Fearlessness In Enemy Territory

 Psalm 27:1

Of David. The LORD is My Light and My Salvation—whom shall I fear? 

The LORD is The Stronghold of my life—whom shall I dread?

    When The Holy Spirit takes up residence in the believer, our whereabouts are revealed to us. We have been living in enemy territory for so long that we have become accustomed to this way of life and do not know any other way. 

    But God will not have His people living in darkness now that The Light of His Love and Salvation have taken up residence within them. God's Word reveals who our enemies are and where we have been living. It shows us The Way out is forward not backward. 

    Move forward we must, if we want to obtain the promises of God for ourselves. We are no longer a people lost in the darkness of our sins: we are a people seeking the kingdom of God, that we might receive the provision of God. We read our Bible with the intention of gaining divine wisdom that God's Holy Spirit can impart such wisdom into our hearts, where He has written The Word of God when we believed on The Name Above All Names--Jesus Christ--for our salvation. 

    We have a strong desire now to share this Good News with everyone we know, but fear raises its ugly head and threatens to bring us down if we continue to speak The Name of Jesus. Fear must flee. And it must take its companions with it: Dread and Doubt. Our hearts are filled with God's Son and God's Spirit now: there is absolutely no room left for fear. We are fearless.

FEARLESS 

When entering enemy territory:

Deuteronomy 31:6

Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for The LORD your God, He it is that does go with you; He will not fail you, nor forsake you. 

FEARLESS

Faith-based divine deliverance from the enemy:

1 Samuel 17:37

David said moreover, The LORD that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, He will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and The LORD be with you.

FEARLESS

Fear God and all other fears fall away:

Matthew 10:28

And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

FEARLESS

When The Holy Spirit is at work in the believer, fear leaves; Love and a Sound Mind, the mind of Christ, empowers us to do that which God has called us to do. 

2 Timothy 1:7

For God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

FEARLESS

We speak The Truth with boldness: we are ready to give an account of why we believe what we believe, in the face of opposition.

Acts 4:29

Now, Lord, behold (look on and act against) their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word. 
FEARLESS

False witnesses will rise up against us and testify that we have slandered The Lord God. People will be paid or coerced to condemn our work for The Lord. However, we will continue to proclaim the gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ with our dying breath.

Read Acts 6:8-15 through Acts 7

Acts 6:13

They also set up false witnesses who said, “This man does not cease to speak blasphemous words against this holy place and the law."

FEARLESS

Through faith we accomplish God's purpose for our lives. Fear would keep us down and back, but fearlessness keeps us moving forward that we may grasp hold of the promises of God.

Hebrews 11:33, 34 (AMP Bible)

Who by faith [that is, with an enduring trust in God and His promises] subdued kingdoms, administered justice, obtained promised blessings, closed the mouths of lions, extinguished the power of [raging] fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became mighty and unbeatable in battle, putting enemy forces to flight.

Deuteronomy 28:7

The LORD will cause the enemies who rise up against you to be defeated before you. They will march out against you in one direction but flee from you in seven.

Joshua 23:10

One man of you shall chase a thousand: for The LORD your God,He it is that fights for you, as He has promised you.

FEAR &  DREAD UPON OUR ENEMIES

Exodus 15:16

Fear and dread shall fall upon them; by the greatness of  Your arm they shall be as still as a stone; till Your people pass over, O LORD, till the people pass over, whom You have purchased.

WE ARE THE LORD'S PURCHASE & WE ARE FEARLESS

1 Corinthians 6:20

For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.

1 Corinthians 7:23

You were bought with a price [a precious price paid by Christ]; do not become slaves to men [but to Christ].

FEARLESS - Jasmine Murray

Fearless: Trust in The Lord - Psalm 27:1

 

Psalm 27:1

Though an army encamp against me,

My heart shall not fear;

Though war may rise against me,

In this I will be confident.

What will I be confident in? The knowledge that THE LORD IS MINE and I am His. The knowledge that THE LORD IS MY LIGHT, MY SALVATION, and MY LIFE (verse 1). 

Regardless of how the world attacks we who are of the kingdom of God, we have nothing to fear, nothing to dread. For THE LORD IS WITH US. 

MY LIGHT

John 8:12

Once again, Jesus spoke to the people and said, “I Am The Light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in the darkness, but will have The Light of Life.”

MY SALVATION

Romans 10:9

That if you confess with your mouth The Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

MY STRONGHOLD

Habakkuk 3:19

GOD The Lord is My Strength; He makes my feet like those of a deer; He makes me walk upon the heights! For the choirmaster. With stringed instruments.

WHOM SHALL I FEAR?

Isaiah 8:12, 13

“Do not call conspiracy everything these people regard as conspiracy. Do not fear what they fear; do not live in dread.

The LORD of Hosts is The One you shall regard as holy. Only He should be feared; only He should be dreaded."

Be Faithful

 

Revelation 2:10

Fear nothing that you are about to suffer. Be aware that the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested [in your faith], and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful to the point of death [if you must die for your faith], and I will give you the crown [consisting] of life. 

FEAR NOTHING WHICH YOU ARE ABOUT TO SUFFER

Matthew 10:28

And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear Him Who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. 

    Having been called to salvation and sanctification, we find ourselves called to suffer, as well. Unseen targets are now on our person and our soul. Not just on our backs, where we cannot see who is aiming for us, but also on our minds {attacking how we think, how we reason and what we think about}. Targets are on our hearts attack our emotions (in the physical realm) and our spiritual fruit (in the spiritual realm).  

    It is why we are warned at every turn of life to be wary, be alert, be aware. However, even knowing who and where our enemies might lie, is not enough to forego being a believer. We find we are able to both stand and fight this spiritual battle that is now raging around us, instead of in us. The darkness tries to take us out, because our lights are turning people to Jesus Christ.

    When we are accosted, we are to speak Jesus. When we are assaulted for His Name's sake, we are to respond in silence or in love, however The Spirit leads us. When we are lied about, we do not retaliate. Nor do we sling mud in their direction. We do not rise up in anger, nor do we engage in physical assaults with those who seek our demise.  God will fight for us in many cases. But sometimes God will allow our deaths to take place, when we die proclaiming our faith in The Name of Jesus Christ. 

    For when God's people die speaking The Name of Jesus, many times the people who are doing the killing of us come to Jesus. Such faith and obvious love of God draws people to this loving God Whom we have put our hope and trust in. Physical death is a minor inconvenience. Spiritual death is permanent.

FEAR GOD ONLY

    Luke 16:19-31 tells us of two men who died. One went to Paradise and one went to hell. And while not much is known of Lazarus' time in Paradise, much is known of the rich man's time in hell. We do know that for every action there is an opposite and equal reaction. So in reading this passage, we are made aware of Lazarus' comforts and the rich man's lack of comforts.

Verse 23: He was aware in hell. He was in torment. He could see into Paradise, but could not get there. He recognized Lazarus and Abraham, even though the first he never acknowledged and the second he never knew. He could move and see.  

Verse 24: He could speak in hell. He was still selfish. He knew thirst, he knew pain. 

Verse 25: He could hear in hell. 

Verse 26: He was made to understand his position: no one in hell can cross into Paradise and no one in Paradise can cross into hell. Death is final.

Verse 27, 28: He begged for Lazarus to be sent back to his family to warn them of the dangers of not believing. 

Verse 29-31: He was informed by Abraham that that desire, too, was not going to be done. Those who will not listen to Moses and the prophets of God have only themselves to blame for their ignorance and unbelief.

Verse 30: The rich man in hell thought that if someone was risen from the dead, then surely his brothers would believe. He labored under a false hope.

    For we know that Someone has risen from the dead. That Someone is Jesus Christ. However, not everyone believes that Jesus Christ is God's Only Begotten Son. Nor do they believe that He rose from the dead. The lie from then persists even now: his disciples came in the night and stole His body away [Matthew 28:11-15]. Therefore, too many people have died in their sins, including the sin of unbelief, and now await their final judgment in hell. They cannot get out. Don't find yourself in their predicament. Come to Jesus today. 

    

BE FAITHFUL UNTO DEATH

Revelation 12:11

They have conquered him by The Blood of The Lamb and by The Word of their testimony. And they did not love their lives so as to shy away from death.

    Have you ever read Jesus Freaks? I have. The squeamish may have difficulty reading it. But once you start reading it, it is hard to stop. Foxe's Book of Martyrs lists the names of many who had died for the sake of the cross and the resurrection in his time. When Faith Is Forbidden is on my shelf as we speak. It is underlined, bookmarked and highlighted. At the end of each chapter is a missionary's request for how to pray for them. 

    You are all in my prayers. And I pray for your faith to be strong in these trying times. I pray for your families, your churches, your testimony to be a strong witness of the saving power of God through Jesus Christ. I plead the blood of Jesus over each and every one of you in your walk with Christ.

"Fear not, for I Am with you; Be not dismayed, for I Am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with the right hand of My Righteousness." Isaiah 41:10

The Two Fears - Part One: Fear Not

 

Isaiah 41:10

Fear not, for I Am with you; Be not dismayed, for I Am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with the right hand of My righteousness.' 

    The first time we see God saying to one of His chosen servants to not fear is in Genesis 15:1, when God tells Abram, "After these things The Word of The LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I Am thy Shield, and thy Exceeding Great Reward." 

    The last time The Lord speaks these words, "Fear Not", is in Revelation 1:17, when The First and The Last speaks to John in his vision: "And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. And He laid His right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I Am The First and The Last." 

    In this day and age, we who believe that Jesus Christ is Lord and that The Word of God is Truth, are daily bombarded with unChristlike behaviors and attitudes. We are attacked on every side and must be able to hold onto the cross (the place of saving grace) and the empty tomb (the place of eternal life revealed), when we go about our day to day lives. 

    Everybody has a story, and in our stories are chapters: the situations we find ourselves in, whether through our own decisions or the result of someone else's decision(s) which impacted us in some way. But in every chapter God is there. Sometimes we see Him working in our lives, sometimes we are completely unaware that He is there. 

    I say all this to remind you (and myself) that God Is Present: He is The Omnipresent God -- everywhere at the same time. If you are a born again Christian, then God is with you: leading us, guiding us: revealing to us His purpose for our lives. If we would just listen to Him and follow His lead, He will work everything out for our good. He said so. Romans 8:28 "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose." His purpose, His will, for our lives. We just have to wake up and pay attention. 

    There may or may not be 365 verses pertaining to not being afraid. I don't know, I've only just started this study. But I'm expressly searching out the two-word phrase "fear not". The rest can wait for another day. 

    When God gives the instruction to "fear not", He is preparing each person He speaks this to for a mighty move of God. God spoke to Abram and promised him that his seed, his heirs, would be in the multitudes, just as the stars that covered the night sky. God also informed Abram that his heirs would be enslaved by a people whom God was to judge at a later time (four hundred years). In all this Abram is to "fear not", for God is his Shield (his protector, his defense) and his exceeding great reward (not just Abram's Rewarder, but Abram's Reward). 

    Because of what took place in Genesis 14, God found favor with Abram and chose to visit him, speak with him, promise him many things and form a covenant with him. This great honor may be given to each of God's people when they obey God and believe His Word, as Abram did. Following God faithfully, we, too, may find ourselves in situations He places us in. Not for our comfort, but for our spiritual growth. God wants to speak to us. Are we listening for His voice? Are we in a place where we can hear Him clearly? and know which decision is the right decision? Only you and I and God know the answer to these questions. For He knows our hearts and our thoughts. 

    Let us "fear not" as we prepare to take the next step in our journey on The Way of Holiness in which we walk. 

The Inspired Box - May 2

 

PSALM 27:1

The LORD is The Strength of my life:

of whom shall I be afraid? 

    We are to be bold as lions when we testify of God's amazing grace on our lives (Proverbs 28:1). Though we are like sheep among wolves (Matthew 10:16), we are to be shrewd/wise/sensible/cunning (strategic thinking) as serpents and innocent/sincere/blameless/unsophisticated as doves. On a side note, Strong's Exhaustive Concordance describes sheep as "easily led, forward walking". 

    When we follow our Shepherd faithfully, it is entirely possible to be not only a sheep in His flock, His pasture, but also a lion following The LION OF JUDAH (Revelation 5:5). When Christ spoke to the crowds surrounding Him, He told them He could only speak what His Father was speaking. When we hear Him speak to us, we hear our Father speaking His Word over us and into us. This is our STRENGTH. What, indeed, do we have to fear from anyone? 

    Since we see that God's people are likened to sheep, we also see that the places we will go when we speak God's Word into the ears of those who hear us, will be the territories of they who will try to kill us, for that is what wolves do:they are predatory and viciously attack when least expected. Our weapon in overcoming these wolves are the same as David's: his faith in God to give him strength to defend his position and his flock.  Sometimes the wolves will be allowed to win and overcome the Christian, at other times The Word of God will cause the wolves to cower and slink away. Psalm 27:2. 

    Let us kneel before God in the privacy of our prayer closets/war rooms and find strength in His presence, seeking only to be with Him in His kingdom. And in these times of prayer with our God, let us also pray to be filled with His Light, His Word and His Spirit that we may truly walk as lions in a world filled with wolves. 

THIS IS THE AIR I BREATHE - Michael W. Smith 

CONSUMING FIRE - Hillsong    

 

The Lord Is With You

 

The Lord Is With You

ISAIAH 43:2

When you pass through the waters,

I will be with you;

and when you go through the rivers,

they will not overwhelm you.

When you walk through the fire,

you will not be scorched;

the flames will not set you ablaze.

Because the believer is called by The Lord's Name there is no cause to be afraid, nor is there any reason to be fearful of anything or anyone.

Exodus 3:12 "I will be with you."

Deuteronomy 31: 6 "Be strong and courageous."

Psalm 23:4 "The Lord is with me."

Psalm 73:23 "I am always with You."

Matthew 28:20 "I am with you always."

    Just because you may not be hearing God's voice when you want to does not mean He is not right there with you while you go through dark or shadowy valleys. He is always with us. He is our Good Shepherd, The One Who leads us beside still waters where we can drink freely in peace. The One Who guides us along rock strewn paths and dry deserts: He is still with us. The One Who feeds us from His own table in the presence of our enemies.

    The One Who fills our cups so full with the richness of His generosity that our cups overflow. The One Who feeds us from His staff of life, His heavenly Bread. The One Who guards us from all evil with His rod of justice and judgment; always watching out for us on the left and on the right. The One Who is always aware of His flock and where they are, even the untrained sheep who wander The Lord brings back to His fold.

    Even when The Lord Jesus Christ was first laid in the manger, the angels who spoke to the shepherds on the hillsides just outside of Bethlehem informed them that there was no need to fear, but to have great joy: for now The Lord Who would rule the City of David had arrived. Fear left their hearts as they journeyed to the place where the prophesied King of Israel now lay peacefully in the manger.

    Still the words go out to each and every one of us: Fear not, for I am with you always.

FEAR NOT - Carman

    We are to look not on our circumstances but focus our eyes on His Word, seeking Him out. We are to set ourselves into His Word, as He is The Foundation of our life and all of our blessings flow from His hand. We will move ahead and not look back because we are following our Shepherd our Friend. We must not let our bodies dictate our commitment levels. Yes, we are in pain. Yes, we ache and hurt and groan when we move, but move we must and follow Him we will. For He has called us to follow Him and serve Him in whatsoever capacity He places us. I serve Him from here.

    I love these little Bible studies and look forward to interactive responses. We are to encourage one another in The Word until Jesus returns to bring us home. Let us begin to do so even now.

I WILL SERvE THE LORD - Carman

    

Heart & Soul - - Faint Not, Fear Not

 

Jeremiah 51:46

Do not let your heart grow faint, and do not be afraid when the rumor is heard in the land; for a rumor will come one year—and then another the next year—of violence in the land and of ruler against ruler.

*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 7401

Faint: tender, weak of heart

From the Hebrew word 'rakak' (pronounced raw-kak').

In this verse, weak of heart is defined as 'timid, fearful'. It is an important enough warning to warrant a double encouragement from The Lord. First, we are not to let our hearts grow faint. Second, we are not to be afraid of rumors of violence in our land. 

UNFAINTING HEART

    How do we prevent our hearts from becoming timid? We encourage ourselves and each other in The Word of God. 

>Allow God and Christ to encourage us: 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17

>Delight ourselves in The Lord: Psalm 37:4

>Jude 1:20-21

>Encourage one another: 1 Thessalonians 5:11

>Comfort one another: 1 Thessalonians 4:18

>Exhort one another daily: Hebrews 3:13

>Gather together: Hebrews 10:25

>Edify one another: Romans 14:19

>Serve/be agreeable with our neighbor for their edification: Romans 15:2

UNFEARFUL HEART

    There are several verses in Scripture telling God's people to not be fearful, not be afraid; to fear not. From Genesis to Revelation we find much encouragement from The LORD.

> Genesis 15:1 "After these things the Word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward." 

>Revelation 2:10 "Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, so that you might be tested; and you shall have tribulation ten days. Be faithful unto death, and I will give to you the crown of life."

    Even now, in these latter days, in these last hours, The Word of The Lord encourages His people. We do, indeed, have much violence spread across the globe. There are, as stated in Matthew 24:6 "wars and rumors of wars".  The earth itself is in upheaval "the earth groans" Romans 8:22. Yet, we are to gain strength in The Lord and not be afraid of all that is happening around us and to us. 

    For Christ has called us to suffer with Him that we might be found worthy of Him: Matthew 10:38 "And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me." That cross our Lord and Savior was nailed to was not comfortable, nor was it pretty. It was hard, heavy and painful to be on. Think you our crosses are any less? 

    The other thing about this cross we are to take up is that we don't get to choose our cross. Taking up our cross means we need to be prepared in all ways to follow Jesus Christ where He leads us. We need to be ready to suffer, ready to serve.

     Christ prepared Himself when He prayed with His Father. He spent many, many hours in prayer. His prayer times were a source of refreshing and a place of gaining strength from His Father. Our times of refreshing are also in prayer. Alone with God we acquire His peace, His strength, His wisdom. In Christ we have access to everything He is. 

    We must remember, take to heart, the encouragement of our God:

"Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’" Isaiah 41:10.

WINDS OF WORSHIP 3