Tag Archives: fear

NO FEAR? REALLY? – 18

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John 14:27 NLT‬
[27] “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.”

‭John 14:27 NIV‬
[27] “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

Peace of heart and mind? Is this possible in today’s world?

Well, think of the world in which Jesus uttered those words, to a group of men who had tasted what their world had to offer….To sum up, they faced two intolerable oppressors. Roman occupation squashed their personal freedom in their own land. Religious leaders harassed and bullied them into legalistic spiritual bondage. Imprisoned by these oppressors, every day was a minefield of possible consequences.

Jesus knew what it was like to have enemies so intent on killing Him that they used every trick in the book in their efforts to ensnare Him. He had to be sharp to stay one step ahead until the right time came for Him to be “caught”.

How did He do it? Peace! What was this peace He enjoyed that allowed Him to live every day without fear despite the dangers He faced? He stepped out every day in the consciousness of the Father’s presence and will. That’s peace!

Fear is in the driving seat of those who believe it all depends on them. Trouble is that the next moment, let alone the future, is unknown. “What if” controls the thoughts and beliefs of those who have no connection with Jesus….and those beliefs are mostly driven by the environment of “bad”. What if the next moment is bad – accident, illness, crime, and… and…? And we can do nothing to stop it!

Jesus’ peace was so powerful that it held Him steady in the darkest moments of His life. So, He could say, “My peace is yours as well, if you do what I do.” He refused to function by the threat of circumstances. Instead, He clung to the presence and will of the Father no matter where it took Him because He knew and trusted the Father to do the right thing, always.

‭John 16:33 NLT‬
[33] I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”

Unlike much false preaching today, Jesus never promised us a trouble-free life. On the contrary, He often warned of inescapable trials and troubles, especially for those who follow Him. However, He promised peace in the midst of storms if His peace rules in our hearts.

Peace doesn’t come to us by accident. Peace is the outcome of a choice. Paul counselled, “Trade your anxieties for God’s peace.”

‭Philippians 4:6-7 NLT‬
[6] “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. [7] Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”

Do you get it?

There is a little word injected into Paul’s counsel that is the hub of God’s peace….” thanksgiving”! Anxiety and fear can never co-exist with a grateful heart.

‭Colossians 3:15 NLT‬
[15] “And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.”

‭1 Thessalonians 5:18 NLT‬
[18] “Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”

Again, do you get it?

The peace Jesus bought us through His death, the legacy He left us that will guide us through the maze of life’s struggles, can only come to us by choice. When we consciously and purposefully choose to be thankful despite the issues we face, because He is in charge, peace replaces fear.

Peace, then, is not the absence of trouble. Peace is the conscious awareness of Jesus’ presence despite the trouble. We choose to believe in Him, in His love and goodness to override the trouble and bring good out of it because He promised.

That’s it!

FREEDOM – FROM WHAT? 12

Christian Life, ,

Everyone longs to be free! The desire for freedom drives people to do many strange things… like murder, for example, to get rid of someone who gets in the way of one’s “freedom”, or war to take out or subdue a nation that interferes with another nation’s freedom. What about other kinds of freedom, like freedom from financial woes, freedom from physical ailments, freedom from fear, anxiety, stress and….and….If only I could be free, my life would be so much better.

And so the quest for freedom continues. People do many wrong things for the sake of freedom but, afterwards, are they really free?

Jesus was aware of this drive in people to be free, but He also knew what real freedom is and where it can be found.

In yet another clash with His opponents, including those who supposedly believed in Him, He pointed out that they would die in their sin if they refused to believe in Him. Though they claimed to be descendants of Abraham, they didn’t behave like Abraham.

‭‭John 8:39-41 NLT‬
[39] “Our father is Abraham!” they declared. “No,” Jesus replied, “for if you were really the children of Abraham, you would follow his example. [40] Instead, you are trying to kill me because I told you the truth, which I heard from God. Abraham never did such a thing. [41] No, you are imitating your real father.” They replied, “We aren’t illegitimate children! God himself is our true Father.”

External circumstances are not the cause of real slavery. People will always blame someone or something else for what they feel inside. Slavery is the consequence of sin. Sin enslaves one to guilt, fear, and shame as certainly as the locked door of a prison cell imprisons a law-breaker.

‭John 8:31-32 NLT‬
[31] Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. [32] And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”…
[34] Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave of sin. [35] A slave is not a permanent member of the family, but a son is part of the family forever. [36] So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free.”

In a nutshell, Jesus put His finger on the source of all slavery, sin.

The Apostle Paul put it like this…

‭Romans 6:16 NLT‬
[16]” Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living.”

Trouble is that slavery to sin leads to terrible consequences.

Since everyone is born with a sin nature, inherited from Adam, all people are born slaves to sin. How can we get free from this enslavement since we will inevitably die in our sin unless someone rescues us?

Trying to keep rules won’t save us because, no matter how good we are or try to be now, we have a past we cannot escape. Our debt to God for disobedience is so huge that we could never repay it even if we lived a million years.

So, what’s the solution?

The words of Keith and Kristin Getty’s song answer that question.

“Oh to see the dawn
Of the darkest day
Christ on the road to Calvary
Tried by sinful men
Torn and beaten, then
Nailed to a cross of wood,

Oh to see the pain
Written on your face
Bearing the awful weight of sin
Every bitter thought
Every evil deed
Crowning your blood-stained brow,

This, the power of the cross
Christ became sin for us
Took the blame, bore the wrath
We stand forgiven at the cross.

Oh to see my name
Written in the wounds
For through your suffering I am free
Death is crushed to death
Life is mine to live
Won through your selfless love,

This the power of the cross
Son of God slain for us
What a love, what a cost,
We stand forgiven at the cross.”

Can we be truly free, free to live our lives in peace and contentment, from from issues that cause us to react against people or circumstances?

Jesus said we can if we follow Him.

‭Romans 6:5-8 NLT‬
[5]”Since we have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised to life as he was. [6] We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. [7] For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin. [8] And since we died with Christ, we know we will also live with him….
[17] Thank God! Once you were slaves of sin, but now you wholeheartedly obey this teaching we have given you. [18] Now you are free from your slavery to sin, and you have become slaves to righteous living.”

34]”Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave of sin. [35] A slave is not a permanent member of the family, but a son is part of the family forever. [36] So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free.”

True freedom is a heart at rest with God, oneself, and people, forgiven, free from fear, guilt, and shame, all at Jesus’ expense!

‭Hebrews 2:14-15 NLT‬
[14]”Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. [15] Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying.”

‭Romans 5:1 NLT‬
[1] “Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.”

‭Romans 8:1-2 NLT‬
[1] “So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. [2] And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.”

THE SPIRIT OF SONSHIP

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THE SPIRIT OF SONSHIP

“Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation – but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. For if you live according to the flesh you will die but if, by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live. For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by Him we cry, ‘Abba, Father.’

“The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now, if we are children, then we are heirs – heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in His sufferings in order that we may also share in His glory.” Romans 8:12-17.

What magical words! We are no longer slaves but sons!

We have a Father who is a perfect Dad – not one who disappoints us, who abuses or neglects us or one constantly judges or punishes us because of our immature behaviour. And we have His Spirit who lives in us, who reassures us that we are God’s children and who enables us to call out to our Daddy, “Abba. Pappa!’ because that is who God is to us.

Jesus came to earth primarily to reveal the Father. 

“I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do…I have revealed you to those you gave me out of the world…” John 17:4; 6.

He patiently taught His disciples and showed them by His works the true nature of God as their heavenly Father. The first message He gave to Mary for His disciples after His resurrection was startling, to say the least!

“Jesus said, ‘Do not hold on to me for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'” John 20:17.

The implications are huge! Not only have we been given the right to be called children of God, but we are also on the same level of sonship as Jesus is. Whatever privileges he enjoyed as God’s son are now ours because we is His brothers and sisters.

“In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through suffering.

“Both the one who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters.” Hebrews 2:10, 11.

Wow! Imagine that! There is no God like our God. What grace that we should be called children of God, and even more than that, that Jesus is not ashamed to call us brothers and sisters! This means that God has the same love for us that He has for His Son. We enjoy the same status and privileges that Jesus enjoys. We have been raised with Him and seated with Him in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 2:6); we share His inheritance – His nature (2 Peter 1:3, 4) and we will reign with Him in His eternal kingdom.

“But aren’t you being presumptuous?” you ask. Certainly not if I am simply repeating what God’s word says.

But there is a condition. God’s grace has freed us from the penalty of our sin. He has removed our guilt and re-established us in His family as His sons and daughters. He has given us His Spirit as our Helper. “Now,” says Paul, “you have an obligation to live the life He has freed you to live. No more selfish indulging!”

If we do not respond to God’s grace by putting our sinful ways to death with the help of the Holy Spirit, we will perish just as surely as though we were never rescued and restored to our place in the family of God. Without the evidence of a changed heart and new life, what we claim is nothing but empty words.

Bottom line – only those who are led by the Spirit are the children of God. Are you one of God’s children?

Acknowledgement

THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

MOLLY AND ME – NEUTRALISING THE ENEMY

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When Molly and I began our daily walks, I noticed that she regarded every passer-by; jogger, cyclist, pedestrian, dog walker, employee from the nearby supermarket, casual visitor from out-of-town, and even the guard dogs in the properties on the way, as potential enemies. She would “see them off”, big or small, with a flurry of barks and yelps.

However, as the months passed, she has become selective in her enmity, depending on the reaction of the stranger concerned. Some stop to talk to her, some laugh at her enthusiastic defence of her owner and some squawk or jump away in fear at her bravado. It is to the ones who show fear that she reacts the most, trying her best to attack (naturally from behind), against the constraint of the harness and leash with which I control her.

Now, I would never call Molly a devil or compare her antics with the devil’s devices but, as I strolled along and pondered her behaviour, a thought came to me. In an uncanny way, Molly is able to recognise fear and capitalise on it to intimidate any person who happens in her path exuding (to a dog), the odour of fear.

Our enemy, the devil does the same to us on a spiritual level. Fear is one of his most potent weapons to lure us off track in our walk with the Lord…and he can smell fear a mile away and he is quick to respond.  He is subtle in his suggestions when we are faced with an intimidating situation. What if…? Is God really for me? Did He really promise…? Does He love me? Does He even exist?

Before we know it, our confidence in the love and care of a Heavenly Father is engulfed in the clouds of doubt and fear. We view our Father through the troubles we face and we either don’t see Him at all or He seems far away and out of touch with our very real problems.

When Molly and I walk, I have her firmly under control in a harness and leash which restrain her every effort to do harm to a stranger. She can make noises to deal with the “enemy”, but she can’t touch them as long as I have her in hand.

Despite what we may feel or think, the Father also has the enemy of our souls firmly in His grip. He promised that we would never be tested beyond what we can handle (1 Cor. 10:13). He is not only our place of safety but also the source of everything we need. Our role is to neutralise the enemy by refusing to give way to fear. When fear comes knocking on the door, the truth of God’s promises will keep the door of our hearts closed to the lies of the enemy.

The battle between fear and faith takes place in our minds. We must first redirect our thoughts from the uncertainties of fear to the security of God and His truth. Replace the lies with the truth by purposefully focusing on what He has said, not what the devil suggests.

From there, it’s easy because God takes over and His power kicks in to bring a conclusion to the matter at hand.

MOLLY AND ME – FEAR

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Molly has developed an irrational fear.

For some reason that I cannot understand, she is terrified of my fly swatter. Whenever I swat a fly (and they come in droves, uninvited, when I start to cook dinner) or kill a mosquito, she runs into my neighbour’s house (I live in a granny flat on the property of my son’s parents-in-law) and jumps onto her lap for protection.

Now, Molly has never been abused because I bought her from a breeder at the age of 6 weeks. I have never disciplined her physically, so she has no reason to be afraid of me. In every other way, she trusts me and is affectionate towards me to the point of being clingy at times when I have been out for a while.

Once again, she reminds me of many believers, including me in the past, who mistakenly believer, through ignorance, that difficulties and hard times in our lives mean that God is punishing us for something we have done. We are afraid of God; we don’t trust Him because we think that He is waiting to give us a hard time because of sin.

Satan has a field day in our minds. We hear his accusing voice when we have sinned and we believe the guilt we feel because we are ignorant of the truth. What is the truth?

So now, there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And, because you belong to Him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death (Rom 8:1-2 – NLT).

When Jesus died on the cross, He paid the penalty for all the sin of all people for all time. God is not angry with us when we sin, but sin does disrupt our fellowship with Him. We must acknowledge that He is right and we are wrong when we have sinned and receive the forgiveness and cleansing of the blood of Jesus that He freely gives us (1 John 1:9).

Why does God allow us to have hardships in our lives if it is not punishment for sin? The writer to the Hebrews gives us the answer.

Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? …Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines is for our good, that we might share in His holiness (Heb. 12:7, 10 – NIV).

God passionately longs that we trust Him so implicitly that we never doubt His love, even when we go through hard times. It is in the difficulties we face that we learn that, in all things, He is working for our good that we might become like Jesus, the perfect Son who always trusted His Father’s love, even when He was crucified.

How can I communicate to Molly that I love her and that I would never do anything to hurt her. She does not understand my language and I cannot speak “dog”! I can only demonstrate my love by showing her in my actions that whatever I do is for her good – even to killing the flies that contaminate her food.

But God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners (Rom. 5:8 – NLT).

God wants us to trust that love when trouble and hardships come so that we live our lives every day without fear.

And, as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So, we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face Him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world. Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced His perfect love (1 John 4:17-18).