No Fear!
“God is love. There is no fear in love; perfect love drives out all fear. So then, love has not been made perfect in anyone who is afraid, because fear has to do with punishment. There is no fear in love; perfect love drives out all fear.” I Jn. 4:16b & 18.

Every Monday night at 7:00 PM we have our Bible Study at our home. I must say that I did not prepare for studying. To my shame I did not pray or study the scriptures or even really think of studying until the doorbell rang. At the beginning of the study, we always pray asking God to guide us for the night. Not knowing why, I asked my wife to read the above-mentioned scripture. As she began to read, I felt the presence of God so strong that I could hardly speak. It was like God touching my chest. I began to weep and it was hard for me to talk. I had to stop several times to calm down so I could continue with the study.

During our study the Lord brought to my memory some words that my father used to say. What I am going to say are the exact words that my father used to say when I was a child. I must have heard it from my father a hundred times. My father used to say the following, “Everything I touch turns to shit”. My father had very low self-esteem and he passed that on to me. I used to think and say that very same thing that my earthly used to say about himself.

In short, the first thing I believe what God is saying from the above-mentioned scripture is do we believe that He is love and that He loves us unconditionally? If we know this then we know that He has not forgotten us. He has not ignored us nor will He fail to perfect His plan for our lives. The second thing that we need to believe is that we are His masterpiece and no matter how many times we mess up He will continue to love us.

Most of us suffer from some very traumatic experiences that have left deep scars on our lives and psychics. We have been told by others that we have no worth. We have been made to feel that we are failures. At times we feel that we have nothing to offer to anyone. This is the fear that the scripture speaks about. The feeling of inadequacy torments us. We punish ourselves repeatedly for past mistakes. I don’t know if you ever have asked God for forgiveness for not believing in Him. I don’t know if you ever have asked God forgiveness for thinking that He does not love you. I don’t know if you ever felt that God only blesses His favorite people.

God is not deaf or blind. He sees and hears all. He heard your first cry for forgiveness and He forgave you. Now, He wants you to forgive yourself. He wants you to believe in His love for you. You are His masterpiece! Let the knowledge of His love for YOU sink deep into your soul and drive out all fear! Receive His love today!

Hope for the Lonely
God sets the lonely in families, he leads forth the prisoners with singing; but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land. Psalm 68:6.

To be lonely is a very sad condition; yet in today’s world there are millions and millions of lonely people. Even though the population of the earth is increasing rapidly and even though so many people live in large cities, those large cities and this highly populated earth of ours are filled with lonely people. You see, it’s possible to be lonely in the midst of a crowd. It’s possible to be lonely in a big city. I know, because I’ve met so many people like that.

My wife and I have counseled many kinds of people with just as many excuses for not surrendering to the Lord. I remember one man who was an officer who lost his teen son to suicide. He was guilt ridden because he was never the father his son needed. His career, his quest for material possessions, and his substance abuse with alcohol pushed him further and further from his wife and his son. He has many failed relationships in his past. He blamed others for his problems, never wanting to accept his responsibility. He was lonely and broken but not ready to surrender.

Now loneliness is not God’s plan for man’s life. Right at the beginning of human history God said, “It is not good for man to be alone.” So, for the first man he planned a mate. That’s God’s attitude. He wants to take us out of our loneliness. He wants to set us in the family of God. He wants to give us human friends and human fellowship. That’s His plan. God sets the lonely in families. If we are prisoners, He leads us forth with singing.

But there’s one kind of person that God cannot help out of loneliness: the rebellious live in a dry sun-scorched land. So, if you’re lonely just bear in mind that God cannot help you until you lay down your rebelliousness, till you renounce your pride and your self-will and independence and turn to God for His mercy and then He’ll have mercy on you and He will bring you in His family. God can heal but we must give Him all our broken pieces!

Redeem The Time!
Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk—not as unwise people but as wise—making the most of the time, because the days are evil. Eph. 5: 15-16.

We live in a world that has its priorities very wrong. We can see that what God considers good and wholesome the world sees as evil. We turn to the news and see that only evil is glorified. We see that the things that God see as good and holy are mocked and discredited. The entire world as it states in 2 Cor. 4:4 is in the hands of the evil one. The need to walk in wisdom and integrity is paramount to be able to withstand the onslaught of Satanic activity. We need to use all our resources, including time wisely.

What does that mean, “to redeem the time? Well, let me ask you another question. If I were to ask you, “What is the thing in your life that you find hardest to manage? What is the thing that you so often find yourself short of, that you don’t have enough of?” What would you answer?

You might perhaps think money, but in my experience there’s one thing that’s much harder to manage than money, something that I’m much more often short of that money is time. I believe time is the hardest thing to manage properly in our lives. I believe that the stewardship of time is perhaps the supreme test of our discipline and our real Christianity. And so, I pray like the Apostle Paul, to redeem our time and use it to promote the Kingdom of God.

You see, your priorities of time really indicate the values of your life. Things that have low priority probably will drop off the bottom of the list. If you don’t give high priority to the things that really matter, your life will be out of order. So, you, like me, need to echo that prayer, teach me to walk wisely making the most of the time you have given Father.

Temptation and its Subtlety!
No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. (I Corinthians 10:13).

I find the longer I walk with Jesus the more the devil attacks me with different types of temptation. In my natural state (non-Christian) of mind, temptation was a problem only if I felt there was a way I would get caught. In my spiritual state (being born again) it becomes a problem because it upsets the delicate balance between assumed spirituality and real spirituality.
Temptation for every disciple, has two hazards: time, that is making a short cut: and method, that is substituting a different way than God’s way. Therefore, every temptation forces me to reexamine my spiritual foundations and to choose whether I will wait for Go’s time or seize my own time. This inner struggle God makes me ‘learn obedience” even as Jesus learned obedience. But let’s be clear God is not the author of temptation or evil. (James 1:13-15).

I have walked with the Lord for 53 years and I have realized the subtle temptation becomes. It is like approaching a bright light; the closer we get, the sharper the shadows become. The temptation of Jesus in Gethsemane was far more subtle than the temptations He suffered in the wilderness. Each new level of commitment opens a whole new range of possible deviations from that commitment.

When I am tempted, I am consoled by Jesus, who was “touched” with understanding my weaknesses. (Hebrews 4:15). He cannot remove my temptation because He is not the author of it but understands the battle I am in. He never lets me go even when I let go of Him by my own volition. He is the author and finisher of my faith as long as I make Him the source of my faith. He understands and comes to my rescue as I reach out to Him. (Hebrews 2:18).

The Law of the Five Senses. Carnality vs. Spirituality
For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh (controlled by our five senses), but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded (controlled by our five senses) is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. Rom. 8:5-7 (KJV).

But if the Spirit is leading you (born again recreated spirit), you are not under the law. (The flesh- controlled by our five senses). You are not trying to live your life without the control of the Holy Spirit on your born-again spirit (your inner man). Paul gives a long list of works of the flesh which are your five senses.
“The ·wrong things the sinful self does [works of the flesh/sinful nature] are ·clear [evident; obvious]: ·being sexually unfaithful [sexual immorality], ·not being pure [impurity], ·taking part in sexual sins [depravity; promiscuity]. (Gal. 5:19, Expanded Bible).

The battle we fight every hour of every day on our daily walk is either to be guided by our five senses or by letting the Holy Spirit guide our born-again spirit. My inner man my born-again spirit should govern our five senses. This happens by submitting every thought and every experience to the Word of God. Here are two scriptures to help us in this battle.
So [Therefore], brothers and sisters, since God has shown us great mercy, I ·beg [urge; appeal to] you to offer your ·lives [selves; bodies] as a living sacrifice to him. Your offering must be ·only for God [holy] and pleasing to him, which is the ·spiritual [or authentic; true; or appropriate; fitting; or rational; reasonable] way for you to worship. Do not be ·shaped by [conformed to; pressed into a mold by] this ·world [age]; instead, be ·changed within [transformed] by ·a new way of thinking [or changing the way you think; the renewing of your mind]. Then you will be able to ·decide [discern; test and approve] what ·God wants for you [is God’s will]; you will know what is good and pleasing to him and what is perfect. (Rom. 12:1-2. Expanded Bible).

We fight with weapons that are ·different from those the world uses [not merely human weapons; not of the flesh-five senses]. Our weapons have power from God that can destroy ·the enemy’s strong places [ strongholds; fortresses]. We destroy ·people’s arguments [human reasoning; sophistries] and every ·proud thing [pretension; exalted opinion; high thing] that raises itself against the knowledge of God. We capture every thought and make it obey Christ. We are ready to ·punish [avenge] ·anyone there who does not obey [every disobedience], ·but first we want you to obey fully [ once/after your obedience is fulfilled; once the church as a whole repents, Paul will discipline those who refuse]. You ·must look at the facts before you [or are looking only at outward appearances]. If you ·feel sure [are confident] that you belong to Christ, you must remember [consider again] that we belong to Christ just as you do.
(2 Cor. 10:4-7, Expanded Bible).

God is saying judge everything that your five senses present to you by His word. His word is like a lamp for our feet and a light for our path [ it shows how life should be lived. (Psalms 119:105, Expanded Bible).

The way we Believe is the way we will Speak. And the way we speak is the way we will Live.

The New Kind of Knowledge
• Faith Contradicts Circumstances
….for He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So, we may boldly say: “The LORD is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” Heb. 13:5-6.
• We walk by Faith not by our feelings.
• People speak defeat, disease, and poverty.
• Wrong thinking, wrong believing, and wrong talking will result in wrong living.
• Faith Sees the Answer and Says Thank You Father!
“
“who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were (past tense) healed.”
1 Peter 2:24.

And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Phil. 4:19.

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.

For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Mark 11:23

• Real Faith in God simply says what God says about themselves and circumstances.
• Believe in your Heart!
What is the heart? It is not your physical heart and it is your inner man which is your spirit. Your heart here is used in most inner depths of your psych being your mind and your personality.

A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. Luke 6:45

How you Believe, (think) is how you will Speak. And how you speak will is how you will Live.

The Sense-Ruled Mind!
Introduction
The unrenewed mind is at war against the Word of God. It does not believe the Word of God. It is always praying for faith but never arriving. The unrenewed mind is always struggling to get faith, always confessing failure, always talking unbelief, saying they believe in the Word of God but their confession and actions negated by their lifestyle. You never see them acting on the Word of God. The key to remember is to Believe the Word of God. Confess the Word of God. And act or Live according to the Word of God.
How many Christians are still acting like babies because the Word of God is not number one in their lives. Their priorities are mixed up so their lives are mixed up. Their minds are mixed up because they’re not concentrating on the word of God is important to know who we are in Him so we can think on his word speak His word and act on His word.
Many Christians don’t know who they are in Christ Jesus, they are still babies in their faith, and because of that they are continually speaking doubt. God says that we are complete and him and we like nothing but yet this is not the confession of the church. The church is always confessing about insufficiency the lack of something, but the two scriptures I’m going to share with you state that we lack nothing if we are lacking it’s because we are baby Christians and we don’t know the rules of the game. God expects us to go to him in faith, not doubting, but in faith, and if we don’t go to him in faith, we will receive nothing from him.

And ye are complete in Him, which is the head of all principality and power: Col. 2:10

May grace and peace be multiplied to you through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. His divine power has given us everything required for life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness. By these He has given us very great and precious promises, so that through them you may share in the divine nature, escaping the corruption that is in the world because of evil desires. 2 Peter 1:2-4
• Grace: the ability that God gives you through the understanding His word and provisions needed to do His will.
• Peace: the world offers chaos but through standing on the word of God we know that he has our back and we are not afraid of bad news. Psalms 112: 7, “He will not fear bad news; his heart is confident, trusting in the LORD.”
• Fear thou not; for I am with thee be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. Isa. 41:10
• No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD. Isa. 54:17

• What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Rom. 8:31-39

The way we Believe is the way we will Speak. And the way we speak is the way we will Live.
The Two Different Confessions Who Is Double-Minded.
Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God—who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly—and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith without doubting. For the doubter is like the surging sea, driven and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. James 1:5-8. The scripture in this Epistle of James is a perfect example of many in the body of Christ. They want the blessings of Abraham with the faith of Thomas.

Lord God, when he presented himself to Thomas, He scolded him for his lack of faith but he said, mature, blessed, happy strong are those who can believe without seeing. (John 20:24-29).
We are surrounded by our five senses. Our five senses govern us, and that’s what gives us a double-minded confession. This was the problem with Thomas and those like him he wanted to see the Lord physically so he would believe. The Lord did not say to Thomas or even the church today I understand that you’re weak and full of doubt but I will help you anyways. God says without faith it is impossible to receive anything from Him.
The way we Believe is the way we will Speak. And the way we speak is the way we will Live.

God Hears and Answers!
Praise awaits you, O God, in Zion; to you our vows will be fulfilled. O you who hear prayer, to you all men will come. When we were overwhelmed by sins, you atoned for our transgressions. Psalm 65:1–3.

We must realize that everything that manifests itself physically, emotionally, or psychologically has its roots in the spiritual. Everyone must consider what they are chasing in life and if it will last. The world offers dry wells from which people seek fulfillment. But Father God who is the fountain of living water offers an oasis in a very dry and desolate world. When we are in a counseling people with some troubled person who has a marital problem or financial problem or some other kind of problem; I must tell that person very honestly: God is extremely interested in you. However, we must understand that we live in a culture where we want instant answers and instant success. We want everything we see on TV and more.

We want everything at the speed of a microwave oven. We want instant healing, success, instant discipleship, instant holiness, and instant answers to our prayers. How many people do you know that have many material things but are miserable? When one chooses to follow Christ, this is not an easy road to embark on. We are constantly being pulled way to follow our desires and our will. God wants us to depend upon Him and follow His example. He does not want us to rely on our own strength, wisdom, or how the world wants us to think and act. He wants to lead. He wants us to ask Him for every area in our life. His answer may not what we want to hear but God will answer. Usually, the answer to our questions is in God’s Word. We must also understand that we have an enemy that will resist us drawing near to God at every situation and circumstance in our lives. We need to check our hearts and see if really, we are embracing God and His promises.

That’s what the psalmist says, “O you who hear prayer, to you all men will come.” Ultimately everybody needs God. Everybody needs to know that God hears and answers prayer. That’s what’s going to bring, is the fact that God hears and answers prayer. It may not be the answer we expect or like but it is His answer. And there’s one special prayer that He delights to answer above all others and that is the prayer for forgiveness of our sins. When we’ve sinned and failed God and man we don’t need to turn away in despair, we can turn back to God, cry to Him for forgiveness and then we’ll be able to say, as the psalmist says there, “When we were overwhelmed by sins, you atoned for our transgressions.”

Don’t let fear or guilt or despair keep you from praying. When you are in trouble don’t blame God. Don’t run from the cross, run to the Cross of Calvary. Following Father God and His word is a long road of obedience in the same direction towards the Cross of Calvary. Remember, in the depths of your agony God hears and He answers prayer.

A Servant in Name or Deed?
According to my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. Philippians 1:20-21.

I must ask myself, often am I a disciple in Name or Deed. I am reminded of Jacob, who addressed himself before his brother, Esau, as “your servant”. (Genesis 32:18). Jacob said that out of fear; therefore, it was in name only. I must be careful not to call myself servant, but to be a servant. It was only after the Jabbok experience, when Jacob wrestled with God, that he became a true servant (Genesis 33:5). Lord let me never fail to have a Jabbok experience; otherwise, my servantship becomes hollow.

I remember a man when I first began my journey in Christ who called himself a humble servant, but he was anything but that. I must be careful not to give out titles about myself, but rather give out the content of the titles. I have come across many who become preachers so they can tell people what to do. They wanted the office for all the wrong reasons without understanding the function of such a call. Many Christians, including myself, are just as childish. We love the thought humble, servant like, but not wanting to undergo the discipline of becoming like that.

There is only one way to become a servant, or slave, as the Bibles describes it; by relinquishing. A slave has no rights, owns no property, is completely controlled by his master. The moment I pretend to be someone or lay claim to something, I cease to be a servant. Even my claim to salvation is through another, Jesus Christ. I cannot become an acceptable servant until I have experienced self-denial (Philippians 2:5-8), and I cannot experience that until I am willing to follow the One who denied Himself everything in order to give us everything. The aftermath of servantship is honor and glory (Philippians 2:9-11, 2 Timothy 2:12), and God longs to see me through to the finish.

El Shaddai-the God Who is More than Enough!
I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” Psalm 91:2.

The greatest problem I have as a disciple of Jesus Christ is thinking naturally. I have been made this way since my birth as a result of my sinful nature. All my secular education and sometimes the sacred education was to deny the supernatural of the miracle working power of Father God. This is why the Apostle Paul stated that we need to constantly renew our mind so we think and see how God sees His creation (Romans 12:1-2).

El Shaddai-God who is more than enough is not limited as we are limited. Father God is more than able to meet every need I have if I trust in Him. We see time and again in scripture how God fed hundreds out of a few loaves of bread and fish (John 6:9).

I look at my income and I can’t see how needs will be met. By the age of 23 I already had a large family of three sons but I knew God would meet our needs. I remember one time when all I had was $20. My children did not have anything to eat for the whole day and with that money we were going to buy some food. At the same time, we were ministering to a family and the lady had a very sick child and needed medication. I was prompted by God to give her my $20 for the medicine. I must admit I did not want to but I was obedient. When we got home my son stated daddy, I don’t like fasting. I told him to have another glass of water and God would supply. To our surprise the next morning someone left three $25 gift coupons for food at a local market on our door. We had a feast! But I know if I did not be obedient and give that lady my last $20, we would have missed that miracle. There have been many more miracles, too many to mention now.

I look at my scarcity and God looks at His overabundance to provide if I believe. I look at the mundane, the usual set of circumstances and possible outcomes while Father God looks at these events through the miraculous. If I sit down and count the cost, I will never reach the correct figure because I am looking at the problem with my natural understanding. Father God wants us to be free from the restraints of the natural to enable Him to deal with me from the supernatural. I have walked with the Lord for 53 years now and He has never failed. God wants to challenge us with this question. “Is there anything too hard for the Lord”. (Genesis 18:14).