FEARLESS OR FEAR-LESS  #226

Good Morning Meetpastordan Readers… I love this topic because it is based on a conundrum.  For instance, everyone wants to be fearless.  We hear exciting stories of knights, warriors, and our own modern  day heroes, as being fearless.  But unfortunately, the obstacle in the way of being fearless is fear itself. Therefore, in order to be fearless, one has to fear less…and therein lies the challenge.  Fear is that emotional culprit that can keep us from achieving our full potential, or living life to the fullest.  Fear is the excuse for resisting change and staying in bondage to a mediocre existence. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve heard, “I really want to, but I just can’t!” or “I wish I could, but I just don’t have the courage.”  The biggest detriment to change is fear of the unknown.

If you’ve seen Star Wars or Superman, you know the superhero wins the battles and gets the pretty girl in the end. But you also know that they are superheroes because they plug into a “force” beyond themselves that gives them supernatural power. They know their source of strength! So it’s easy to fantasize about this and wish you too were a superhero. But all to often, reality sets in and you say, “Ah, it’s only Hollywood; that’s not true.” But I’m here to tell you…it is absolutely true!  In fact, we have the opportunity to plug into a power that can propel us to superhero status in our own life and make Skywalker’s “force” or Superman’s Krypton-power pale by comparison. It’s all about knowing your source of strength.  Clark Kent was a mild-mannered reporter until he chose to become Superman.  We too can be mild-mannered, timid, fearful and stymied if we don’t know how to use our source of strength to accomplish God’s purpose in our lifes.

Luckily we serve a loving, merciful, gracious Father who knows his proudest creation intimately.  He knows our strengths as well as our weaknesses, and just as he promised, “I’ll never leave you; I will never forsake you.”  He knows we’re living in a fallen world, that we’re in these fleshly bodies, and that we have a formidable enemy who relentlessly tries to shipwreck our effort to change. But when we come face-to-face with our own insufficiencies, if we call on his name, he will answer.  This is confirmed in James 4:10: “When you come humbly before the Lord and admit your dependence on him, he will lift you up and give you honor.”

Fear is contrary to God’s plan for us.  We are told in 2 Timothy 1:7, “God didn’t give us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of love, power and self-control.” The power referenced in that Scripture is not our power, but the power that comes from the indwelling Holy Spirit.  Ephesians 1:14 confirms that: “The Holy Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us everything he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people.”  The Holy Spirit is a gift from God so we can rise above our circumstances, or our lot in life, to become the person he created us to be.  He does not want fear to keep us in bondage; that’s why the Holy Spirit empowers us to win!  The only stipulation for tapping into this source is being in Christ. If you’re in Christ, you’re IN, just like it says above; “he purchased us to be his own people.”

I would like to focus right now on the matter of anxiety.  In this fallen world, anxiety is rampant due to more and more uncertainties – such as economic uncertainty, job security, or personal safety – that pervade our lives And what exactly is anxiety?  It is an unpleasant state of inner turmoil, often accompanied by nervous behaviors caused by the fear of future events or situations.  So how do we deal with this?  We first have to recognize the source of the turmoil, and that would be satan.  Remember, his sole purpose is to keep us separated from God’s love, and one of his favorite tactics is to make us think our challenges are bigger than our God. Worry, doubt, fear, guilt, shame and remorse are his favorite tools to keep us mired in our misery.

But look at what Jesus taught about anxiety: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life…Can any one of you worrying add a single hour to your life?” (Matthew 6:25,27,33) He goes on to say, “But seek first the Kingdom of Heaven and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”  In other words, don’t let satan distract you, but keep your focus on God because he is your rock, your salvation, your shield, your protector, and your provider. And as James 4:10 pointed out above, “when you admit your dependence on him, he will lift you up and give you honor.”

Sadly for those of this world, they have no knowledge of this supernatural power that God has given his children. Jesus explained this in John 14:15-17: “If you love me, obey my commandments. And I will ask the Father and he will give you another Counselor who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who will lead you into all truth. The world at large cannot receive him because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him.  But you do…”  Jesus made it very clear that this is a gift to empower all Christ-followers to fulfill their purpose on earth.  Ephesians 2:10 now refers to all Christ-followers as His masterpiece: “For we are God’s masterpiece.  He has created us anew in Christ Jesus so that we can now do the good things he planned for us long ago.” (even before the world was created Eph.1:4)

Succeeding in overcoming the evil schemes of the devil is a challenge for all Christ-followers.  But that success comes from recognizing his schemes and immediately taking authority over them.  Last week’s blog was on that very subject, “Claiming the Victory that is Mine”, and can be found at http://meetpastordan.com/claiming-the-victory-that-is-mine-225/.  I would suggest clicking on this link and reading that blog too.  It clearly presents this as a spiritual battle for our souls; it expands on the authority Christ has given us to rebuke the enemy; and it affirms that the power to win the battle comes from the Holy Spirit.  The truth is, we are already victorious; we just have to know that and stand on it!

To be fearless means to be void of fear. So the obvious question is, “How do we get to that state?”  The answer is to know the truth, and this is the truth: “God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. There is no fear in love, because perfect love drives out all fear.” (1John 4:16,18) There is no substitute for knowing your object of faith intimately, and God reveals himself in His Word. He tells us who he is, what he thinks, what he thinks about us, what his plans are for us, what his standards are, what his promises are, and how we can be blessed by those promises. His desire for us is two-fold: to accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, then to grow in that relationship, becoming more and more like him. In this process we become transformed by changing the way we think and act, realizing this doesn’t happen through our own effort, but by relying on the Holy Spirit to empower us to do what we can’t do ourselves.

The more we grow in this manner, we develop a sense of confident assurance, a sense of peace and serenity , and a sense of power that drives out fear. Now we are fearless because we know who we are in Christ: our sins are forgiven; we’ve inherited eternal life; we have the indwelling Holy Spirit; we are grafted into God’s family; we are now worthy and acceptable in his eyes; we are heir to all the spiritual blessings in the heavenly realm, and we are heir to all the promises in the Bible!  How’s that for hitting the spiritual jackpot?  Wowzzzzer!  When we are standing on this Rock, how can we not  fear less?  Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior and God is our rock, our salvation, our shield, our protector, and our provider.  It makes ya wanna sing that ol’ Gospel song, “This world is not my home; I’m just passin’ though.”  🙂

Thank you, God, for your incredible plan, not only for my salvation, but for the opportunity to begin experiencing Your Kingdom on earth right here, right now. I pray for revelation in the hearts and minds of those who do not know Jesus Christ.  I pray that someone will plant a seed that will take root and sprout within them, allowing them to experience the inexpressible joy, confidence and security that comes only from being in Christ. Amen!

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May God Bless Ya…

Dan Presgrave (a.k.a. Pastor Dan)