Prayer for Healing

Prayer:

Heavenly Father we thank you for creating the place, putting us here, and doing all you have done for us. You sent Your Word to teach us and guide us, You sent Your Son who is the Word made flesh, You sent Your Holy Spirit to dwell in us and empower us. You are always with me, and you work all things for the good of those who love you. I love you and I trust you to work all things for good.

We thank you for sending Your Words to guide us and teach us. Your words are truth and we cherish them with our minds and our hearts. We embrace your words; We do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes out of Your mouth. Just like the rains fall from the sky, You send your words with a purpose and they never return to You void, but always accomplish their assignment. We send them back to You by speaking them with our mouth in faith knowing they are the sword of the spirit and are accomplishing Your will here and now. Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and your words bring life so we will speak them.  

Your words teach us about You and Your very nature. You are love. Your love is the energy driving the universe and everything in it. You created us in your image and put us in the garden in harmony with You. Your love is perfected when we dwell in it and it flows through us to others.  Adam and Eve corrupted the perfect image with selfish rebellion and became separated from You and Your love. Instead of being a conduit for your love, they became self-centered and separated and in need of love. We have inherited their sinful nature which impedes the flow of your love into us and through us. You love us so much that while we were still fighting against you as enemies with our sinful nature, You sent Your Son to live and die an earthly life and be born again for us. You sent your son to restore what was lost through Adam.

Jesus, we thank you for that act of service in faith. You are the truth, you are the objective evidence that God truly loves us. You came in the flesh so we could relate to you. You were with God in the heavens but denied yourself and became a humble human servant, even washing your disciples’ feet.  You denied your godly self and called yourself Son of Man, You did not do Your own will, but only the Fathers will. You willingly paid the price for the sins of all of mankind. Despite your good works and sinless life, You received more humiliation and physical torture than any other man, you were beaten beyond recognition, yet you forgave them. You did that to redeem me and create a path for me to follow.

 I confess my sins and my sinful nature. I deny myself and my own agendas and submit to you as Lord of my life. I invite the Holy Spirit to continue convicting me so I can continue to repent and grow as You continue to form in me and transform me and restore the original perfect image of God in me.

Jesus you are truth. You are the Word made flesh. You were with God in the beginning. You were the master craftsman making order out of chaos during creation. Everything was made through You. God spoke this place into existence through You. Now everything is restored through you. You revealed God’s nature. You bore the consequence of our sin on your body. Your innocent blood is on the mercy seat in heaven covering all of my sins. You are the high priest interceding with the Father. No one gets to the Father except through You.  The Father sees me as innocent and pure through your blood.  I am restored into perfect union with the Father through You and Your blood, not by anything I have done, but by your finished work on that cross and your resurrection. The Holy spirit that raised you from the dead now live in me and has power over my mortal flesh.

You told us in Your Word that Your will is healing. You are Jehovah Rapha – The God who heals (Exodus 15:26).  Jesus is the expressed image of God (Colossians 1:15, etc). Jesus did only the Fathers will (John 6:38). Jesus healed all who came to Him in faith. (Luke 4:40, etc) Jesus is unchanging (Hebrews 13:8). If Jesus did God’s will, and Jesus healed all who came to him, then God’s will was healing. If His will was healing back then, and He is unchanging, then His will remains healing today. I believe God’s will is always healing. He has compassion and wants me healed. When we asked Him, He sent His word to personally and said “the Healer”, and “have patience it is coming”. His will is healing, His will is always healing.

Jesus paid the price for my sins; He bore the consequences on His body, and shed His innocent blood as a permanent sacrifice. When I confess and accept Jesus as lord, I am born again into His family, the body of Christ. When the Father sees me, He sees me through Jesus’ blood. My past is erased from the Father’s sight and I am reconnected in perfect union. When I accept Jesus work on the cross my illnesses have no legal right to remain, He paid the price with His stripes. The same Holy Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead lives inside me and has the power to heal my mortal flesh. The Father’s will is healing, I speak His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven.  I speak healing in Jesus name, by His stripes I am healed. I speak your words and return them to you so they will fulfil their purpose. Your words are the truth, and the truth will set me free.  I speak these words in Jesus’ name to bring glory to the Father through the name of the son. AMEN

Selected scripture references:

Word of God has purpose

“So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.” Isaiah 55:11

So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:31-32

God’s very nature is healing

Saying, “If you will diligently listen to the voice of the Lord your God, and do that which is right in his eyes, and give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, your healer (Jehovah-Rapha).” Exodus 15:26

God always works the best for His children who love Him

 “For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.” Psalm 84:11

“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28

God’s word has healing power

“He sent out his word and healed them, and delivered them from their destruction.” Psalm 107:20

“My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh. Proverbs 4:20-22

Jesus is God in the flesh, God’s Word come to life

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John 1:1

“He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.” John 1:2-3

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14

Jesus is the expressed image of God

“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.” Colossians 1:15

“He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high” Hebrews 1:3

“In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” 2 Corinthians 4:4

“No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.” John 1:18

Jesus reveals the fathers will, He did only the Fathers will

“For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.” John 6:38

“I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me. John 5:30

Jesus healed all who came to Him in faith

“Now when the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various diseases brought them to him, and he laid his hands on every one of them and healed them.” Luke 4:40

“And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people.” Matthew 4:23

“How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.” Acts 10:38

God is unchanging

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Hebrews 13:8

“For I the Lord do not change…” Malachi 3:6

Jesus paid the price for sin

“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23

“He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.” 1 John 2:2

I am healed by His stripes

“But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes[m] we are healed..” Isaiah 53:5

“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 healed.1 Peter 2:24

The holy spirit dwells in me and will heal my flesh

“But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies [a]through His Spirit who dwells in you.” Romans 8:11

Glorify the Father through the Son

“And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” John 14:13

 

Love Your Enemies? How Can I Do That?

Introduction – A Calling to Love Your Enemies

Most folks get the golden rule: “Do unto others as you would have them do to you”. Most folks also get the second of the great commandments: “Love your neighbors as yourself”.  This principle forms the basis fmany of the rules for civil society:.no murder, stealing, lying, or other abuses agaisnt others. This is pretty easy to understadn and pretty easy to embrace when theings are going well for you and when you view your neighbors as those folks you are working with, or are dependant on, for you success. It gets significantly harder to embrae when certain folks are working against you or doing things to harm you. Are they really my neighbor?  They are my enemy! What they did was wrong! I deserve to see justice! They need to be held accountable for thier actions!! The bible says hate your enemies, an eye for an eye! Well that was what the old testsment said. Jesus changed the game by calling us to “Love your enemies” . wow, that can be tough.  How do you do that? Jeuss showed you how, and it is not an optional calling if you want to spend eternity with Him.   

Jesus really changed the game, His came to earth as a suffering savior to usher God’s kingdom into the earth.  He created a path we can follow to experience the kingdom here on earth. Following that path includes a challenging calling to “love our enemies”.  Understanding this calling helped me better grasp what God was doing when He sent His son, what Jesus was doing with His earthly life, and why we are called to deny ourselves and pick up our cross daily. It connected the dots for me and things make a lot more sense as a result.  This post is my attempt to bring the same revelation to you to help you on your journey with Him.

You are called to love your neighbors AND your enemies.

The Old Testament teaches us to love our neighbors but to stand against our enemies, especially those who actively rebell and hate God. 

“Oh, that You would slay the wicked, O God!
Depart from me, therefore, you bloodthirsty men.
For they speak against You wickedly; Your enemies take Your name in vain.
Do I not hate them, O Lord, who hate You?
And do I not loathe those who rise up against You?
I hate them with perfect hatred;
I count them my enemies.” Psalm 139:19-22

Folks are to be held accountable for thier actions and to repayed for thier adverse actions against others; an eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth.

“If anyone injures his neighbor, as he has done it shall be done to him, fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; whatever injury he has given a person shall be given to him.” Leviticus 24:17-20

Jesus sets the bar much higher now that He gets here.  He uses the sermon on the mount to set expecttions for participation in God’s heavenly kingdom. We need to not only love our neighbors, but truly love our enemies as well. We show this love by willfully suffering whatever wrongs they did against us and not retaliating.  We are to have mercy on them and forgive them rather than administer justice. We are to not only to avoid retaliating but repay their evil deeds with good deeds.  We are also to pray for them. 

  “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you” Matthew 5:43

Who are your enemies?

There are two groups of folks that could be considered enemies,  the first are those who are actively working to cause you harm. The second are those folks described in the old testament who were rebelling against God, whether they had directly impacted you yet or not. Those impacitng you could include: 

Folks who curse you: Anyone speaking negative things about your past, present, or future. Anyone using words which diminish you, your integrity, your intentions, your contribution, your future potential, or inherent value as one of God’s precious children.

Folks who hate you: Anyone who dislikes you or has hostility against you. Anyone viewing you as an adversary to be disliked, or avoided, or attacked, or defeated. Anyone thinking or willing or taking actions with the intention to do harm to you.

Folks who spitefully use you: Anyone manipulating you or your resources maliciously for their own gain.

Folks who prosecute you: Anyone taking an organized and intentional course of action to adversely impact you.

Loving Friends is easy

Loving friends and neighbors is easy and takes no sacrifice. Loving an enemy, and looking past what they have done to harm you, is much harder.

“But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you? For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back. Luke 6:32-34

How should you show love to enemies?

It helps to define a couple of commonly used terms here:

Justice: We are accountable for our actions. Choices have consequences. Damage must be repaid. We will get exactly what we deserve eventually. 

Mercy: Withholding punishment that someone deserves or has earned.  ex: Placing yourself at the mercy of the court for a lenient sentance..

Grace: Giving someone someting good they have not earned.  Ex: You are saved by grace through faith. It is a gift, not someothing you earn.

Loving enemies is not a trivial challenge because it goes contrary to principles of Justice where folks should be held accountable for their actions. ie: An eye for an eye. Loving enemies requires us to show mercy and not repay them in kind for their harmful actions. Not only that, we are called to flow goodness to them even when their actions did not deserve it. We are to show both mercy, and grace.

“…I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you. To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also. And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either. Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back. And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.” Luke 6:27-31

Why should we love our enemies?

We should love our enemies because God loved us even while were were acting as enemies ot Him. 

“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8

“For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.” Romans 5:10

“In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” 1 John 4:10

Why should we be willing to suffer harm, have mercy, and forgive our enemies? 

We should be willing to suffer harm from others in this life because Jesus was willing to suffer harm because of our sins. God had mercy and sent His son, Jesus was full of mercy and forgives us. He suffered for us, the least we can do is suffer for Him. 

“But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ.” Ephesians 2:4-5

“Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God.” 1 Peter 4:1-2

Jesus offers a heavenly reward

Jesus promises your reward in heaven will be great for your suffering any loss in his name. Having mercy for the acts of your enemies, not retaliating with punishment they deserve and truly forgiving them is the first part. Showing them grace with good works they have not earned, and Offering prayers based on recognizing their inherent value is part of the cross Jesus asks you to pick up. Recognizing God’s mercy and unearned grace towards you, and showing the same for othersthem perfects the flow of God’s love into you and through you.

“But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil. Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful. Mark 6:35-36

“…that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect. Matthew 5:45-48

Just to be clear, this is not optional nice to have activity. God’s forgiveness of your sin is contingent on your forgiveness of the sins of others.

“For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” Matthew 6:14-15

So how do you go about loving your enemies?

Mentally separate the sinner from the sin.

One key step is to separate the person causing you problems from the activities they are doing. We need to love the sinner and hate the sin. Each human being is created in Gods image and is worthy of love and respect. Each individual person has been put here with a divine purpose. The devil has been very successful at spreading lies and leveraging our self-centered nature to keep us from that purpose. Each individual has to find their way to God and their purpose in this fallen world. Many remain lost, or distracted, or confused, and are not on the right path for the life God intended for them. Some have become blind to God’s existence; some have become deaf to His offers to help them. Some hearts have become hard and do not flow love to others in compassion or good works. Some become self-centered enough to manipulate, use, and abuse people for their own gain. Some become rebellious and pursue self-centered agendas to the point of their own destruction, and they cause great distress of those around them. Our challenge is to recognize the created value of each individual, and pray for them to discover God, recognize His love and positive intentions for them, discover the flaws in their ways and repent, get back on the right track so they can become the wonderful loving person God intended when He put them here.

Deny Yourself and Pick Up Your Cross Daily

One key is to not take their acts against you personally. You are being called to absorb any negative impacts of your enemies’ actions: Let evil words roll off your back, take any physical abuse they dish out, absorb any loss of resources or property and not pursue retribution. This is only possible when you see things from God’s perspective and do what He asks of you: deny yourself, pick up your cross daily, and follow Jesus.

Jesus showed us by example what it means to deny yourself. Jesus was with God in heaven since the beginning and chose to came here and live amongst us as a human. He was the son of God and could easily have demanded broad recognition of that position. But instead, He called himself Son of Man. He did not strut around pounding his chest as He had every right to, He humbled himself as a mere human, submitted himself into service for others, and even washed his disciples’ feet before the ultimate sacrifice of his life for us.  He wants us to be of the same mind set.

“And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” Matthew 20:27-28

“Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.” Philippians 2:5-11

At the appointed time, He picked up His cross: He willingly accepted humiliation, physical torture, and physical death to fulfill His calling. He said nothing in response to their attacks, He absorbed all that was being dished out against His earthly being to the point of death, and He forgave those who did it to Him.

Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” And they divided His garments and cast lots. Luke 23:34

We are called to follow His model and do the same as we go through our lives. Deny ourselves, pick up our cross daily, and follow Jesus model.

“Then He said to them all, ‘If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me’”. Luke 9:23

Crucify your old self, Put off the old.

You put your old self-centered self to death with Jesus on the cross, you are raised with Him in resurrection into new life.

“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” Galatians 2:20

When you have actually crucified your old “self”, it is much harder for people to harm you. You realize this life is not about you, it is about Christ forming in you and living through you.

Embrace your new identity.

One powerful enabler to accepting sacrifice in your earthly life is to understand and embrace your new identity. When you accept Jesus as your lord and savior, Your earthly life is no longer the center of the universe, God and His eternal kingdom ibecomes the cetner. When you repent of your sins and accept Jesus as lord of your life, you are born again. You become an adopted son of God. You have a new identity. You are not defined by your earthly life, or by what other people think, say, or do to you. Your identity is defined by God. The second you accept Jesus as lord, you step into righteousness through Jesus. You are a member of the body of Christ. The father sees you as holy and beyond reproach. People cannot take that position away from you by thier words or actions. They can not define you, You are defined by Him and His love..

Keep an eternal perspective.

We are eternal souls and are just temporary residents on this earth. Once we accept Jesus, are born again, and become adopted children of God, we knnow we will spend eternity in heaven. Death in this life sends us to heaven. Jesus promises justice for all wrong doing on the earth. We can be confident that folks will be held accountable or whatever malicious stuff they do in this life. We do not have to enforce justice, we can trust that God will. We actually are promised an incentive in heaven if we sacrifice something here for God’s sake. Humans can speak things, and do things to harm us, but they can not adversely impact our soul if we don’t let them.

“And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” Matthew 10:28

Become the light.

Jesus was the light of the world. When you embrace Him and begin to see things from His perspective, you are in the light. As you transform and let Him form in you, you allow more of His love to flow through you to others, and you become the light. His love is perfected when it flows through you to others.

“He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now. He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him. But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.” 1 John 2:9-11

Prayer:

Heavenly father, Thank you for creating this amazing place and putting me here to experience it.

Lord Jesus, thank you for being willing to come here and die to pay the price for our sin. You denied your Godly self and served us as the Son of Man, You picked up your cross by suffering and dying for us. I am committed to embracing your model and following in your footsteps.

I am committed to love my neighbors as my self, and to even love my enemies. I pray for your help to have mercy when evil is done agaisnt me. Help me love the sinner but hate the sin. Each of your children are precious and worthy of love. You came to save us, even when we were at war with you. I embrace each of my enemies as your precious children in whom you have planted gifts and talents and have high hopes even though they are currently lost. I pray for them. I pray they hear you knocking and let you lead them back into the flock so they can fulfil their purpose here. I pray for you help me continue to deny myself so that I can show mercy, Help me have one mind with you so that I can show mercy and flow grace with good works for those who seek to do me harm. May I pick up my cross so that your love can flow through me uninterrupted and bring you glory. I ask this in Jesus name.

 

Do you experience fear? Well, Fear Not! ( a work in progress)

One of the most prominent exhortations or commands from God in the bible is to “Fear Not”. It appears dozens of times with various supporting messages.

Fear is an intense emotional reaction to conscious thoughts that something is likely to happen in the future and casue us significant harm, and we are alone and powerless to avoid it. There are several aspects of fear to understand: We are focused on something in the future that may or may not happen, We are assuming this future event will somehow cause us harm, We are facing it alone,  and We are paralized and helpless to avoid what ever bad thing is going to happen.

God makes it very clear that His followers are not to fear and He addresses the key aspects of fear. 

The future is not worth worrying about

He encourages us to focus on the present and not overly stress about what may or may not ever happen in the future.

“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” Matthew 6:34

He removes the sting from death, the ultimate risk to our earthly self 

Everyone starts off with a fear of death, this earthly life will come to an end someday. 160,000 people die each day, many without notice. God gives us the promise of eternity with Him if we believe and put our trust in His son.  Death at that point is no longer dreadful, it may not be something we look forward to, but it looses its’ eternal sting. It becomes just another essential transition on our journey; we were born into this life, born-again into a spiritual life when we accept Jesus, and we will be released into a heavenly life with Jesus when we are done with our body. 

We are not facing life alone

If we love Him with all our heart, He with join us on our journey. God is love and He promises blessings and protection for those who love Him. 

We are to trust Him with everything

We are completely and entirely dependant on Him. We can do nothing without him.  With Him, anything is possible.

We are to partner with Him in our endeavors. Acknowledge Him with thanksgiving, Humbly ask for our needs, Trust that He will provide     

We are to talk to Him, Discuss our intentions, Listen for His input, Follow where He leads. He will protect us from harm and provide what we need.

He works all things for Good

Undesired events are inevitalbe, but He works all tings for the good of those who love him. He makes lemonaid out of lemons. He helps us learn and grow through experiences.  

We do not need to fear other people.

We don’t need to fear what other people can say or do to us.

The worst they can do is kill your earthly body.  Our earthly life is temporary and we have the promise of eternity with Him in heaven,  Not a bad outcome.

When you accept Jesus and His forgiveness in your heart, Guilt, Shame and Condemnation have no place to land. 

When you deny yourself and embrace your new identity as a child of God, you become imune to verbal attack. You know that God sees you as holy and worthy.

We shift from focusing inward, to focusing on flowing love ot others

Fear turns our focus inward; What could happen to ME.  When you deny yourself and focus on Jesus, you must deflate your ego, and you change your purpose. This life is not about me, it is about Jesus working through me for others. It is not about me, my reputation, the position I hold, what i deserve, or the things I have.   

Acknowledging that God loves us, He is right here with us, He is working to help us, He works all things for our ultimate good if we love Him.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

“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

For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Fear not, I am the one who helps you.” Isaiah 41:13

“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

“Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6

“It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” Deuteronomy 31:8

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” Psalm 23:4

“The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” Psalm 118:6

“For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39

“You shall not fear them, for it is the Lord your God who fights for you.” Deuteronomy 3:22

Fear of God is constructive. You will face your maker on judgement day. You are accountable for your intentional thoughts, words and actions. You have sinned and need a savior. He loves you so much He sent His son. You show your love for Him by complying with His commandments. You repent and recommit to Him when you suffer temptation and fall short.

“Moses said to the people, ‘Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin.’” Exodus 20:20

Fear implies concern for some form of future punishment – Risk of harm to “me”. If I have denied myself and submitted myself to Jesus, nothing can actually harm me. I am defined by His love for me, I am a child of God, an adopted son. This body is just a temporary vessel, Nothing in this life is really mine, My life is not my own, I am just the custodian of things, My role here is to shine for the kingdom, I will join Him in heaven eventually, fear of death has no power over me.   

“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

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” John 14:27

“But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.” Isaiah 43:1

“For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’” Romans 8:15

“But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled,” 1 Peter 3:14

Fear of man or fear of the future will cause problems. You are focused on yourself and what might happen to you. You will start focusing more and more inward on yourself and the risks you face. You will put up strategies to protect yourself from those who could do harm to you, you will isolate yourself and drive wedges against others.  God wants you to focus on the here and now, rather than the what ifs of the future. If you need something to happen now, ask Him and trust Him. If you see a risk in the future, pray for the right things to happen and for wisdom to navigate whatever challenges emerge and trust God to help you through whatever happens.

“The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe.” Proverbs 29:25

“Therefore, do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” Matthew 6:34

“So we can confidently say, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?’” Hebrews 13:6

“Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” Luke 12:32

Dwell on the good stuff, pray with thanksgiving, and put your trust in Jesus

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. “Philippians 4:6-7

“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.” Philippians 4:8

Stay focused on God, What He has already done for us (Put us hear, Gave us gifts, Set His Son, Nurtured us, taught us, lead us),  What he is doing for us right now (Working all things for our eventual good), and what He promises for the future (Strength, Peace, Joy, Hope and a bright future, Eternity with Him in heaven), If we put our trust in Him, we can help us set aside fear.

“When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul.” Psalm 94:19

“When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.” Psalm 56:3

“In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?” Psalm 56:4

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:6-7

“And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” Matthew 10:28

“Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7

“Of David. The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” Psalm 27:1

“For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” 2 Timothy 1:7

“I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears.” Psalm 34:4  

“Say to those who have an anxious heart, ‘Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you.’” Isaiah 35:4

Example Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank you creating this place and putting me here. Jesus, thank you for being willing to come here and suffer and die for me. You gave your life ofr me, I hereby give my life to you. 

You suffered and died so that I can have eternal life with you in heaven. I put my trust in you and no longer fear death. 

You promise to work all things for the good of those who love you.  I put my trust in you and no longer fear the future.

You promise to do what I need, If I pray in humility and suplicaiton.  I put my trust in you to fill my needs.

You promise to never leave me or foresake me. I put my trust in you and no longer fear the present.

You promise to teach me and guide if I listen and follow. I put my trust in you to lead me.

You promise to give me strenght and uphold me. I put my trust in you to help me.

You promise to give me peace and joy when i fully embrace you and your holy spirit. I put my trust in you and invite the Holy spirit into me.

You promise to transform me, if I submit myself to you.  I put my trust in you and ask you to mold me.

You promise to perfect your love as it flows through me to others. I trust you to purge all fear as love fills me and flows out ot others.

Lord, help me replace any and all remaining fear with complete trust in you and your promises.

I speak this in Jesus name to give glory to the Father and to shine as a beacon for the kingdom.