Wordfortheweek Week 29 Living a Fearless Life (Part 3 of 3)

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 NKJV

 

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Our ability to prevent the negative impact of fear is to first acknowledge our fears, identify the source of the fear if possible and then decide to get rid of the fear. It is not easy to get rid of the fear, but it is possible. It might not take a day, two days, a week, a month, or even a year. There are some fears that you will have to work at daily to overcome. It requires a decision and a conscious effort to focus on God and the things of God every time the fear rears its ugly head. The peace of God that surpasses all understanding will flood into your heart every time. It is only God who can make you overcome all unhealthy fear. 

 

There are practical and spiritual things to live a fearless life except for the fear of Elohim God.

 

Fear is of the mind, practically, we deal with it through our mind.

 

Fear becomes easier to master when the mind is diverted from the things feared. Do not dwell on and feed your fears by entertaining them. 

 

Fix your thoughts on whatever is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy. 

 

As a child of God, make a decision not to continue in sin. Fear will take root in your heart if you continue in sin. 

 

Do not worry about anything but in everything by prayer and petition with thanksgiving; make your requests to God. 

 

When the fear comes, do things that will put your focus on God; start to read your Bible, sing songs of praise, start praying or talk to someone about God.

 

Use the word of Elohim against fear. 

 

Some word confessions against fear

 

For God has not given me a spirit of fear but of power and love and a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7. 

 

Ye, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil for God is with me. Your rod and Your staff comfort me. Psalm 23:4

 

I cast all my cares on Yeshua because He cares for me. 1 Peter 5:7

I will not live under the bondage of fear. The peace of Jesus is with me. My heart will not be troubled or fearful. John 14:27. 

Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in you. In God I have put my trust; I will not fear. Psalm 56:3-4. 

 

The LORD is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life, of whom shall I be afraid? Psalm 27:1. 

 

I do not fear, for you are with me; I am not dismayed, for you are my God. You will strengthen me and help me; you will uphold me with your righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10. 

 

I prayed to the Lord, and he answered me, He freed me from all my fears. Psalm 34:4. 

 

Spiritually, we need to recognize the fears that we battle with and deal with them with the weapons of our warfare. The spirit of fear has no place in our hearts, for we have not received a spirit that makes us slaves again to fear, but the Spirit of God that confirms we are children of God and joint-heirs with Jesus. As such, fear has no power over us, unless we let it.

 

Weapons of Warfare

 

Faith in Jesus Christ 

The Word of God, the name of Jesus, and faith are your weapons against the spirit of fear. Faith is having the confidence that we shall receive the things we hoped for and the assurance of the existence of things we have not seen. It is impossible to please God without faith. God Himself said that if we do not stand firm in faith, we will not stand at all (Isaiah 7:8 NIV).

 

The Word of God 

The Word of God is our weapon; it is living and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword. The Word of God is a weapon of our warfare against the spirit of fear. The Word of God is the power of God. Yeshua used the word of God to defeat the devil. It is written “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 NKJV

 

Power in the name of Jesus Christ 

All authority in heaven and earth has been given to Jesus, Halleluiah! Jesus sits at God’s right hand, a place of honor and power, far above every principality, power, and might, and everything that is named in this age or the age to come. He was exalted and given the name that is above all names, in heaven, on earth, or underneath the earth. Fear has a name. A name that is subject to the Name above all names Yeshua. By faith bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ (2 Cor 10:5)

 

Prayer and worship 

Prayer brings it all together. Prayer is about communicating with God. When you confess the Word of God in the name of Jesus and seal it with faith, you are praying. “Be anxious for nothing. But in everything by prayer and supplications, with thanksgiving let your request be known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your heart and mind through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6). Sometimes we think that confession is only when you sin. I confess my fear to the Lord. Why not, He is my Father. He knows what I think and feel. By my confession, I am humbling myself to Him and asking for help, that His grace might rest on me.

 

God inhabits the praise of His people, therefore make thanksgiving, praise, and worship continuous acts in your life. When fear tries to rise in your mind, you should start singing songs of praise and worship. I can tell you from experience that the fear will flee. Darkness must disappear when light appears. Singing to God is an immediate, effective weapon for the battle of the mind. Whenever any fearful thought wants to come to your mind, attack it immediately with songs of praise and worship. 

 

Finally, I would like to encourage you to use that gift of free will, which God gave us, through which we make decisions and choices for our lives. God has asked us to choose between life and death and between blessing and cursing (Deuteronomy 30:19). We have the choice to live life in fear or to live for God and let Him direct our steps, knowing that with Him in control of our lives, there is nothing, absolutely nothing, to fear. It’s all about the choices we make. 

 

No human being can release you from the bondage of fear except yourself working in partnership with Elohim God. You are to put on the whole armor of God; no one else can put it on you, on your behalf. Even when you are prayed for by a Holy Spirit-filled child of God, you still have to do your part by standing strong in faith, resisting the spirit of fear with the Word of God in the name of Jesus. You have the Holy Spirit working in you to empower and strengthen you. You are not alone.

 

Elohim has not given us the spirit of fear but of power, of love, and a sound mind. To those who are in a relationship with Him. Are you? Only our God can give us that fearless life. Why not give Him the opportunity today? 

Or maybe you were in a relationship with Him before, but you turned aside to do your own thing and now fear has taken root in your life. The fact that you are still alive, reading this, means that you have another chance. Elohim has preserved your life even up to this moment. Why not take that step into grace today. We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

Acknowledge: you have sinned and come short of the glory of God,

Repent: of your sins and be determined to turn away from them,

Confess: and declare Jesus as the Son of God, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead,

Accept him as your Lord and Saviour,

Declare openly your faith and become a new creature in Christ, old things have passed away,

Follow: Jesus in all areas of your life,

 

And start that wonderful journey with Him immediately. I encourage you to search for a bible teaching fellowship near you to support your spiritual growth.

 

PrayerfortheWeek

Almighty Father, thank you for the gift of my life. Thank you for the gift of my salvation. The spirit of fear has no power over me. I appropriate the power in the redemptive work of Christ Jesus over my life. I have the spirit of power, of love, and of sound mind. In the name of Yeshua, I pray. Amen.

 

If you accept Jesus or turned back to him, please get in touch. I am so excited! You give me hope and joy and are my proud reward and crown when I stand before our Lord Jesus when he returns. Yes, you are our pride and joy. (1 Thessalonians 2:19-20 NLT)

Inbox me, email me, just get in touch. I want to join you in prayers every day

My email is info@adeolaakintoye.com

Wordfortheweek Week 28 Living a Fearless Life (Part 2 of 3)

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 NKJV

 

Fear is an emotion, caused by the belief, rightly or wrongly, real, or perceived, that something or someone is dangerous or a threat.  Fear is an emotional state that occurs in every person at points in their lives. 

 

We live in an uncertain and insecure world. We live in a violent world. We live in a world full of crises. It is natural to respond to a physical threat or danger with fear and then take action to eliminate that threat. Presently, we live under the threat of this COVID-19 virus, and we are taking action to eliminate that threat.

 

Fear is part of our basic and innate survival emotion that responds to an external or internal stimulus, and it is an emotion that is inherent in everyone.

 

If someone has no feeling of fear at all, it could be detrimental to their physical wellbeing. Can you imagine just walking onto a motorway because you don’t fear being knocked down? Or you see your child about to step on a poisonous snake and you are not gripped by fear? 

 

A survival-related fear (a thing) leads you to make rational decisions to protect yourself and those around you. It is what makes us look left, right, and then left again before we cross the road. It guides the decisions we make daily to protect, nurture and care for ourselves and our families. Yet, this could also lead us to become obsessive about protecting ourselves and our families. 

 

The fear that you must fight is the one that controls you, keeps you in bondage, preventing you from living your life to the fullest and doing things that make you happy. The fear that you must fight is the one that is a barrier between you and God, preventing you from taking Him at His Word. The fear that keeps you immobile, frightened, physically sick, and emotionally traumatised is not healthy.

 

Fear operates through our senses. It comes from what we see, hear, think, or feel. There is an adage that says see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil. Unfortunately, this is not very easy when it comes to fear. Followers of Christ live by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). When you focus on your problems you can’t see the solution or the resources you need. You become paralyzed with fear. You can’t think, you can’t act, and you end up taking flight. 

 

A good example of this is seen in the Bible, in 1 Samuel 13: 5- 7. The Israelites were confronted by the mighty army of the Philistines. The Bible recorded 3,000 chariots, 6,000 charioteers, and as many warriors as the grains of the sand. The sight caused the Israelites to run and hide. They forgot that they had a God who fights their battles. They lost sight of God. King Saul did the unthinkable by sacrificing the burnt offering himself, despite having been told to wait by the Prophet Elijah. He lost the kingdom because he gave in to his fear and disobeyed God. But one fearless man, Jonathan, who was strong in faith, took only his amour bearer with him and God made the Philistines flee. 

 

Fear causes a negative action or reaction. Our response to fear could harm our relationships because it affects the way we view life, the decisions we make, and the actions we take. When fear takes root in our mind, it brings about anxiety, stress, illness, depression, unhappiness not only to us but also to those around us. 

 

Fear paralyses you. You lose courage. The apostle Peter was walking on water, fearlessly focused on Jesus, until he noticed his surroundings and became fearful.

 

Fear can lead you to make stupid and disastrous decisions. The fear of insecurity led Jeroboam, king of Israel, to set up idol worship so that his people would not go to Judah to worship the True God. This brought disaster to his house. We lose sight of God in our situations when we let our fear control us. As a child of God, none of these fears have control over us. 

 

Fear is a tool in the hand of the devil. He makes the threat appear quite real to fool you. The two most common roots of human problems are fear and pride. Man has a natural desire to be better than the next person. The awareness of our limitations allows fear to take root in our hearts. The devil and his demons’ prey on these two elements in man.  But as a child of God, remember that only the counsel of the Lord concerning you shall stand. Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails (Proverbs 19:21). The enemy uses it as a snare. Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe (Proverbs 29:25).

 

Fear leads to bondage and keeps you in bondage (Hebrew 2:15). It keeps you immobile. There is no progress in your life. A life of fear will not make you live the life that God has purposed for you. You would be afraid to take that step of faith, to try out new things, and be willing to take any risk. 

 

Fear is a torment (1 John4:18). When you are in torment, you are in emotional pain, life has no meaning. Fear is the first step in the oppression of the enemy. When you live in fear, you become discouraged, from discouragement you get depressed and from depression you become suicidal.

 

Fear finds its roots in an unfulfilled life, one that is still searching and uncertain. When we are focused on God and clear about our purpose in His plan, we can fight any fear that wants to derail us. Are you living your purpose?

 

It is possible to live a fearless life except for the fear of Elohim God.

 

 

To be continued

 

PrayerfortheWeek

Almighty Father, thank you for the gift of my life. Thank you for the gift of my salvation. The spirit of fear has no power over me. I appropriate the power in the redemptive work of Christ Jesus over my life. I have the spirit of power, of love, and of sound mind. In the name of Yeshua, I pray. Amen.

 

If you accept Jesus or turned back to him, please get in touch. I am so excited! You give me hope and joy and are my proud reward and crown when I stand before our Lord Jesus when he returns. Yes, you are our pride and joy. (1 Thessalonians 2:19-20 NLT)

Inbox me, email me, just get in touch. I want to join you in prayers every day

My email is info@adeolaakintoye.com

Wordfortheweek Week 27 Living a Fearless Life (Part 1 of 3)

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 NKJV

 

What joy to live a fearless life! Nothing shakes you; you have no fear of death, of tomorrow, of hunger, of disease, of sickness, of being hurt, of ending up alone, of loneliness, of not being accepted. Not even fear of yourself! You sail through life with indescribable joy; even in times of uncertainty, lack, physical or emotional pain. What would it take to live life this way? Not that you would want to ignore the realities of life, but merely because you would like to experience this indescribable joy that comes from deep within your soul. 

 

This kind of joy makes you feel on top of the world as if you know that nothing can destroy you, who you are or what you are. It’s all about living a life free of ungodly fear. This is the kind of life that we would all want to live, but we are faced with the realities of making ends meet. Whether it is working 9 to 5 or 24 hours a day or running your own business, bringing up our children, dealing with our teenagers, living in the midst of the global economic crisis; there is an escalating sense of insecurity that surrounds us day by day. Even if we do have all the money that we could ever need, it would still not bring us joy. We would still worry about making more money, fighting an incurable terminal disease, or even about the behavior of our children, despite giving them everything that money could possibly buy. The list goes on and on. Ah yes, not to forget, worry about dying!

 

It is very easy to tell someone to ‘fear not, God is with you.’ The reality is many people are living with one fear or the other. I mean, the COVID world that we live in now is an example. Whether we want to admit it or not, there is a fear of getting COVID, and why because most people do not want to die. But they will tell you, ‘I am not afraid of dying.'

 

Truthfully, when I dig down deep into my heart, I have fears. I would be lying if I say I don’t have any fear at all. 

 

So, could we live a fearless life even with the emotion of fear?

 

What is fear?

 

Fear is defined as, ‘A painful emotion or passion excited by the expectation of evil, or the apprehension, anxiety, dread of impending danger’. It’s a mind thing. Fear is an emotion, an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief, rightly or wrongly, real or perceived, that something or someone is dangerous or a threat.

 

To deal with fear, we must understand it first.

 

Two types of fear

 

1)The fear of ‘something’ 

Fear of something is the expectation of that thing happening and that its effect would cause pain or the impact on you would be negative. It is always about something negative or bad happening and never of something good. In most instances, the threat has not yet become reality, but we have the feeling that it would happen. The threat might be real or imagined. Fear could also be an instant reaction to something happening. Everyone has a natural instinctual response to potential danger that makes you take action to avert the danger.

 

2) Fear of someone

The fear of someone is the feeling that the person will do something bad, painful, or negative to us. We could also fear when we hold the person in awe and respect because of who the person is; their power, position, or ability. This fear leads to respect, obedience, and reverence for the person.

 

When the recipient of this fear is God, it is godly fear. It is this type of godly fear we are to have towards God. This fear is healthy. The fear of God keeps you from doing evil. It keeps you focused on doing good things. It does not give you pain, anxiety, depression, worry, or any other negative emotions that are detrimental to you and those around you.

 

We shall be focusing on the first type of fear. 

 

To be continued.

Wordfortheweek Week 26 Giving

“And I have been a constant example of how you can help those in need by working hard. You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” Acts of the Apostles 20:35 NLT.

 

What comes to your mind when we mention giving? Cambridge dictionary defines giving as the act of providing money or in-kind for something, especially to a charity or other good cause. 

 

Giving is one of the fundamental principles Elohim God has set in place on earth just like sowing and reaping; night and day; sun for the day and moon for the night. The blessing of giving applies to believers and unbelievers. No one should be compelled/guilt-tripped/blackmailed into giving with a wrong heart.

 

There is the world view and the kingdom of God view about giving and receiving. The world view is to give and receive something back, there is always an intention. The kingdom view is from love, not intending to receive something back.

 

We can reflect on giving from two perspectives: Giving to God and giving to others

 

Giving to others

The world sees giving as an altruistic act. Altruism is the principle and moral practice of concern for the happiness of others, the desire to promote the welfare of others, expressed especially by the generous donation of money to good causes.

 

Giving to Elohim is an act of love. Giving comes before receiving. Elohim gave us a standard for giving. He gave first, John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son and Roman 5:8 But God showed His love to us. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

 

Whether we are giving to God or our fellow human beings, giving comes before receiving and from a heart of love. We can learn some principles about giving from the word of Elohim.

 

1. Giving an act of thanksgiving from the heart

Abraham was a man after God’s heart. His life is an example of practical Christianity.

When his nephew, Lot, and his possessions were taken captive, Abram mustered 319 of his men to pursue the captors. There was a battle. He won. God defeated Abram’s enemies. Melchizedek brought Abram bread and wine and blessed Abram, who then gave him a tenth of all the goods he had recovered. Abram did not keep anything for himself. The principle here is a heart of giving not law. A heart of giving and thanksgiving inside out.

 

2. Giving an act of worship

As a son of God where you are in your relationship with him will determine your approach to giving as worship.

After Elohim God appeared to Jacob in the place he called Bethel, he was so moved that he made a vow that God will be his God and he will give a tenth of everything God gives him. This story is in Genesis 28:10-22

 

3. Giving as an act to ignite or provoke blessing from Elohim 

We read the act of giving by king Solomon that moved Elohim God to give him a blanket cheque. 1 King 3:⁴ Now the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the great high place: Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. ⁵ At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, “Ask! What shall I give you?”

 

4. Giving as obedience to the law - Old Testament covenant

An offering is a type of giving and very important to God. God commanded five Levitical offerings. Some of these offerings are no longer applicable because Yeshua Jesus took the place of the offering.

 

Burnt offering as an atonement for sins, a male lamb without blemish, completely burnt, none must be eaten. Leviticus chapter 6. Jesus Christ our perfect offering, in atonement for our sins. No more animal sacrifice is needed.

 

Peace Offering is a meal shared with the Lord, the priest, and those in need. It is also given for vows/promises/dedication of one’s life. Genesis 31:43

 

Meal / Grain Offering as a memorial portion on the altar, the remaining is eaten by the Priest. This is meant to be subsistence for the priests/ those in full-time ministry. Leviticus chapter 2

 

Sin offering as atonement for unintentional sin. There must be an act to acknowledge and evidence action. Leviticus 4:1-4. As believers, we are encouraged to confess our sins and God is faithful to forgive.

 

Trespass offering is similar to sin offering but there is physical restitution. Leviticus 6:5-7

 

Tithe as another type of giving, to take care of the Levites who were meant to be working 100% in the temple and not in the secular world, to help foreigners because the Israelites were foreigners in Egypt and to look after the widows

 

5. Giving is grace - new covenant in Christ. 2 Cor 8

“Since you excel in so many ways—in your faith, your gifted speakers, your knowledge, your enthusiasm, and your love from us —I want you to excel also in this gracious act of giving….Of course, I don’t mean your giving should make life easy for others and hard for yourselves. I only mean that there should be some equality. Right now you have plenty and can help those who are in need. Later, they will have plenty and can share with you when you need it. In this way, things will be equal. As the Scriptures say, “Those who gathered a lot had nothing left over, and those who gathered only a little had enough.” 2 Corinthians 8:7, 13-15 NLT

 

No saint in the church should lack. Giving is from love. Giving is a grace to excel in. Giving comes from the heart willingly and cheerfully “For if there is first a willing mind, it is accepted according to what one has, and not according to what he does not have.” II Corinthians 8:12 NKJV

 

How to give

Let the Holy Spirit guide you. Unfortunately, the evil heart of man has contaminated the act of giving – personal gain, to dupe, to steal.  Plan to give so that it does not become a burden e.g. plan to live on a % of your income so that you can give more. Don’t make a showcase of it, do it privately, don’t make a celebration of it (Matthew 6:1, 3, 4).

 

Summary

Not giving is not keying into the principles of sowing and reaping that God has put in place since the foundation of the earth. Giving is not a law unto bondage but a right heart unto the Lord. Giving will not make you righteous with God, only faith in Christ and a heart of belief do that. However, the heart of Christ is a heart of giving. If you are not a giver, your heart has not yet been transformed by the love of Christ. Don’t stop anyone who wants to give to you, because you might be denying them their blessing as ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’’ Acts of the Apostles 20:35 NLT.

 

Maybe we have been giving from a wrong motive. Maybe we want to be a giver more than we are doing now. Maybe we want to start, giving is by grace not by law. We are not made right with God by law but by grace.  We are made right with Elohim through faith in His Son, Yeshua Christ Jesus. This righteousness is by grace – the gift of Elohim. To abound in this grace of giving, we need to have faith in the giver of grace – Jesus.

 

Have you given your life to Jesus? Great, abound in the grace of giving.

Are you yet to give your life? It’s not too late. Elohim has preserved your life even up to this moment. It’s simple to step into grace. We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. 

Acknowledge: you have sinned and come short of the glory of God

Repent: of your sins and be determined to turn away from them

Confess: and declare Jesus as the Son of God, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead

Accept him as your Lord and Saviour

Declare openly your faith and become a new creature in Christ, old things have passed away

Follow: Jesus in all areas of your life

 

If you accept Jesus or turned back to him through this blog, please get in touch. I am so excited! You give me hope and joy. You are my proud reward and crown when I stand before our Lord Jesus when he returns. Yes, you are our pride and joy. (1 Thessalonians 2:19-20 NLT)

Inbox me, email me, just get in touch. I want to join you in prayers every day

My email is info@adeolaakintoye.com

 

PrayerfortheWeek

Almighty Father, thank you for the gift of my life. Thank you for the gift of my salvation. Give me the grace to abound in giving. Help me to be a generous and cheerful giver. May You generously provide all I need, always having everything I need, and plenty left over. In the name of Yeshua, I pray. Amen,