Tag: Fear Is A Liar

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Be Careful What You Choose

39 “But you have a custom that I should release someone to you at the Passover. Do you therefore want me to release to you the King of the Jews?” 40 Then they all cried again, saying, “Not this Man, but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a robber. ~ John 18:39–40

Pilate had just finished interviewing Jesus again. He could not find any fault or any reason to put Jesus to death. No matter how desperately he sought to find a way out of crucifying Jesus because he knew Jesus did not deserve capital punishment.

So, thinking he could somehow catch the Jews between a rock and a hard place, so to speak, he offered them a deal he knew they could not refuse. “You know I always release one prisoner of your choosing at Passover. Now, I have here this murdering robber, Barabbas, whom I could release, but he is such a menace and a threat to society, I have no choice but to release Jesus, the King of the Jews, to you.”

But in unison, they all shouted, “No, no, not this man, give us Barabbas.”

They did not even use His name; they called Him this man. The one who came to redeem them. The One sent by God as their promised Messiah, they did not even bother to call  Him by His name.

Understand this, God does not force Himself upon anyone. We must choose to serve Him. We must choose to accept Him. It is never His choosing. If it was, the whole world would be saved since the Scriptures say:

9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

2 Peter 3:9

God does not want anyone to perish, but we must choose not to perish. We must choose Jesus over Barabbas. The next time you are faced with choosing to do the right thing, as a pose to choosing the wrong thing, choose right.

Don’t worry about what others might say or what others might do, do what is right and choose Jesus. It is always in our choices. Even when the crowd is yelling crucify, do not be led astray; think before you choose. There is always a right way and a wrong way to choose. There is always a right thing, and a wrong thing to choose, so, be careful what you choose.

Father, please help us to choose the right thing. Open our spiritual eyes to see so that we are not misled by the crowd. Give us discernment that we might choose the right and forsake the wrong; in Jesus’ name, we pray, amen.

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Don’t Hinder Your Faith

9 Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. 10 And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. 11 And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. 12 And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But the one who endures to the end will be saved. ~ Matthew 24:9-13

A time is coming and is now here when good will be called evil and evil will be called good. Sin and debauchery will be celebrated. Vileness and shameful things will be lifted up and proclaimed as wholesome and good. Christians will be arrested and thrown in prison, all for the sake of the Gospel. They will be beaten and their property confiscated. They will be seen as the enemy of the state, and their freedom will be revoked, but don’t be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD will be with us.

It’s more important now than it ever has been before to spread the Truth of the LORD. To share the Gospel of Christ with others. To shine a Light in the darkness. Jesus warned us ahead of time of the coming tribulation and great deception. They’re both knocking at our door. Fear is going before them, telling us that it won’t come to pass, especially not in our time. God won’t let anything bad happen to His faithful believers. These lies won’t help your endurance; they will only hinder your race. They’ll only hinder your faith. These days are coming whether we like it or not. So, strengthen your faith. Prepare for the coming times. If it doesn’t come in our time, then you would have only strengthened your faith and therefore built more treasures in heaven. But if it comes in our lifetime, and we are unprepared, how will we be able to stand?

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Prepare For The Coming Times.

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Double Your Talents

28 So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. 29 For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. ~ Matthew 25:28–29

One of the last parables Jesus tells is the parable of the talents. There were three different people who were given three different amounts of talents. The first two doubled their talents, but the third guy hid his in the ground. He didn’t use it. He didn’t try to build it up. He simply buried it in the ground out of fear of losing what he already had.

This backfired on him because the coin he buried and refused to use out of fear would be taken away from him and given to the one who has. The one who will do something with it. So, the rewards that he would have had and should have had will be given to someone who already has. But for him, he will be cast into outer darkness. A very frightening thought.

His fear brought forth the very thing he was afraid of, rejection and punishment. It’s like Anakin Skywalker from Star Wars. He feared losing his wife the way he lost his mother, and he gave in to the darkness around him. He didn’t use the talents he was given; instead, he buried them and sought another way of survival. And in doing so, he brought forth the very thing he feared. His wife died because of him, and he lost both children.

Our fear will lie to us and try to control our destiny. But God has written a beautiful plan for our lives. A plan of hope and goodness. If we would only use the talents He gave us and put our faith in Him, we would be blessed beyond measure. So, follow your call. Use your talent(s). And never let fear dictate your life so that when Jesus returns, He may find you doing exactly what you have been called to do.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Double Your Talents.

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Serve In Spite of Fear

Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so did another disciple. Since that disciple was known to the high priest, he entered with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest, but Peter stood outside at the door. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to the servant girl who kept watch at the door, and brought Peter in. The servant girl at the door said to Peter, “You also are not one of this man’s disciples, are you?” He said, “I am not.” Now the servants and officers had made a charcoal fire, because it was cold, and they were standing and warming themselves. Peter also was with them, standing and warming himself. Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. So they said to him, “You also are not one of his disciples, are you?” He denied it and said, “I am not.” One of the servants of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, “Did I not see you in the garden with him?” Peter again denied it, and at once a rooster crowed. ~ John 18:15-18, 25-27

Peter is most known for denying Christ three times. If we read the full account of the denial that John provides us, Peter’s denial doesn’t quite make sense. John tells us that he was known by the high priest and was able to enter into the court so that he could see Jesus. He then tells us that Peter only got in because John told a servant girl to bring Peter in. The only way Peter could get in was because John pointed him out. So, why deny it?

Peter had just seen Jesus arrested without a fight. Keep in mind Peter saw Jesus speak with Moses and Elijah, calm the raging sea, turn water into wine, multiply fish and bread, walk on water, cast out demons, heal the sick, and raise the dead. Now, this same man was being beaten and condemned by the Pharisees, and worst of all, He wasn’t fighting back. Peter was afraid.

Jesus knowing this ahead of time prayed for Peter’s faith. When Jesus was praying in Gethsemane and Peter fell asleep, Jesus called Peter by name. Jesus was trying to prepare Peter for what was coming, but Peter’s flesh was too weak. He couldn’t keep awake and pray, so when the time came for his test, Peter failed. Fear had overtaken him, and he denied Christ three times, just as Christ had warned him.

Tests are coming. Trials are coming. It’s unavoidable. You can’t stop them, but you can prepare for them. Build up your spirit and subdue your flesh. Pray more than just for your food. Spend time on worship. Seek the face of God, so that when your test or trial comes, you won’t succumb to fear. After Peter left the Upper Room, he never denied Christ again. He counted it as a reward to be persecuted for the name of Christ. He no longer feared death because he knew whom he served. He understood that because Christ rose, death would have no power over him. You serve a powerful God, don’t let the lies of fear keep you from Him or your call.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Serve In Spite of Fear.

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Don’t Fear His Presence

6 And He said, “Hear my words: If there is a prophet among you, I the Lord make myself known to him in a vision; I speak with him in a dream. 7 Not so with my servant Moses. He is faithful in all my house. 8 With him I speak mouth to mouth, clearly, and not in riddles, and he beholds the form of the Lord. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?” ~ Numbers 12:6-8

There’s no denying that the LORD loved Moses. God spoke to Moses face to face. He didn’t speak in riddles or parables, but clearly so that Moses could always understand. God’s love for Moses is special, which got me thinking, why? Why did the LORD love Moses so much? Abraham was loved because of his faith, but Moses didn’t really seem to have such a strong faith when he was called. David was a man after God’s own heart; Moses isn’t ever described in this way. Neither is Moses described like Job or Noah as being righteous. So, what was so special about Moses?

Moses sought God like very few people do. Moses was willing to enter into the unknown darkness that terrified everyone else there because he knew that’s where the presence of the LORD was (Exodus 20:21). When Moses saw the burning bush, God didn’t call to him until Moses stopped to investigate why the bush wasn’t being consumed (Exodus 3:2-4). When the people were afraid to even hear the voice of God again, Moses went up to the mountain of God and sought Him even more (Exodus 20:19).

There was never a time when Moses was satisfied with his relationship with God. He always wanted more. He always sought more. This is the way God desires us to be. God draws near to those who draw near to Him (James 4:8). God has done His part. He created you, called you, and died for you; it’s now your turn. It’s your turn to seek His face. It’s your turn to draw near to the darkness where God is. It’s your turn to go up to the mountain, regardless of how terrifying it may seem. There is no fear in love, for perfect love casts out fear (1 John 4:8).

Yes, our God is perfect. He’s Holy. There cannot be unrighteousness with God. No, we aren’t perfect. No, we aren’t fully holy or righteous, but that’s the beauty of the cross. In the time of Moses, there was no redemption or grace. Disobedience could lead to immediate death. Nevertheless, Moses, unsaved and without grace, entered the presence of Almighty God and sought His face without fear. Therefore, in a time of grace and repentance through the precious blood of Jesus, how can we do anything but seek the face of God?

God’s desire from the very beginning was to be amongst mankind. God came down to speak with Adam in the cool of the day. God walked and talked with Enoch. God was a friend of Abraham. God leaves all of Heaven to dwell on the New Earth with mankind in eternity. Why? Because God’s dwelling is with mankind (Revelation 21:3). It’s with us. He doesn’t want to be separated from us. He died so that we can be together always.

So, don’t fear the LORD to where you won’t enter His presence or seek His face. His desire is that all come to repentance and none perish (2 Peter 3:9). Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Seek His face, and you will find Him. Repent, and you will be saved. Trust Him, and He will perfect you in His perfect love.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Don’t Fear His Presence.

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Watch For Coming The Night

11 The oracle concerning Dumah. One is calling to me from Seir, “Watchman, what time of the night? Watchman, what time of the night?” ~ Isaiah 21:11

Today we are living in a time of trepidation—a time of perplexity. Fear is weaponized, and the people cower from it. Panic is on every side. One word, whether it’s real or not real, sends the population into a frenzy, causing lines upon lines. For them, the modus operandi is “create a crisis. Bring the solution. Enjoy your desired outcome.” It’s like enjoying the spoils of war.

Fear is like a liquid toxin that saturates the people and causes them to think irrationally. It is like Stockholm Syndrome sets in. The victims are forced to compromise their lives and the lives of their loved ones, yet they sincerely believe the perpetrators are looking out for their best interests. It’s their coping mechanism for survival.

If anyone tries to explain the flaws in their way of thinking, they will fly into a rage and defend the perpetrators even though it is plain they mean them great harm. They never actually get around to asking the right questions or hearing the right answers.

Watchman, what time of the night?
Watchman, what time of the night?

There is a question we all need to ask at this hour in our history of time, for there is an appointed time—a time appointed by God Himself when He will judge all the earth. There is a time of night that is coming. Do you see the sun setting? Do you notice the times? Are you preparing for those times? Now isn’t the time to allow fear to control you and cause you to come to a halt or to hide your head in the sand. Now is the time to prepare. Now is the time to store up food in your storehouses. Strengthen your foundation and build on the sturdy, unshakeable Rock. We are each called to be watchmen. We are each expected to know the season and recognize the signs. Don’t let the panic and hysteria of the world grab hold of you. You aren’t a part of this world. You don’t belong to this world, so don’t be bound by the strongholds of this world. Stand on the Rock.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Watch For Coming The Night.

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Keep Your Full Armor On

4 And he received the gold from their hand and fashioned it with a graving tool and made a golden calf. And they said, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!” ~ Exodus 32:4

The Israelites had to wander the wilderness for forty years because of fear. Moses was gone a little longer than they thought he should be. So, fear crept in, and they forgot all the LORD had just done for them. They had just been taken out of Egypt, where they had been slaves for 400 years. They had just experienced a great victory, an amazing breakthrough, but at the first sign of possible trouble, the enemy snuck in and began to influence them. They fell right back into the same idolatry God had just personally freed them from. Even though GO had just lifted this loke of slavery to those false gods of Egypt, the first sign of possible trouble caused them to run back to that familiar yoke of slavery that had become all too familiar to them. It had become a safe place for them. Today, the Church is no different.

Today, the Church continues to return to their past yokes of slavery, even though whom the Son sets free is free indeed. Even though we literally have God-Himself dwelling inside of us. It’s not because we outright just want to abide in sin; it’s because at the first sign of trouble, just like the Israelites of old, we return to that familiar, comforting yoke of slavery where we feel safe. The reason we feel safe is because the enemy isn’t being aggressive to his slave in chains and bondage. The enemy becomes aggressive and tries to intimidate his opponent, that is endowed in the full Armor of God, because he knows that if he can intimidate you, you will willingly take off your protective armor and return to the yoke of slavery on your own.

If the enemy can get you to take off the full Armor of God and return to your yoke of slavery, you’re no longer a threat to him. He knows that when we are walking in the full Gospel of the LORD, filled with the Holy Spirit and the Word of God, then no word formed against us will ever prosper because we are more than conquerors through Christ Jesus. So, he has to use something like fear and doubt to get us to remove our hedge of protection around us, just as he did with the Israelites over 3,000 years ago. Don’t let the enemy keep you from your freedom by filling your heart with fear. Remember who you are in Christ Jesus.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Keep Your Full Armor On.

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Strike It From Your Heart

30 But Caleb quieted the people before Moses and said, “Let us go up at once and occupy it, for we are well able to overcome it.” 31 Then the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we are.” 32 So they brought to the people of Israel a bad report of the land that they had spied out, saying, “The land, through which we have gone to spy it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people that we saw in it are of great height. 33 And there we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak, who come from the Nephilim), and we seemed to ourselves like grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them.” ~ Numbers 13:30–33

In 2006, Mel Gibson released a movie entitled, Apocalypto, based on the Mayans and their culture. In the film, the chief of a tribe warns his son of allowing fear into his heart because of the refugees they had just encountered, fleeing their homes and seeking a new start. This is what he tells him,

Fear is a sickness. It will crawl into the soul of anyone who engages it. It has tainted your peace already. I did not raise you to see you live with fear. Strike it from your heart. Do not bring it into our village.

Flint Sky,
Apocalypto

God told the people of Israel to go in and take the land because He was giving it to them as their inheritance. But the spies who went in to spy out the land, except for Caleb and Joshua, returned with fear in their hearts because of the Nephilim, and they spread fear through the whole camp and made the people too afraid to take what was theirs.

Fear leads to defeat, even before you start. Not one arrow flew, not one sword was drawn, not one rock flew out of a sling, but they were already defeated. What is happening now in our world is the unleashing of fear as a weapon, not only as a weapon but as a tool to keep people compliant. It silences Christians as we watch our world fall deeper and deeper into darkness. It stops us from even trying and spreads to those around us like a disease. Striking down each victim starting in their heart.

There’re many giants that we have to face in this world. Some will be scarier than others, but we have to strike fear from our hearts lest it consumes us and we fall subject to it. The only way to overcome our fear is to have faith in the love that God has for us. If He’s called you to do something, then you stand in faith, knowing that the LORD is and will fight for you. All you have to do is keep moving forward.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Strike It From Your Heart.

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Beware of Self-Preservation

1 Now Jehoshaphat had great riches and honor, and he made a marriage alliance with Ahab. ~ 2 Chronicles 18:1

God was blessing King Jehoshaphat in all that he did. He had no need to get into bed with King Ahab, and yet, he saw it necessary to forge a marriage alliance with him. Ahab was a very wicked king. A Godless king. A spoiled brat who had no regard for God or man, as plain to see when his wife Jezebel murdered Naboth, and he gladly took over his vineyard. But because of fear for self-preservation, King Jehoshaphat jumped into bed with the enemy of God.

Fear is the opposite of faith, and fear will make you do unreasonable things. When fear sets in, it will cause you to act without thinking, and self-preservation then becomes the name of the game.

The Scriptures often warn against fear. The Bible plainly states, “Fear not, for I am with you. I will fight for you. I will defend you.”

Yet king Jehoshaphat, acting in fear, took matters into his own hands and got the granddaughter of King Omri and the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel to be the bride of his son, thus forming an alliance between the two nations.

The problem with ungodly alliances is that they will take you further than you want to go and cause you to make the wrong decisions without even realizing that it is against God’s earthly will for your life. His good and perfect will that is only for your good.

Peace. Love. Go Forth and Beware of Self-Preservation.

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Help My Unbelief

18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. ~ 1 John 4:18

Fear is a spirit that feeds off of our own imaginations. It’s a spirit that cripples its victims with just a single thought or image. It was the third spirit that seemed to awaken after Adam ate of the forbidden fruit. First came Death. Then Shame. And then Fear. Fear isn’t a spirit from God. It’s not a spirit that is easily overcome. It’s a spirit that often goes unnoticed in the Church because we don’t see giving into the spirit of fear as a sin. But according to John, those who fear aren’t perfected in love. Why? Because fear has to do with punishment. We are no longer bound to the chains of punishment, we were freed by Christ Jesus. Therefore, if we willingly give into fear, we willingly return to the punishment we were just freed from.

John, in the book of Revelation, wrote that the cowardly, or those who fear, would join the adulterers, murderers, sorcerers, and all other evil people in the Lake of Fire. The only way to escape the Lake of Fire is to be perfected in love. You can’t be perfected in love if you are afraid, for perfect love casts out fear. To be afraid means that you don’t know your God. If you don’t know your God, then Jesus will be right in telling you that He never knew you on that final day when we all stand before the LORD and give an account. There is no fear in love. It’s not going to be easy, but you have to always remember one thing, fear only works if you are afraid.

Fear is a spirit of intimidation and deception because fear preys on your imaginations, not reality. Reality is that you are in the hands of God, and no one, neither seen nor unseen, can remove you from the hands of God. You are held in the hands of the creator of the entire universe. So, don’t believe the deception and lies of fear. For fear is a liar. Stand firm in the love of God and allow Him to grow your faith like never before. Allow Him to take that gain of a Mustard Seed and plant it so that your faith might grow into a great and strong tree.

Oh LORD, as the disciples once asked, so do I ask now that You help my unbelief. LORD, with all that happens around me in this world, it’s hard to find You. So, often You feel far off God. Help me to feel Your presence because I know You are here with me in my mind. Help me to believe in my heart that You are with me and will never leave me. Please, LORD, help my unbelief. Perfect me in Your perfect love. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen.

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