No, really, do not fear.
Thou shall not kill.
Thou shall not commit adultery.
Do not fear.
2 of these are very familiar commandments. The third often feels like more of a suggestion. However, the bible commands us not to fear over 100 times! I think we ought to pay it some attention. The dictionary defines courage as not being deterred by danger or pain. This basic and worldly definition convicted my heart so thoroughly. It suggests that God’s commandment to be strong and courageous will require some grace. It suggests that there will be very real danger; very real threats of pain and life might actually hurt at times. The command says to go forward into your pupose anyway. The command says to pursue the godly relationship anyway. Invest in the therapy anyway. Apply for the business loan anyway. Be courageous!
According to my best friend Google, fear is the emotion that arises as a result of the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain or a threat. This means that “to fear” means to be afraid because of a perceived potential source of danger or pain. I wonder if God’s command not to fear might be an act of faith. What if I refuse to perceive even the scary thing as able to cause me danger or pain? What if I truly internalize the promise that “no weapon formed against [me] shall prosper,” thus making it impossible for me to fear. Now, I know this sounds radical. Even as I type this, I am wondering if this is possible. I am questioning how I could possibly look at a thing that looks bigger than me, more accomplished than me, too expensive for me, and stand without fear? I wonder how I can stand in a situation that threatens to trigger past memories and keep my peace. Even as I type, I hear the Lord telling me that the key is to focus my eyes and widen the frame.
If my focus remains on my size versus the stature of the giant I face, fear is sure to follow. It is no shock that a giant is bigger than me, I am only 5”2! No, my focus must shift to the magnitude of the God who promises to fight on my behalf. My focus must acknowledge the potential danger and almost simultaneously counter that thought with the knowledge of who I know God to be in my life. I know Him to be a healer, a deliverer, a friend, a sustainer. I know that He has conquered death, hell, and the grave! I know that the Earth is literally His footstool! I serve an enormous God! When, despite the situation, I actively remember God, I will not walk in timidity when there are giants on the land I was promised. I will stand, like David, with an insufficient slingshot against my Goliath, believing unashamedly in the One who stands behind me.
Reflection: What are you facing today that is causing you to disobey the command not to fear? Is it the degree that you feel called to that friends and family might not support? Is it the business plan that looks absolutely impossible in your own strength and talent? Is it the hope of a healthy marriage, despite your less-than-perfect dating history? Write it down. Be honest. Acknowledge the scary thing. Acknowledge that it IS scary. Then, combat that whisper of fear with the Truth found in the word. This may be only one scripture that you memorize and recite to yourself as you face your giant tomorrow. It could also be a list of attributes of God that help keep you grounded. We know that God wants us to be fearless. Now, I encourage you to welcome the Holy Spirit to guide you in the “how”. God never intended for us to follow His commands without His help. What a gracious Father we serve! I love you, sis! And God loves you way more.
Joshua 1:7, 9; Isaiah 35:4; Psalm 27:1
Trust the Coach.
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,[a] whenever you face trials of many kinds because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
(James 1:2-4)
I’ll be the first to admit that working out has never been something I yearn to do. I’m one of those people who cannot be trusted to just go to my neighborhood gym with nothing but some music and my own creativity. I know I will never push myself as hard as I need to in order to see the results I need. This is why I participate in a gym that is structured with plenty of accountability and progress monitoring. There is a coach who knows me by name; who calls me out when I slow down before time is up; who ultimately pushes me to my actual limit instead of the one I have set for myself. It is with a coach that I actually begin to see results.
As it is in the natural, so it is in the spirit. Imagine that God is our coach, and the trials of life are our proverbial gym. I wonder if, as humans, we think we know our own limits and resist the pressures that would produce the strength and character necessary to develop into who we were called to be. I believe we attribute too many pressures to the devil instead of acknowledging that God, our coach, is wisely orchestrating our lives in a way that brings about true growth instead of comfort.
Just as a physical trainer knows not to add too much weight before your muscles can withstand it, how much more does our Heavenly Father know our true limits? Our job, then, is not to complain and rebuke every pressure, but to “count it all joy when [we] face various trials, knowing that the testing of [our] faith produces patience. (James 1:2-3).” This requires faith. Faith says that “this season is pressing me on all sides, but I know that God has already ordered my steps and determined that it will all work for my good.” In this season, how can you be more intentional about trusting God with even the discomfort of stretching?
Prayer:
Dear God, thank you for being sovereign. Thank you for reminding me that your thoughts are not my thoughts, and your ways are not my ways. Thank you for reminding me that even though it does not always feel good, You allow pressures to make me strong enough for where You want to take me. I release my need to have all the answers before I trust You. Help me to trust Your wisdom and Your plan. I love You more than comfort. Amen
Redemption.
“I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist. Return to me, for I have redeemed you.” (Isaiah 44:22)
Today I don’t have a witty entry introduction. I don’t have a clever analogy for life and God’s goodness, only truth. A truth that saved my life when I thought my sin had separated me from God forever. Here goes…
Redemption. It’s something that feels lightyears away after a sinful experience. Sin is powerful because it causes you to genuinely feel apart from God. After sin, the spirit grieves because it longs to be near God. Sin is traumatic; and if the devil can get you to buy into a system of measuring sins in a hierarchal system, then depression in eminent. The weight of being separated from God is unbearable if you don’t know the truth of God’s love. You will pull away and try to hide from a God who never actually turned you away. Don’t believe the lie!
Yes, your sin creates a gap between you and the Father. He can’t touch it or be near it because He is holy and pure. Yet, He is so simultaneously in love with you and me that He sent Jesus to die on the cross for all of those sins. The blood of Jesus is such a precious gift because now, when you sin (which we ALL do), God the Father looks at you and sees His righteous child. He sees the blood of Jesus when he looks at you. Jesus, on the cross, took on all of the sins of the world-big and small- and left them on the cross. God sees me as clean, not because ANYTHING I can ever do. My best isn’t good enough; my worst isnt bad enough. Jesus’ blood is so powerful and sufficient. Do you believe that?
Lies cannot stand in the light of Truth. The Truth says that there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Truth says that if you confess with your mouth and believe in your heart that Jesus is Lord, you WILL be saved. Truth says that there is nothing in heaven or in the Earth that can separate us from the love of Jesus.
I know you think “Mik, you don’t know how big my sin is. There’s no way God can love me in this.” I understand. I was there too. Then one day the Holy Spirit convicted me and He asked me “is Jesus Christ’s work on the cross enough or not?” I said of course, who would ever say that Jesus didn’t do enough in His death?! But that’s what we say each time we decide that our lie, or our bad habit is too big for Jesus’ blood to wipe it away. Would you want to tell that to His face? So today, this month, this year, I challenge you to accept the finished work of Jesus. Even in moments of embarassment and shame, repent of the sin and then thank God that He has already taken care of it!
Prayer:
Lord, I want to believe you have redeemed me but I feel like my sin is too big sometimes. Please help my unbelief. Remind me of exactly what Jesus’ death means for my life. In Jesus’ name, amen.
No peeking.
“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:12-14)
I got into the habit of Do It Yourself (DIY) projects back in high school. I figured any opportunity to save money was the way I needed to go. One particular DIY project I do is braiding my own hair instead of going to a professional. While this saves money, it is expensive in terms of time. When braiding my own hair there are so many opportunities for distraction, the biggest being breaks to check my progress. Every few braids, I can be found in front of the mirror checking to see how the process is coming along. Instead of keeping the momentum going, I undoubtedly add time to the process by critiquing an incomplete hairstyle. I waste time feeling discouraged when my hair looks less than perfect halfway through. I bet that’s why most professional hairstylists tend to wait until the end for the big reveal.
Sometimes we do the same thing in our journey with Christ. We spend precious time discouraging ourselves about all of our imperfections in “the middle”. Instead of running with endurance towards who God called us to, it’s easy to fall into the trap of constantly checking the progress. This can look like picking at all of your flaws as excuses for not accepting your dream job. It can look like scrolling endlessly, finding evidence for all the ways we haven’t made enough money, secured enough “bags”, or lost enough weight. One key idea in today’s verses is “forgetting what is behind”(vs. 13). You see, every time I pause my hair to complain about how much longer I have, that takes time away from actually finishing. When you and I beat ourselves up for falling short of perfection, we waste an opportunity to a) reflect on how far we’ve come; b) God’s grace to keep moving forward.
Every time I do my hair, I inevitably finish. And most times, it doesn’t turn out badly. In your life, there will always be things you could have done better; seasons you might have gotten through sooner. As part of our humanity, mistakes are a guarantee. However, God’s guarantee is this: “He who began a good work in you is faithful to complete it” (Philippians 1:6). Know that when Jesus comes, and not a moment sooner, everything will be made right. Until then, don’t lose sleep over the middle. Instead, keep pressing toward the mark! The end is always better than the beginning.
The answered prayer.
“If I had known of any sin in my heart,
the Lord would not have listened to me. But God has listened. He has heard my prayer. Praise God. He did not ignore my prayer. He did not hold back his love from me.”
(Psalm 66:18-20)
I was talking to a friend of mine recently as she shared a recent revelation. She was reflecting on how each season of her life normally centered around a prayer request or goal in mind. Whether she was trying to get out of a relationship, pass a test for certification, or finally become financially stable, there was always a major prayer for the season. one day, however, she looked at her life and realized she was living in her answered prayers! She was content in her singleness, doing well in her career, supporting herself financially, and even leading a small group at her church. She was in her answered prayers, now what?
Many of us may find ourselves in a similar season. Things that we only a prayer in a journal are now your reality. Of course, life keeps moving and we tend to move on to wanting the next thing. Today, however, I encourage you to pause. Before you find the next thing to add to your prayer list, reflect on where you are now. Remember the younger version who would have been in awe of where you are now. And praise the God who remainds faithful in every season!