your hearts against his neighbour, and love no false oath; for all these things that I hate,” said Yahweh” (Zechariah 8:16–17).

The Lord cares about the truth. We need to care about the truth. The truth sets us free. “Jesus therefore said to those Jews who had believed him, “If you remain in my word, then you are truly my disciples. You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free”” (John 8:31–32). It sets us free not only because it is true, but because we can trust that truth. We can train ourselves to trust it. We can speak it. Learn it. Walk in it. But only if we approach it like a child. In honest simplicity. Not looking to seek ‘deep truths’, but to believe what the Word says. Just to believe. The Lord says it, we agree with it. Not because we are mindless followers, but because we know that He is trustworthy and never lies. That what He promises, He is also able to perform (Romans 4:21). There is value in theology. There is value in deep study. But there is a blessing in believing what the Lord says because He is the one who said it.

A believer of the Word will be a pursuer of peace. A believer will always think of ways to please the Lord. A believer loves the Lord and WANTS to obey Him. Wants to do what the Lord loves, because the Lord loves it. Not to earn brownie points. Not to earn anything. Just to see Him smile. To get close to the Lord and see the Lord get close to themselves. To feel the peace of the Lord descend around them. For where the Lord is, peace is (2 Thessalonians 3:16). The more we bring the Lord to those around us, the more peace we spread. Because at its core the Good News is a message of peace. Peace between God and man. A solution for sin. A restitution of our relationship with God. “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body, and be thankful” (Colossians 3:15). What a wonderful thing. What great news to spread. We can get right with God! We spread this message and spread peace.
“If it is possible, as much as it is up to you, be at peace with all men” (Romans 12:18). With love, we can spread the Word. With love, we can let others see the difference Jesus makes. With love, we can let the world know the peace that is possible to collect. We can show it with every breath we take and every action we take. With every word we speak and with every encouragement we take. We can be carriers of the Lord’s peace. We can be peacemakers. Believing what the Word says. Telling others what the Word says. And spreading the Kingdom.

Daily Affirmation of God’s Love: Isaiah 26:3–4

The world is chaotic and every day it is getting more and more out of control. The economy. The way the governments interact with each other. The way political groups interact with each other. The way people demand their rights and freedoms. The way people demand others acknowledge that their feelings are more than feelings. The way we all seem to bend over backwards trying to make the world dance around our wants and needs. When almost eight billion people feel that way though, you can understand the confusion, mess, and issues that could arise. There is such anxiety, trouble, and fear in the world. The answer isn’t more war, violence, hoarding of money, and bending others to our will. No. The answer is a simple program covered by the Lord: “For He who would love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit. Let him turn away from evil and do good. Let him seek peace and pursue it” (1 Peter 3:10–11). When faced with the chaos the world generates, we need to double-down on the peace of God. To seek His will. To be obedient to His calling. We need to seek the Lord and show others what we find: His peace. We could all use more of it.

Your Daily Confession of God’s love to YOU:

Today God loves that I _______.