Fear

 I had cause to put into practice, Jamie Walden’s message from a few Sundays ago about fear: Fear gripped me. Jamie’s words – the main point of his message (link provided in the next paragraph) helped me to deal with that fear head-on so that it not only lost its grip on my emotions but also on my lungs. I’ll explain after the next paragraph.

My hope is that you’ll listen to Jamie’s entire message at TO THE LION HEARTS , but here’s a quick list he provided that answers the initial question he posed: Why was Christ crucified for you? Jesus “died to set you free – free from yourself; your flesh; the devil; the curse; the Fall; and ultimately, as the singularity of everything He ever speaks to – He was crucified to set you free from fear. Fear of punishment – fear of death – fear of rejection – fear of persecution – fear of being misunderstood – fear of your insecurities – fear of your childhood – fear of the powers of darkness – fear of governments and fear of men. Fear of everything. He was crucified for this singularity – to set you free! And wherever He is at work, you are free indeed.”

If fear has ever gripped you, you can easily recall how your body and mind responded automatically. Fear had me because I’d recently become short-winded and with a tight-feeling chest. Had an X-ray, and received results stating it was either an infection or one of my lungs was collapsing (or maybe adult onset asthma or exercise/exertion-induced asthma, etc.). As of this writing (mid-November), we’re still working to figure it out.

The way Jamie’s message helped is this: I was washing dishes, thinking about this health matter. Fear coiled around my thoughts: My lungs responded by tightening even more. Then I recalled Jamie’s words: Jesus went to the Cross to set me free from fear.

My existence is because of Jesus. Either I’ve truly received His undeserved-by-me gift of redemption through His completed work on the cross and His resurrection, or I haven’t. If I have, then my life belongs to Him. My death belongs to Him. Every moment in the middle belongs to Him. Every breath, easy or not, belongs to Him.

My Father’s will and purpose for creating and then saving me is to be done. Do I trust Him with all of this? If fear is stronger than trust, the answer is no. If I trust Him and submit myself to Him as my Savior and Redeemer, and that trust weighs more on God’s scales than any fear I – or any demon – may attempt to impose upon me, the answer is yes: I can trust Him with all.  

God told us in His Word that fear indicates that His love has not yet been perfected in us: His “perfect love casts out all fear.” Boy, we sure can get in the way of that happening. So I said, “Lord, whether my breathing is easy or not, I trust You in either one. If this is an attempt by the enemy to pull me away from You through fear, especially because of self-preservation, then he or they cannot have my fear. You said we are to fear nothing and no one other than You.”

Has every tendency to experience fear been eliminated? Of course not: I’m human. But because of the “It is finished” work of Messiah Jesus on the Cross, when fear pops up in me, I can cast my cares upon Him and receive His peace that surpasses understanding, just as He requests/commands. There can be times it’s a form of spiritual whack-a-mole, you might say. 

Here are three paragraphs from David Wilkerson’s book, God Is Faithful: A Daily Invitation Into the Father Heart of God:

[Apostle Paul is in prison.] “Paul had two options in his situation. He could spin out into a sour mood, asking the same self-centered question over and over: ‘Why me?’ He could crawl into a pit of despair, completely consumed with the thought, ‘Here I am bound up, with my ministry shut down, while others out there enjoy a harvest of souls. Why?’

“Instead, Paul chose to ask, ‘How is my present situation going to bring glory to Christ? How can great good come out of my trial?’ This servant of God made up his mind: ‘I cannot change my condition, and I could very well die in this state. Yet I know my steps are ordered by the Lord and He is faithful. I will magnify Christ, therefore, and be a testimony to the world while in these chains.’

“Paul’s attitude demonstrates the only way we can be emancipated from our dark pit of unhappiness and worry. ‘Now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death’ (Philippians 1:20).”

As God, in His great grace and mercy, forewarned us in His Word, we’re being presented with many reasons to feel fear these days. Please know that what I shared above applies to Any and All fears this world and anyone in it may seek to impose upon you, me, and anyone we love or care about. Be strong in the Lord and power of His might. Let His Word guide you. Let His love set you free from fear of anything and anyone other than the only Holy One Who deserves to be feared – the One Almighty God Who loves you fiercely enough to send His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to set you free from fear – and Messiah Jesus, Who loves you fiercely enough to have endured it “for the joy set before Him,” as stated in Hebrews 12:2. You, I, we are included as part of that joy – that reunion of Father and Children through redemption and cleansing under the Blood of Jesus Christ. You, I, we just have to receive it. As the man said, “Lord, I believe. Heal my unbelief.”

Love

I caught Rob Schneider’s several-minute segment on Fox & Friends 11.12.25. I’ve provided the link for you below. What he said resonated in my spirit, mind, and heart. I need Holy Spirit’s help to not only do what Schneider did to De Niro but help me to remember to do it. Next time that woman on FB gets “rowdy” with her comments about some of my posts (or anyone, for that matter), I want to respond as Schneider did. Whenever I get ticked off about what anyone on TV, or wherever, says or does, I want to respond like Schneider did, whether aloud or to myself (which is also to God).

Rob Schneider reveals clash with De Niro over Trump: ‘I love him’

When De Niro confronted him, Schneider told him he loved him – and he meant it. There may be more to say to a person, but that’s how I want to start, no matter what may follow. And I don’t want to carry expectations about how they’ll respond or react: That’s not up to me. Jesus went to the Cross for them as much as He did for me. He loves them as much as He loves me. If I am to have the love of Jesus in me that I’m to express as a light in the world – as I am commanded by Jesus to do – and if I truly follow Him (“If you love Me, keep My commandments.”), this is a good way to step onto that path.

Sometimes that love, agape or more intimate, will carry the feeling you’re likely thinking it will; sometimes, it will carry great sadness. Love is expressed in myriad ways, so don’t expect it to wear one “face” only. As with breaking any habit and or instilling any new way, it may take time and definitely Holy Spirit’s assistance for this to become natural for me. The more often I put this into practice—not just saying it, but feeling it, the closer I’ll get to meaning it as fully as Jesus does. And when I don’t? “Jesus, help me to feel a measure of your love for them – because I’m struggling to do so. Or tell me to let it go because they have been judged.” Remember this: God commands us to love, but according to His Word – not the world.

Here are a passage and prayer from Corrie ten Boom’s book, God Is My Hiding Place: 40 Devotions for Refuge and Strength.

“In every dark trial, we have the opportunity to bring light and release those who are imprisoned in darkness. We must learn to love even the vilest people who are deceived by the enemy. We must be willing to shine our light.

“Prayer: Father, how difficult it is to love my enemies without Your help! I know the only way for me to release Your light with power is by having a pure heart filled with compassion. Lord Jesus, purify my heart and remove any hatred I have toward those who have done evil. You died for everyone without exception. We all need Your mercy. And I need it, too. Help me to see each person through Your eyes.”

Fear and Love

Corrie ten Boom also wrote, “His love consumes our shame” and “Guilt, fear, and shame fight to imprison us.” Jesus told us He came to set the captives free. We are the captives. This life is our prison. Satan is the Warden; his minions are the jailers. They use guilt, fear, and shame as hammers to hit us with. We are to use the Word of God as our weapon of spiritual warfare. Jamie Walden is right – because Messiah Jesus said it first: His love perfects us. Perfect love casts out all fear. Jesus came to set the captives free. John 8:36 tells us that “if the Son sets you free, you will really be free!” Jesus went to the Cross to set us free from fear. If the Son sets you free . . .  “Jesus, I believe; heal my unbelief.”