We’ve come to another fork in the road,
and I find myself without direction
I’m thankful that there are decisions to make
So this is more like there’s no motivation
Strike hard and true with the iron is hot
Sounds like something my father once said
But right now I’m not sure if the laziness
comes from outside or programmed in my head
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”
Joshua 1:9
Amidst all the reasons this world gives us to be afraid, we are reminded, as Israel is reminded here, to be strong, and to be courageous. And see, our God COMMANDED them thus… and He backs it all up, restating and emphasizing: Do NOT be frightened, nor be dismayed… why? For God is with them wherever they go.
He proved this to be true when He responded to their cries in the wilderness. He was certainly with them in the form of the pillar of fire by night, and the pillar of cloud by day. He proved that He was with them, by way of speaking directly to Moses, and letting him in His wisdom.
It’s not to say that it’s wrong for us to BE afraid – but when we find ourselves afraid, and when we STAY afraid, well, this is more reason for us to seek our God… and that’s where we’re sure to remember that, even in the greatest of our fears, God has been with us all along.
…fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Isaiah 41:10
We were reminded in Joshua, and now we’ve been reminded in Isaiah – Fear not, for God is with us. And see here, we’re given another reason why we’re not to be dismayed.
Previously it was because God is with us wherever we go… but here, we’re reminded that it’s enough for us not to be dismayed, simply because God is who He is – And what are we to remember about who God is when we’re dismayed? Isaiah continues: He will strengthen us, He will help us, and He will uphold us with His righteous right hand.
Take note that He does not say ‘be not dismayed, for I will do great things’, but ‘for I am your God’. What this means to me is that it’s not merely God’s desire, but His nature to give us strength and help and to uphold us. Simply put He doesn’t just want to strengthen us, etc.; He REALLY wants to do so, because it is who He is.
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. We love because he first loved us.
1 John 4:18-19
I understand that it may be hard for us not to fear. In those times, we remember that God is with us, and He is so for us that it’s His nature…
But even when it’s hard for us to remember, realize, and appreciate how God is with us and for us, and even when we are having difficulty taking in that this is true even when we don’t feel it, we still have cause… rather, we have hope.
Maybe it isn’t up to us to cast the fear away. Maybe we shouldn’t push the fear out, more than sitting back, and letting the love in. The perfect love that casts out all fear.
We shouldn’t be doing the loving to push the fear out. Maybe we should remember, in our deepest fears, that it was God who loved us first. And we know this, through Christ – the Son of God, and God’s greatest expression of His perfect and everlasting love towards us.
I thought I’d let that out of my head before I did anything else today. I am thankful for the opportunity to share stuff like that to kids who are, oh, 20 to even 30 years younger than me.
I told them I used to be scared of making a mistake, simply because I thought that when I stumbled, transgressed or otherwise made a mistake, that I needed to go through all sorts of spiritual hoops and ladders to get back into God’s graces again.
I thought that it was up to me to feel better, and that I needed to be the one to beat myself up, I needed to be the one to stay away for a bit, before going back to praying, singing, and reading His word again.
This notion which I believe was brought to us by a flaw in the older tenets of Western Christianity was pretty strong in pulling up Scripture where it states that once you blow it, there’s no more chance for you. I should probably talk about that some other time.
But yeah, in a nutshell, I shared to them, without going too deep into it, that the finished work of Christ is far greater than anything we could ever do.
Just like, right now, I’m thinking it’s peace to my mind and soul that the finished work of Christ is also far greater than anything anyone could ever do to us. Far greater than anything we could do to anyone… even if we think we’d be hurting people.
Instead of fearing the repercussions of my own actions, or the pain of others’ actions to me directly or impacting me indirectly, I should probably keep coming back, or prioritizing/focusing on Christ and His finished work.
I was supposed to be talking about the Lord’s prayer tomorrow… but right now, I’m stuck, not knowing what I have to say.
Let me focus on Christ.
That last set of rhymes wasn’t too good
I thought twice before posting them here
But if in the end it leads to Christ
I post with nothing to fear.
75235/365000
#FearAndLove #PerfectLove #GodsLove #Bible #Reflections #Revelations #PracticalChristianity #BenefitsOfSalvation
JB's Personal Brain Defragmenter 
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