Hey Dad!

On May 3, 2016   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Romans 8: 15

For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!”

Which part of this verse would you like to talk about; the part about the spirit of slavery or the Abba, Father part? In fact, they are really the same. We have been given the spirit of adoption; we have been adopted into the family of God. No longer is He a deity only. He is now Daddy, Papa. He isn’t far removed to those who have received this spirit of adoption. He is as close as your next breath.

This expression, “Abba, Father” is one of intimacy, familiarity and fellowship. This isn’t the name or title you would call the priest. This is what you would call your earthly father in the most special times, when you felt closest to him. When you reach this level of comfort and relationship with God, then you will find that the spirit of fear no longer reigns in your heart. Then you will notice how many people really do live in some level of fear. You will begin to stand out, at least to yourself, as very different because you just are not afraid. You understand with the deepest part of your being that your Dad is not only the biggest guy on the block but also that He is watching out for you and will make things alright for you. This confidence is not a form of denial. It can recognize danger and risk. It also is not foolhardy. When, however, you know that your Dad is powerful and you know that He is looking after you, then you don’t have to fear. It is simply a confidence born of trust and experience.

When a person is beset by fear, they truly are slaves. Fear will take your life prisoner. You will make decisions based on the part that fear plays in your life. Without even realizing it, fear begins to control aspects of your life. If it is left unchecked, it will grow like a weed. Soon you will discover that it has taken a deep root in your life and is so well entrenched that it is hard to remove.

My advice is to cry out to God, “Abba, Father” and let Him bring intimate, personal, familiarity into your life. If He is always “God” to you and never “Dad”, then you will likely never gain the kind of confidence and trust that sets you free from oppression. The New Covenant is all about Him moving into our lives and setting up house in our spirits. He longs to be with us. There is no longer separation unless we put it there. You have been adopted into the household where there is complete comfort and peace. You need be a slave to fear no longer. Be freed by the love of the father.

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Never Forsaken

On March 22, 2016   /   Word of the Day   /   1 Comment

Hebrews 13: 5 – 6                 Index Card 6

He Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,” so that we confidently say, “The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What will man do to me?”

This verse speaks about confidence and I find myself thinking, “Yes, this is the kind of confidence I need.” I want to be unafraid. I want to abound in radical trust in the Lord. Life will certainly take on a different flavor when we trust the Lord that extensively. We will answer His call on our lives. We will believe we can do what he says we can do because he is our helper. We are not alone. He will not abandon us.

I used to often feel lonely. Now I almost never do. I have grown in my awareness of God with me, Jesus in me and the Holy Spirit leading me. I certainly am not in the full radical trust in the Lord Jesus that I would like to live but I have learned that he is always with us and thus, we never have to feel alone or lonely. His word is good and it is true. He will never leave us nor forsake us. You will never be abandoned or left to fend on your own. Amen.

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Faithful Fear

On December 23, 2015   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Job 3:25

For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me.

It is a spiritual law that those things which we greatly fear, we will attract to us. Why? We meditate on it. We roll it around and around in our minds until it takes on a life of its own. As we think on that thing of which we are afraid, we experience many of the same emotions and almost to the same intensity level as if they really happened. In our imagination they are real and they have life. The next thing you know we start spitting that unbelief and fear out of our mouths. Language is how God created all that is. Our words have tremendous power in our lives. So when we harbor fear and dread in our hearts we continually give it life until we finally give birth to that which we have most feared.

But take heart! Perfect love casts out fear (1 John 4: 18) and God is love (1 John 4: 8). God is that perfect love which has been shed abroad in our hearts (Romans 5: 5). Cast all of your care upon him; cast all that you fear into his hands because he cares for you (1 Peter 5: 7). You now have no reason to fear. He has taken all of the fear unto himself and given you his perfect love in its place. Meditate on the depth of God’s love for you and you will be so full that there will be no place for that fear any longer. Bless God!

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Preach It!

On December 4, 2015   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Acts 18: 9 – 10

And the Lord said to Paul in the night by a vision, “Do not be afraid any longer, but go on speaking and do not be silent; for I am with you, and no man will attack you in order to harm you, for I have many people in this city.”

Whatever God gives you to say, speak with confidence and in the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus said that he has many people in the city. He is telling us that he has people who are praying for the word to be preached, for the word to be taught. He has praying people whose prayers are supporting you and pulling on your anointing.

I heard a story told by a bible teacher of a man that had been involved in the occult. He was a witch doctor and his father was a witch doctor. The man is now a Christian but was telling how his father trained him in the things of the occult. The father pointed out one little village and said, “We will not be putting any curses on that little village.” When the son asked why, the father responded, “Because a Christian lives there.” Because one Christian lived in that village, the whole village was protected from the curse.

Brother, when someone goes to attack you because you are spreading the gospel, they are in for some trouble. Go forward in faith and courage for the God of all creation is on your side and he has assigned praying people to guard your back. Obey the Lord in everything he has given you to do and do not fear.

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We Shall Not Fear

On September 11, 2015   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Psalm 91: 5

You will not be afraid of the terror by night, Or of the arrow that flies by day.

 On this anniversary of 9/11 I wish to remind you and encourage you that with God we do not have to be afraid. No terror, no terrorist, no terrorist act can steal the faith, confidence and trust we have in the Lord Jesus nor in our loving Father. God has provided for our protection and safe keeping. We can run around in fear, which is horrible for your health by the way, or we can press into God and clothe ourselves with His goodness and His protection. He is a strong refuge, He is our strong refuge. “I have become a marvel to many, For You are my strong refuge” (Psalm 71: 7). 

There were many lives lost in the 9/11 tragedy, too many. There were also numerous people who survived because they listened to an inner voice and stopped for a coffee or felt a nudge on the inside and changed their schedule. Their stories are rarely heard but they are out there and they are a witness and encouragement. King David was saved by God time and time again. He relied on God’s ability to shelter him. He trusted that God was going to save him from every kind of peril. We need to stand in this same kind of trust and confidence and in so doing thwart every threat and scheme of evil.

As we honor and remember those heroes, friends and countrymen and their families, those who paid the highest price one can pay for freedom, rededicate yourself to living in the protective custody of our Lord and savior. Pray for all free people to live free from fear and terror. Pray for the peace of Jesus for those who lost someone dear. Also, be determined to live in the victory and glory of Jesus. Let us not bow to fear and to terror but instead raise the banner of Jesus who has crushed the enemy. Speak safety, security and strength over our nation and over the God loving countries of the world. We must stand stronger than ever before in our faith and confidence in the Lord Jesus and our beloved Father. Declare with boldness that you will not bow to terror. Embrace the Father as your fortress and do not be afraid.

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Made Strong

On July 3, 2015   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

2 Chronicles 32: 7

Be strong and courageous, do not fear or be dismayed.

Here is a very important key in spiritual warfare. Be not afraid. If you want to know the key tenets of the Bible this is certainly one. I have heard it said that there are 365 places in the Bible where we are instructed not to be afraid. I have not counted them myself but if you take notice as you read your Bible, you will probably begin to believe that count is accurate. 

There is an interesting story in Luke 8. A synagogue official named Jairus entreated Jesus to go to his house because his daughter was ill. Before they could get there messengers approached him and Jesus with the news that his daughter had died. Before Jairus could take a breath or utter an exclamation Jesus said to him, “Do not be afraid, only believe and she shall be made well” (v. 50). Jesus knew that the outcome of the battle hinged on whether Jairus chose faith or fear.

If you think about it, fear really is faith in the negative outlook. Belief is faith in the positive outcome. You wouldn’t experience fear if you thought there was no merit to the negative report. It is only when we begin to doubt God that fear enters in. The more we yield to that fear the harder it will be for us to move back in faith and faith is what fuels our miracles and even our everyday answers. We must look to God and expect Him to be bigger than every situation of life, even death. Fear contaminates faith so in every situation we must hear the Lord saying to us “Do not be afraid.” This is a spiritual key.

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Redeemed From Fear

On April 16, 2015   /   Word of the Day   /   Leave a comment

Psalm 56: 3 – 4

When I am afraid, I will put my trust in Thee, in God, whose word I praise, in God I have put my trust; I shall not be afraid. What can mere man do to me?

Who among us is not faced with fear at some time? It is a common human reaction to challenges in life. The first mention of fear appears in Genesis 3. It didn’t take long for mankind to find fear. However, they only became afraid after succumbing to the devil. Before Adam and Eve followed Satan and ate the forbidden fruit they knew not fear. Interesting. Since that time people have been plagued by fear. However, there is good news. God has provided a remedy for everything which plagues mankind, including fear. His remedy for fear is trust.

“When I am afraid,” the psalmist writes, “I will put my trust in thee.” He doesn’t deny that he was afraid. He just determines not to let fear have him. We are not to abide in fear. We are to run into the arms of our loving father and envelope ourselves in an abiding, overcoming trust. Trusting Him is the solution for every fear. It seems, then, that overcoming fear requires a decision from us. It also requires action on our part. We must intentionally shift our minds and hearts from fear to trust in the Lord. That means you take your eyes off of that which frightens you and put them on the Lord of your salvation. Look upon Jesus and decide to believe Him and to believe in the Father’s love rather than to believe in that which frightens you.

Fear is slavery and Jesus has set us free from all of the shackles of bondage. If we allow fear to remain in our lives then we are effectively rejecting the gift of Christ. It is making his sacrifice of no effect. This is no place for Christians. Galatians 5: 1 reads, “It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.” That seems pretty clear to me. It is a shout, a command that we should not allow ourselves to be victims of fear. We must stand firm against fear. Jesus came to give us abundant life, not a life shackled by fear.

The psalmist, David, gave praise to the word of God. It occurs to me that was another of his weapons against fear. He looked to the word and encouraged himself so that he could pronounce his faith in God’s saving ability. David trusted God and stood on God’s word. He determinedly put his trust in God and God’s promises and time after time God pulled him from certain defeat. Now David teaches us these valuable lessons. Let us declare as he did, “In God I have put my trust; I shall not be afraid.”

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