Faith Your Feels

This is a series of devotions and meditations on scripture that rejects fear and promotes faith in God. It emphasizes the importance of trusting in God's word and perfect love to overcome fear. The transcript also discusses the need to focus on our own faith and obedience to God, rather than worrying about the actions and success of the wicked. It highlights the power and authority that believers have in Jesus, but emphasizes the importance of aligning our will with God's will. It encourages believers to rest in the Lord and wait patiently, and to love and serve others in the name of Jesus. The transcript also addresses the challenges and opposition faced by the church in the world, and the need for Christians to live differently and show the love and truth of Jesus. Overall, it emphasizes the need to trust in God, obey His commands, and overcome trials and temptations through faith in Jesus. Welcome to Fear No Fear. Grace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. May the Holy Spirit embrace you today. This is a series of devotions and meditations on scripture. We reject fear in any and all forms. Fear is a spiritual force, the currency of darkness and ignorance. It's what we inherited when Adam gave up his faith and Satan uses it to keep people down. His only weapon is words. If he can get you believing or looking at words of fear, he's got you. Instead, we champion faith as an allegiance to God, as a belief and trust and loyalty to the Lord God Almighty. We accept the evidence of his word as unvarnished truth, as is, just as it's written. We get close to his perfect love through the word, and perfect love casts out fear. 1 John 4.18 All scripture is taken from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Visit eBible.org Psalm 37.7 Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for him. Don't fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who makes wicked plots happen. We need to be secure in the Lord. It's too easy to look at the world and sulk. Yes, sulk. Like a child who doesn't get its way, who wants to eat nothing but candy and dessert. Do the wicked prosper? They seem to. Do they plot and plan and bring wickedness to pass? Yes, they do. Why doesn't the Lord kill them, punish them? Well, maybe, and this is a feeling here, this is not doctrine, but just maybe, the Lord loves them so much, he's willing to let them taste some good things of this world before they get their judgment. Because in the end, they will fall and fall hard. Judgment exists for all who are not abiding in Jesus Christ. Because only those who have accepted the payment Jesus made can stand before the Lord sinless and therefore not need judgment. The wicked and how they are or are not should not be our concern as far as how we live. Our walk is determined by our faith, not by how the wicked are doing. Put the wicked out of your mind when you are deciding on how to walk. We should think of the wicked only in terms of being a witness to them, being there to help them, to share with them the good news that they don't have to keep going the way they're going. But that witness is marred if we are living in jealousy, fear, and failure. Why go our way if all they see is discontent? They may not understand what they see, but the peace that should emanate from us should draw them like moths to the flame. The Lord is not sitting up there in heaven waiting for His chance to squash us. He's waiting for everyone to turn to Him with willingness and humble honesty. Therefore, Yahweh will wait that He may be gracious to you. And therefore, He will be exalted that He may have mercy on you, for Yahweh is a God of justice. Blessed are all those who wait for Him. Isaiah 30, 18 He is waiting to shower you with grace and mercy. He has given you the faith to believe and wait on Him. Our job is to rest and wait on the Lord in His perfect peace. That is what our faith should be focused on, faith expresses itself in obedience to a command. Your faith doesn't work if you haven't commanded it. It waits for an order. So what orders are you giving it? What is it you are directing it to believe in? Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives, I give to you. Don't let your heart be troubled. Neither let it be fearful. John 14, 27 We can choose to rely on the Lord. We can choose to be humble and agree with Jesus who said that in Him we are everything and in ourselves nothing. That's John 15. Paul struggled with that until he finally got the message. He has said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly, therefore, I will rather glory in my weaknesses that the power of Christ may rest on me. 2 Corinthians 12, 9 We have the authority to wield the name of Jesus, to command things and take dominion over circumstances and the world around us. But only in Jesus will anything happen, only according to the word of the Lord and the will of the Father. We do what He says and how He says and where He says, exactly the same as Jesus did on earth. We can heal the sick, raise the dead, walk on water and slip past our foes if we do what the Father says, only what He says. We won't be called according to what we think would be cool to do. We won't be called according to what we think should be done. We will only be called according to what the Father wills. I mean, the Lord is all-powerful. He can do anything He wants. So in the Old Testament, why didn't He tell the bones to rise? Why did He have Elijah do it? Because humans have dominion here. But Elijah couldn't have told them to do anything. It wouldn't have been the same. Elijah needed the Lord to tell him to do it. Actually, now that I'm thinking it, was it Ezekiel? You know, I think I have the name wrong. But the point stands. It doesn't matter what we want. It's what the Father wants. We can do what the Father wants because that's where the power is. He is the source of all power. And only by doing what He wants can we possibly hope to accomplish anything. Now, we can do this accomplishing because we are in Jesus. So, we are to put aside the cares of this life. Put aside our ego, our careful thinking. To lay aside the sin that looks so good and feels right to our flesh. We're called to more than that. We are called to put ourselves against all of that and to go forward in Christ the Lord. Looking to Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising its shame and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12. By this we know love because He laid down His life for us and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. 1 John 3.16 No believer is an island. Jesus did for us so that we can do for others. Not from fear. Not because we're worried about what will happen because of love. In love and for love. This isn't necessarily easy. If it was, it wouldn't be called a race. We wouldn't have to endure or stand. We'd kind of just chill out and then party in heaven. He who overcomes will be arrayed in white garments and I will in no way blot his name out of the book of life. And I will confess his name before my Father and before His angels. Revelation 3.5 That's Jesus talking to His church. We need to overcome. Jesus overcame. He faced trials, persecutions, and chose to sacrifice Himself for us. He overcame. He won in every way you can win. He never had to borrow money. He was never poor. He always had enough. Needed a boat? Had it. Needed food? Had it. Needed money to provide for others? Had it. Needed a house? Had it. But He wasn't accepted by any of the world. The religious leaders were against Him. The authorities were not thrilled with Him. The people misunderstood His mission and tried to pigeonhole Him into a militant Savior. He was betrayed by a close friend. He was interfered with by His disciples. His family didn't support Him. And everyone He met wanted something from Him. He had it all. Full prosperity and total blessing. But He also had persecutions and laid down His life and were called to follow Him. To have full blessing and total prosperity. But be willing to leave any and all of it behind at a moment's notice. To witness to the world in our lives and actions while being misunderstood by them and pigeonholed. To speak to them of the things of the Lord while they mock, deride and legislate ways to hobble our message. There are places in this world where we are unable to say the name of Jesus in a public forum. Athletes and celebrities the world over have technical issues with their news broadcasts as soon as they start talking about Jesus. People mock Christians, show bad examples to the world and actively fight to weaken or destroy the message. The immoral try and force their practices on the church while citing human rights. Rights that society has made up and therefore rights that society oversees. Oh, I know not all of you agree with that. But it's true. Now God laid down laws. But humans decided what our rights were. Human rights, animal rights. They're all humanly arbitrary and change from society to society. From decade to decade. If God had laid them down they would be immutable and changeless. Like his law. Like his moral code. Like his righteousness. Now that doesn't jive with the world and that is why we are told again and again not to fret because of the wicked. The wicked are working overtime to prevent the church from being the church. From being effective. From being who they are called to be. If we look like everyone and everything else, even if we aren't on the inside, then there's no reason for anyone from the outside to come in. Why is de-churching an issue? Because too many Christians look exactly like the world. If they're like the world, why should they bother to stay in the church? Why do the same thing as at home but with more judgment? If you're worried about de-churching in your congregation, look to how much Jesus you're showing. Is he shining through, bright and clear? Is the word being proclaimed, no matter if the world agrees with it? Are the hard corrections of the word being ministered? Remember, his yoke is light, Matthew 11, 28-30, if we are resting in him. Am I off subject here? Oh, no, no, no, no. These are intimately connected issues. The world says that we need to treat everyone the same. Jesus agreed with that. He said to love one another. The world says that anyone can do anything they feel like, provided it doesn't violate the will of someone else, you know, like abuse. Jesus disagrees with some of that. Yes, we are not to violate the will of other humans, Titus 3-2 and 3-9. But we cannot do anything we feel like. A man's heart plans his course, but Yahweh directs his steps, Proverbs 16-9. The heart is deceitful above all things, and is exceedingly corrupt. Who can know it? Jeremiah 17-9. Ooh, that's Old Testament, you say. Gentle Jesus wouldn't hold to that. Oh, yeah? He, Jesus, said, That which proceeds out of the man, that defiles the man. For from within, out of the hearts of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, sexual sins, murders, thefts, covetings, wickedness, and deceit. Lustful desires, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, and foolishness. All these things come from within, and defile the man. Mark 7, 20-23. Does any of that, that Jesus just said, sound like what's coming out of the world today? I thought so. Jesus didn't compromise, but Jesus loved. He loved them too much to let them stay self-deceived. He told them when things they were doing were hurting them. He didn't tell them those things weren't attractive. He didn't tell them those things didn't feel good. He didn't let their lifestyle choices keep Him from healing them, or ministering to them. But it didn't change that at the end of their road, judgment waited. He didn't condone what they were doing, and didn't hide the fact that He didn't condone it. But He loved them, and He was polite to them. It didn't change the fact that they were headed for death because He healed their servant, or healed them. God told them that. Jesus told them that. He actively loved them, showing a better way than mere enjoyment and feeling. He modeled for them a better way than chasing what looked good. He showed them the Father and the Father's love. Not a wish to judge, but a wish to save. However, He did not hide the fact that if saving wasn't accepted, judgment would come. We are called to share the same message, and to share it the same way. Again, how can they take our message seriously if we dilute it with envy, with worry, with fear? Are we saying our God is more than enough, except for fancy things? Are we saying our God has overcome the world, except for workplace position? Are we saying our God can do the impossible, except where legislation is concerned? Now, we need to wait on the Lord. We need to rest in Him. When we do, everything makes sense. When we do, everything has peace to it. Storm outside the boat, peace inside the boat. Hurricane hitting Jesus, we're cuddled in the Holy Spirit's arms. Dry, untouched, and snuggly. In peace, I will both lay myself down and sleep. For you alone, Yahweh, make me live in safety. Psalm 4, 8. We have peace in Jesus, but we must be patient. We're yoked to the Lord, right? Well, that means that the driving is not our responsibility. But you know what? It isn't the responsibility of Jesus either, because we're yoked to Him. Two of us, two oxen together, yoked. That's the picture He gave us. Jesus isn't driving. It's the Father who's driving. We're empowered to be patient, because the individual who is hand in hand, yoke in yoke with us, is Jesus. He isn't kicking at the goads. He isn't pulling away. So why should we? I have told you these things, that in me you may have peace. In the world, you have trouble. But cheer up. I have overcome the world. John 16, 33. If He is the overcomer, we can let Him do the lion's share. After all, with Him, all things are possible. Matthew 19, 26. We can do that by taking all that fretting, all that anxiety, all that worry that we have about all the things that turn up and appear imperfect to us, and give them to Him. 1 Peter 5, 7. Once we've done that, any time they come to mind, we can do three things. First, you tell the thought that it's in Jesus' hands, so it can talk to the Lord about it, not you. Now, I've done that, and I've had to do that repeatedly. The thoughts sometimes come back, and come back, and come back. You're not playing with that thought. You're not entertaining that thought. You're just telling it where to go, every time. Now, of course, some thoughts take more time to figure out that it's a good thought or a bad thought. That doesn't mean you're entertaining it. That means you're making sure, and you know in your spirit, in your heart, in your mind, you know when it's a bad thought. You know when it's not from the Lord. You know when it's a worldly thing. You know when it's a sinful thing. And the minute you know that, you shut it down and shunt it into Jesus' hands. Second, thank the Father in praise that He has it well in hand. And finally, as you praise and thank Him, listen to see if there's anything He wants you to do. If you rely on Him, thank Him, and wait for Him to move in, around, or through you, you will not only have peace, but you won't have any missteps, because the Lord does not lead us awry. Proverbs 3, 5-6 Now, the people of the world cannot worry us. The plans of the people of the world cannot worry us. We have the Lord on our side, mighty in battle. The breath of just one nostril can alter the physics of our world. Psalm 18, 15 He blew the red seed apart with a sniffle, or what we'd call a sniffle. If He's for us, we can have total and absolute assurance that things will work out for our good, whether here in this exact moment, a moment in the future, or a moment in the far future of eternity. Romans 8, 28 Now, it might be a bumpy ride. It'll probably have persecutions. And the world might even think they've won. But we won't be fooled. We won't be taken in. We will be confident. We will be peaceful. We will be joyful in the Lord, who is our shepherd, who is our guide, and good Father. We will have peace, perfect peace. Amen. Our daily affirmation of God's love is 2 Timothy 1, 13. I lose my balance. I have the flu. I can't do that. I get dizzy. I don't have enough strength. I always drop things. These are all negative statements of faith. And you're putting faith in them. You're issuing commands in the spiritual realm. You might not mean to, but you are. You are bolstering up the walls of prevention. You are preventing yourself from walking in the positive, because you're choosing to walk in the negative. And it can get worse. God heals when he wants to, and who knows when that is. Oh, this is my burden. Oh, I'm just waiting for my manifestation. Now, those can all sound okay when you're not being sarcastic about them, but they're negative. If you're waiting for a manifestation, you should be thanking God you're whole instead of talking about the waiting. God doesn't lay burdens. God always wants to heal. God sent out the word on healing, enabling it to manifest when he took hits for us and lashes for us. Every time a fist hit him, every time he was slapped, every time the lash bit into his flesh, healing was being released. We are to put our faith in the word. He always does according to his word. If you're waiting, idle in praise, not negativity. Don't talk about what isn't yet. Talk about what already is in Jesus. I'm healed. Well, but I can see that you are... No, no, I'm healed. You wait, you'll see. I'm healed. Praise Jesus. Faith expresses itself in obedience to a command. Your faith doesn't work if you haven't commanded it. It waits for an order. So give it one by speaking the word positively. Go with the Father, not with your feelings. As we close, remember that you have worth. You are precious and valuable. Declare this. Today, God loves that I... Now you fill in the blank. Was it a meal you made? A smile you gave? Did you get out of bed? Read? Put on socks? There's no wrong answers here. There is no end to God's love and no end to the things about you that he loves each and every day. Pick one. And remember, the Lord loves you just because you're you. 1 John 4, 9-10 tells us, By this, God's love was revealed in us that God has sent his only-born Son into the world that we might live through him. And this is love. Not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as the atoning sacrifice for our sins. His perfect love turned away God's wrath because of sin. And it casts out our fear too. See verses 18 and 19. We love because he first loved us. He just loves us. Can't get enough of us. And that is wonderful. See you next time.