Fear

Fear is the opposite of faith, and is displeasing to God: "My righteous one shall live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him… Without faith, it is impossible to please God… " (Hebrews 10:38; 11:6a) Fear: Clouds our judgment. Paralyzes our actions. Causes us to delay. Rationalize. Over-spiritualize. Promotes paranoia. Induces us to think irrationally; to loose objectivity. Destroys our trust in others. Diminishes our ability to believe. Risk. Act. May be a reason we impute wrong motives to others. Is often the product of our pride. Refuses to believe God is there; is in control, and can be trusted or taken seriously. How do we break the bondage and cycle of fear? By choosing to believe God through acting upon His promises. So right now, if you are struggling with fear, choose to believe these promises: "God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." (2 Timothy 1:7 – kjv) "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea… Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." (Psalm 46:1, 2a, 10) "I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears… The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles." (Psalm 34:4, 17) It was amidst the storm that Jesus told Peter to step out of the boat and walk on the water to Him. The moment he looked away from the Master to the circumstances Peter's faith turned to fear, and he began to sink. And so it is with us. (Matthew 14:22-34) You and I have a simple choice to make: Either we will allow the demons of fear, doubt, inadequacy etc., to paralyze and diminish us into spiritual midgets, or we will live above life's crippling circumstances by choosing to believe and act upon His promises. QUESTION: Today, which do you choose? Faith or fear? —Facts of the Matter

AMONG THE REDEEMED

"Lo, the people shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations" Num. 23:9 

 Who would wish to dwell among the nations, and to be numbered with them? Why, even the professing church is such that to follow the Lord fully within its bounds is very difficult. There is such a mingling and mixing that one often sighs for "a lodge in some vast wilderness." Certain it is that the Lord would have His people follow a separated path as to the world, and come out decidedly and distinctly from it. We are set apart by the divine decree, purchase, and calling, and our inward experience has made us greatly to differ from men of the world; and therefore our place is not in their Vanity Fair, nor in their City of Destruction, but in the narrow way where all true pilgrims must follow their Lord. This may not only reconcile us to the world's cold shoulder and sneers, but even cause us to accept them with pleasure as being a part of our covenant portion. Our names are not in the same book, we are not of the same seed, we are not bound for the same place, neither are we trusting to the same guide, therefore it is well that we are not of their number. Only let us be found in the number of the redeemed, and we are content to be odd and solitary to the end of the chapter.

REWARD IS CERTAIN

"And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward" Matt. 10:42

Well, I can do as much as that. I can do a kind act toward the Lord's servant. The Lord knows I love them all, and would count it an honor to wash their feet. For the sake of their Master I love the disciples.

How gracious of the Lord to mention so insignificant an action -- "to give to drink a Cup of cold water only"! This I can do, however poor: this I may do, however lowly: this I will do right cheerfully. This, which seems so little, the Lord notices -- notices when done to the least of His followers. Evidently it is not the cost, nor the skill, nor the quantity, that He looks at, but the motive: that which we do to a disciple, because he is a disciple, his Lord observes, and recompenses. He does not reward us for the merit of what we do, but according to the riches of His grace.

I give a cup of cold water, and He makes me to drink of living water. I give to one of His little ones, and He treats me as one of them. Jesus finds an apology for His liberality in that which His grace has led me to do, and He says, "He shall in no wise lose his reward."

THE SAFEST SHELTER

"And a man shall be as an hiding-place from the wind and a covert from the tempest." Isa. 32:2

Who this MAN is we all know. Who could He be but the Second Man, the Lord from Heaven, the Man of sorrows, the Son of Man? What a hiding-place He has been to His people! He bears the full force of the wind Himself, and so He shelters those who hide themselves in Him. We have thus escaped the wrath of God, and we shall thus escape the anger of men, the cares of this life, and the dread of death. Why do we stand in the wind when we may so readily and so surely get out of it by hiding behind our Lord? Let us this day run to Him, and be at peace.

Often the common wind of trouble rises in its force and becomes a tempest, sweeping everything before it. Things which looked firm and stable rock in the blast, and many and great are the falls among our carnal confidences. Our Lord Jesus, the glorious Man, is a covert which is never blown down. In Him we mark the tempest sweeping by, but we ourselves rest in delightful serenity.

This day let us just stow ourselves away in our hiding-place, and sit and sing under the protection of our Covert. Blessed Jesus! Blessed Jesus! How we love thee! Well we may, for thou art to us a shelter in the time of storm.

MARK OF DIVINE APPROVAL

"Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him" James 1:12

Yes, he is blessed while he is enduring the trial. No eye can see this till it has been anointed with heavenly eye-salve. But he must endure it, and neither rebel against God, nor turn aside from his integrity. He is blessed who has gone through the fire, and has not been consumed as a counterfeit.

When the test is over, then comes the hallmark of divine approval -- "the crown of life." As if the Lord said, "Let him live; he has been weighed in the balances, and he is not found wanting." Life is the reward: not mere being; but holy, happy, true existence, the realization of the divine purpose concerning us. Already a higher form of spiritual life and enjoyment crowns those who have safely passed through fiercest trials of faith and love.

The Lord hath promised the crown of life to those who love Him. Only lovers of the Lord will hold out in the hour of trial; the rest will either sink or sulk, or slink back to the world. Come, my heart, dost thou love thy Lord? Truly? Deeply? Wholly? Then that love will be tried; but many waters will not quench it, neither will the floods drown it. Lord, let thy love nourish mine to the end.

THE DEW OF HEAVEN

 THE DEW OF HEAVEN

"His heavens shall drop down dew" Deut. 33:28

What the dew in the East is to the world of nature, that is the influence of the Spirit in the realm of grace. How greatly do I need it! Without the Spirit of God I am a dry and withered thing. I droop, I fade, I die. How sweetly does this dew refresh me! When once favored with it I feel happy, lively, vigorous, elevated. I want nothing more. The Holy Spirit brings me life, and all that life requires. All else without the dew of the Spirit is less than nothing to me: I hear, I read, I pray, I sing, I go to the table of communion, and I find no blessing there until the Holy Ghost visits me. But when He bedews me, every means of grace is sweet and profitable.

What a promise is this for me! "His heavens shall drop down dew." I shall be visited with grace. I shall not be left to my natural drought, or to the world's burning heat, or to the sirocco of Satanic temptation. Oh, that I may at this very hour feel the gentle, silent, saturating dew of the Lord! Why should I not? He who has made me to live as the grass lives in the meadow, will treat me as He treats the grass; He will refresh me from above. Grass cannot call for dew as I do. Surely, the Lord who visits the unpraying plant will answer to His pleading child.

Choose Blessing

“...I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live...”

(Deuteronomy 30:19, NASB)

God desires that you live in blessing in every area of your life. He’s given promises in His Word and established a plan for you to live in total victory. He promises to give you the answers, but you have to be the one to decide to obey His voice. You have the final choice, so choose life and blessing!

Every time you choose to obey the Word of God, you are choosing blessing. When you put God first in your life; when you walk in love toward others even when it’s difficult, you are choosing blessing. When you turn away from ungodly influences and when you give to others, God will pour out His blessing on you in return. Start today and do what you know to do. Obey His Word, and His blessing will overtake you! You’ll rise higher and higher and live the abundant life He has for you.

Prayer:
 “Father in heaven, today I choose life. I choose blessing by obeying Your Word. Keep me close to You so that I can honor You in all that I say and do in Jesus’ name. Amen.”