Fear No Fear

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

Being therefore justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ; through whom we also have our access by faith into this grace in which we stand. We rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

Romans 5:1–2 (emphasis added)

People don’t like one size fits all. They really dislike it. They want all the people to get all the things that are tailor made to them. They like to alternate between they have no choice — because of psychology, pharmacology, addiction, mental makeup, genetic predispositions, or weak willpower — and the solution needs to be tailored to their individual needs. There is no end that the human being and the tools at their disposal will go to take responsibility away from themselves. It gives a great excuse to continue bad behaviour. The fact is that we have a choice in these things but it comes with one provision. Our choice can determine an unlimited array of factors when it comes to our physical, mental, and emotional state. But that choice MUST be filtered through the Lord Jesus, or we’re just trying our best against a stacked deck.

Let’s face it. This is a fallen world. There are diseases. There are mutations. There are chemical imbalances. There are injuries. There are addictions — both chemically based and demonically based. There are many, MANY factors for things to go ‘off the rails’ of the designed plan for humanity. On our own we can deal with symptoms. We can learn to manage conditions. But that is about it. Temporary relief is seen as a HUGE success. Anyone who is suffering is happy to have relief. But is relief really the best we can do? Medically speaking, yes. Doctors do their best. They can help with making remission happen and last as long as possible. They can help prevent disease. They can treat and ‘cure’ a bacterial infection — but not guarantee another won’t occur. They can improve your quality of life as you live with a disease or disability or some other such thing. They can manage diseases or conditions that you have. Medical science and treatment has made some massive strides in the last century and it is amazing what they can accomplish. I have great respect for most medical practitioners. If you need them, you need them — and that is 100% okay.

There is something else out there. Total peace of mind and total cure. That is a complete re-alignment of whatever is off centre back to centre. What’s the catch? No catch. There IS a truth. The truth is that it is not OUR centre, but God’s centre. HE gets to say what whole is. Not us. It is HIS standard for morality. It is HIS standard for mental health. It is HIS standard for physical wellness. It is HIS standard for quality of life. It is HIS standard for emotional wellbeing. The LORD gets to choose, because He made everything. If we want to look at it practically, God is the only being that fully witnessed all of creation (including humanity) in a pure and perfect state, so He is the ONLY being able to tell us what whole even is. It has to be done HIS way, in HIS timing, to HIS standards. Don’t lose heart. Don’t be troubled. God hasn’t had a qualified person working for Him yet. God only has dirty or broken vessels to work with because that is the state in which He found us. God meets us where we are. BUT He doesn’t LEAVE us there. He works with us. He renews us. He transforms us. He gets us to where He wants us to be. Or as close to that as we let Him — and sometimes He takes us there firmly.

God sanctifies us completely so that our whole selves (spirit, soul, and body) can be blameless before Him when He comes again (1 Thessalonians 5:23). He has given all of humanity the ability to accept the right to become His children — if they will believe in Him (John 1:12). He chose us. Before we were formed (Jeremiah 1:5), we were chosen (John 15:16). If we are willing to answer. If we CHOOSE to accept Him. Then we can walk in a newness that includes more than just our spirits, souls, or minds. “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new. But all things are of God, who reconciled us to himself through Jesus Christ, and gave to us the ministry of reconciliation; namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not reckoning to them their trespasses, and having committed to us the word of reconciliation. 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 5:17–21).

ALL things are made new. ALL things are now of God — which can mean we should only see that which He brings down or that we should bring Him into all things (I prefer the latter, but I am open to correction by Him on this. We can always use more light and commentary by the Spirit on the Word). We are totally reconciled and are ambassadors of Christ to this world. New creations. The righteousness of God in Jesus. That’s HUGE. We would not be good ambassadors if we were fearful worry-warts. We would not be good ambassadors if we were always getting sick and fighting something off. We would not be good ambassadors if we were getting disease or allowing diseases to take those around us. I’m not criticising anyone or saying I have it all mastered and under my belt. I’m on this journey the same as anyone else. My point is that if these things are what we look like most of the time, how would someone from the world know that we were from the Kingdom? If they came into church and we were sick, diseased, depressed, and scared of what might be around the corner, why would they stay to get saved? We’d look exactly the same as the crowd down at the beer garden.

That is NOT to say that the Lord can’t use people who are ill. Paralysed people. Diseased people. Crippled people. Sick people. God can use ANYONE. God can take ANY life freely and humbly offered in obedience and use them for the Kingdom (Romans 8:28). I know of a wonderful christian woman who is in a wheelchair and has been for most of her life. Why isn’t she healed? You can’t tell me God can’t do it or that He doesn’t want to. Of course He does. And you can’t say it’s for her testimony because any testimony of struggling through circumstances with the help of Jesus will be blown out of the water by a testimony of total healing by Jesus. Total instantaneous healing is ALWAYS God’s best and what He wants. So why isn’t she healed? There could be thousands and thousands of reasons, circumstances, and things stopping it. I’m not her. I can’t say. I CAN say that she is a wonderful Christian woman and has helped a LOT of people in the name of Jesus and I thank God for her. But I also know it isn’t His best because the Word says His best is instantaneous, total healing.

By instantaneous, I mean within a very short period of time. In Jesus’ ministry we see people walking a ways before the healing manifested. Washing mud off eyes. Being prayed for twice. Hobbling out of a grave. It can take a little time because it can take US time to move. To move like we are healed. To trust and accept that what the Lord says is so, IS so. To access our faith and believe. To make that choice. Sometimes it takes some time to decide a lifetime of doctors notes, tests, and results are less real that what God says is real and possible. But we CAN do it. Whenever we DO do it, we have our healing if we prayed with faith and did not doubt. “Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. For most certainly I tell you, whoever may tell this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ and doesn’t doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is happening, he shall have whatever he says. Therefore I tell you, all things whatever you pray and ask for, believe that you have received them, and you shall have them. Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone; so that your Father, who is in heaven, may also forgive you your transgressions. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your transgressions”“ (Mark 11:22–26).

What is the key? Using the faith of God. We have it. We were ALL given it. AND we were ALL given the same amount. From Adam to Abraham to Noah to Moses to David to Isaiah to Micah to Jesus to Paul to Peter to John to Spurgeon to Wesley to Duplantis to Copeland to Laurie to you and to me. We ALL have the SAME faith. It is God’s faith and He has given us a portion of it. “For I say through the grace that was given me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of yourself more highly than you ought to think; but to think reasonably, as God has apportioned to each person a measure of faith” (Romans 12:3). We ALL have it. What you DO with it. Where you APPLY it. How much you STRENGTHEN it with daily doses of the Word applied with INTENT (Romans 10:17). THAT is the difference between us. Not what is POSSIBLE, but what we BELIEVE is possible. Jesus knew He could move the mountain they were standing on — but the Father didn’t show Him to do that, so He didn’t. The disciples figured it was impossible to kill a plant with words, but the Father showed Jesus that it was necessary so He did it. One lesson it taught was the power of words. Another lesson it taught was that branches which bear no fruit are removed (Matthew 7:17–20; John 15:1–7). The disciples marvelled. For Jesus it was just another day of faith.

We have this faith. It can produce mighty things if we operate it according to the Word. I can’t go outside on a rainy day and demand sun because I want it. What about the plants that need the rain? What about those who love and pray for rain? There’s nothing in that kind of praying but human whim. But when there is a severe storm I can pray and command in faith that it doesn’t in any way damage my property. I’m not asking for anything I am not allowed. I am a tither and am eligible for the devourer to be rebuked for my sake: “I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast its fruit before its time in the field,” says Yahweh of Armies” (Malachi 3:11). That is faith in action according to the Word. And it works. I’ve seen it in action in my life and in those I know.

What about more serious things? What about my life? My thoughts? Those feelings that assail me? What about my depression or anxiety? What about my addiction problem? God can take care of all of it. You can be healed from all things that need healing, delivered from all things that need delivering, and supernaturally renewed to what you were meant to be by the Lord God. Faith is what makes all that possible, because faith is the key that opens the door of Grace that Jesus leads us through. When we walk in Grace, we can be content with who we are right now as we work toward improvement and further renewal by the Father through Jesus by Grace which we have with faith. It can be fast. It can be longer. One thing after another, it will take our lifetime. There is ALWAYS something to let Jesus work on in us. There is always sanctification that can be accomplished in us by Him. His work for humanity was finished through the cross and the resurrection lets us into that finishing. He did all the healing He is ever going to do by His stripes — physically AND spiritually. He did all the redeeming of our sin He is ever going to do on the cross. He did it all then for ALL of time from the foundation of the world to the rolling up at the end. All WE need to do is accept it by faith through Grace.

We are justified by our faith in Him. Our faith in Jesus brings us into the peace of God. The peace of God is ours by Grace — we certainly don’t deserve it on our own merit — through Jesus, who we access by faith. Our hope is in and for the perfection of our renewal which will happen when we stand before the Lord God Almighty face to face in heaven. Until then, we’re being renewed daily. Daily strengthened. Corrected daily. Daily healed. Daily justified by the work that Jesus does in us. We don’t need fear. We don’t need any of those babies of fear: depression, anxiety, addiction, worry, troublesome thoughts, lust, immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance, and folly (Mark 7:20–23; 1 Corinthians 6:9–11). We can kick all that to the curb when we abide in Jesus and make Him our stronghold in times of trouble (Psalm 91). We can walk in the peace of God in a way that will bring the world knocking on our door wondering HOW we have what we have, HOW we can be the way we are, and HOW can they have it too? Our light will be so bright because Jesus will be shining through clear windows, unsmudged by fear. Washed by faith by Jesus, in Jesus, and through Jesus. We can walk in peace at ALL times, ALWAYS.

Daily Affirmation of God’s Love: 1 Thessalonians 5:5–10

Wouldn’t it be nice to be free of our prejudice? To be free of our ‘feelings’ that seem to dominate our thinking? To see things like God does? To treat people as He does? Of course, that means we need to understand how He thinks of things. How He views people. It will take love. The world prefers to slumber. Not to address those things. It can take you to some very uncomfortable places. The world prefers to put its fingers in its ears and sing la-la-la-la-la as loud as it can. To ignore the logic and common sense that are being ignored and abused. To ignore the niggling feelings of guilt and doubt. If you are feeling guilty it isn’t because someone convinced you something is wrong. That is easily dealt with. But that feeling deep in your spirit that what you want is wrong? That’s God whispering truth to you. It can be uncomfortable, so the world likes to ignore it and sleep through it all. It will sleep right up until it is set on fire. God calls us to smarten up. To wake up and be vigilant. Starting with ourselves and ending with the dialogue that the world sends our way. Using our faith to hold fast to His truth. Using His love to interpret everyone we come into contact with. Wearing our salvation not as a badge, but as an attainable reward for seeking the Lord. The crowning achievement Jesus works in us that He can also work in everyone else — the ones we love while sticking with our faith. To stay awake and not be put to sleep. To stand for what we know to be truth — the Word and what it represents. It is NOT always easy. But it is right, and good, and what we are called to do. To love others by His standards because He loves us. Jesus loved. Jesus also proclaimed truth. Never belittled, always challenged in a positive way, and never compromised. Truth in love and love in truth. It’s what we were appointed to do and to embody.

Your Daily Confession of God’s love to YOU:

Today God loves that I _______.