| God said to Israel: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you, I have summoned you by name, you are mine."(1) Christ has said the same to those that believe on His name and have accepted His gift of salvation. "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light."(2) What an antidote for any and all fear that would attempt to inundate our fellowship with Him. "You came near when I called you, and you said, Do not fear."(3) |
| As the cares of this life attempt to infringe on our peace and trust in God's promises, "fear" will crouch and watch while "faith" will leap and bound to claim His covenant assurances. So often a person captured by some fear is also struggling in their mind (or heart) with how (and if) God's covenant promises apply to them in their particular situation. Faith transcends situational troubles (affliction and ordeal) and releases (looses) God's omnipotent provision into our circumstance(s). There are times God protects us from ourselves by delaying answers to our prayers and petitions so we might come to know what His will is for our plight, especially if we are beckoning His involvement out of fear and not out of trust in His declared faithful promises. |
| Worry is a form of fear and is a consequence (bitter fruit) of fear trouncing our faith. Along with unbelief and sin, fear will ravage one's faith like no other assailant, "... for whatsoever (everything that) is not of faith is sin"(4) Fear can be a stepchild of ignorance, not knowing the Word of God or not being able to effectively and consistently apply the Word of God to our immediate situation. The absence of fear is not faith ... yet, the enemy will attempt to convince and persuade the unsuspecting believer that he can champion and overcome any circumstance through his own strength and might. |
| Faith in our own strength alone is a denial of Christ's sufficiency, His propitiation on the cross and His absolute victory over all forces that would trade in the coinage of fear, even death; "... Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death."(5) Listen ever so intently in these end-time days to messages and teachings that direct your devoted allegiance to anything other than a complete surrender and dependence on the sufficiency of Jesus Christ ... for there are heresies, protesting, counterfeit voices and false 'christian appearing' movements that are fluting the melodies of deception to the unsaved as well as those established on a weak and shifting scriptural foundation. |
| We have entered the season of 2 Tim. 4:3-4 where many are "turning away from the truth" and "turning to myths and fables" for their spiritual enlightenment. As evil and nefarious last-day spirits are loosed and increase in their manifestation's, 'myths and fables' will not offer those relying on such any 'spiritual' safeguards, protections or rescue from the powers of darkness. "The righteous shall live by faith"(6) and those which livewithout spiritual understanding are not only bound by their own fear but are subject to the vagaries that make fear the nemesis of spiritual wisdom and revelation. Let the faith of God trump any fear which has made inroad into your belief, trust, and faith in God's promises' and His eternal covenant blessing. Amen |
| (1) [Isa. 43:1- Niv] (2) [I Pet. 2:9 - Niv] (3) [Lam. 3:57 - Niv] (4) [Rom. 14:23] (5) [Rev. 1:18] (6) Rom. 1:17 |
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| WORD OF INSTRUCTION |
| "Absence of fear is not Faith" |
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