Priorities

This is a series of devotions and meditations on scripture that reject fear and champion faith. It emphasizes the importance of embracing God's perfect love to cast out fear. The transcript discusses the balance between grace and obedience to God's commandments. It highlights the significance of loving others as Jesus did and the sanctification process of becoming more like Him. It also mentions the blessings that can be received through covenant with God and the importance of prioritizing Him above all else. Ultimately, it encourages putting God first in every aspect of life and letting go of anything that hinders one's relationship with Him. Welcome to Fear No Fear. Grace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. May the Holy Spirit embrace you today. This is a series of devotions and meditations on scripture. We reject fear in any and all forms. Fear is a spiritual force, the currency of darkness and ignorance. It's what we inherited when Adam gave up his faith and Satan uses it to keep people down. His only weapon is words. If he can get you believing or looking at words of fear, he's got you. Instead, we champion faith as an allegiance to God, as a belief and trust and loyalty to the Lord God Almighty. We accept the evidence of His word as unvarnished truth, as is, just as it's written. We get close to His perfect love through the word, and perfect love casts out fear. 1 John 4.18 All scripture is taken from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Visit eBible.org Ezekiel 34.28 They will no more be a prey to the nations, neither will the animals of the earth devour them, but they will dwell securely, and no one will make them afraid. This is the moment. This is the stuff you've been waiting for. This is it. You've got your journals. You've listened to your tapes. This is it. Theology has been waded through. Conservative doctrine has been memorized. You've dabbled in Holy Giggles. You've subscribed to the Prosperity Newsletter, and now the day has come. You're going to dwell securely. You're not going to be a prey to those around you, and you're going to get all the things that the word says you're going to get, especially since your favorite verse is Romans 6.14. For sin will not have dominion over you, for you are not under the law, but under grace. Grace is the best. You get what you don't deserve, so you don't have to worry that you were a sinner. You don't have to worry that sometimes you miss it. You don't want to miss it. You're sorry when you do, and grace has you covered when you repent and avoid the behavior, right? You don't have to memorize commandments and rules. You don't have to worry about whether slacks are a sin or if you can watch Netflix as long as you don't chill. You can have what you say, Mark 11.23. So it's time to start saying and reap what God says you can have, right? Well, you can have what you say, but you're not supposed to say anything that isn't given to you by the Father and in line with His will and His word, John 5.19. And we are under grace. We cannot do anything to earn heaven, Romans 3.10. It is only in Jesus and by Jesus that we are saved, Acts 4.12. We are free from the law's rules and regulations as a way of gaining right standing before the Lord. We have a better covenant, Hebrews 8.6, where Jesus paid for sin, and in Him we can have right standing before the Father, Hebrews 10.19. This is all truth, but the thing that might keep you from the full blessings and position promised by the word is Matthew 5.17-20. Don't think that I came to destroy the law or the prophets. I didn't come to destroy, but to fulfill. For most certainly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not even one smallest letter or one tiny pen stroke shall in any way pass away from the law until all things are accomplished. Therefore, whoever shall break one of these least commandments and teach others to do so shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever shall do and teach them shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, there is no way you will enter into the kingdom of heaven. What does this mean? Well, we know from other things Jesus said and from other scriptures that we are free of the requirements of the law to gain our right standing. It isn't about following the rules. No, it's about what is behind the rules. It isn't enough to keep the law with our actions so we don't have to. We do, however, need to keep the spirit of the law in our hearts. If I never sleep with my neighbor's wife, I'm following the law. But if every time I see her, I am mentally undressing her, imagining what she might do to me or let me do to her? Well, Jesus said that I've committed adultery with her in my heart and it's a sin, Matthew 5, 27-28. It is the state of our heart and the thoughts of our inner selves that determines where we stand, not stipulations of behavior that can mask how we really are. Thing is, though, if in our heart we're not committing adultery, we won't commit it with our bodies either. Now, this is important because of the commandment that Jesus gave us. He said we are free from the law. Now, there are 613 commandments or mitzvot in the law of Moses. We're free from them. But Jesus said if we do two things, we will keep them all. That if our motivation and intentions are based on these two things, we will keep the rest. Now, the second commandment is to love your neighbor as yourself. So any law about cheating, stealing, coveting, adultery, abuse, hatred, anger, insult, or anything that isn't for the benefit and blessing of those who are not us is covered under that commandment. And yes, Jesus meant for us to be sincere in our inner selves regarding those who are not us. We can't smile to their faces and curse at them silently. This isn't about any of those things being infractions on the sin scale. The fact is we were commanded to love others, and that is what loving others looks like. We were commanded to obey. Obedience means loving others. Loving others means not doing any of those things. If you do any of them, you're not operating in faith, and anything not done in faith is a sin, Romans 14.23. So the sanctification process of our lives in Jesus is alive and well, and we are all guilty of not being like Jesus, 1 John 1.8. But thank the Father, there is grace. Under the correction and guidance of the Holy Spirit, we can all move closer and closer to the Lord every day. Few, you say, that's a load off. I need to love others like Jesus did. I won't always achieve, but if I'm repentant and work at listening and obeying what I'm told by the Holy Spirit, the Word, Jesus, and the Father, I will always be on the path of renewal. I'll always be getting a little more like Jesus. It's a lifetime of sanctification and denial of the flesh, but in Jesus and by Jesus, I can do it. Great. So, bring on the blessings. Well, let's see. What does the Word say we can have? Large and fine cities, houses full of all sorts of good things, deep wells, vineyards and olive groves, eating our fill, multiplied in all we do, blessed with children, produce, grain, wine, olive oil, and livestock, no one succeeding against us, kings given into our hands, abundant fresh and flowing water, wheat and barley, vines, fig, pomegranate, and olive trees, honey, iron, and copper, food without scarcity, and being satisfied with our lives. Now, granting that some of those might not be literal specifics, that is a pretty good list of things that we can reach out expecting to receive. I like that. Don't you? But we don't get them by grace. We don't get them by deed. We don't get them because we declare them. We get them by covenant. Covenant like marriage covenant, but covenant with the Lord. Dear Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might. These words which I command you today shall be in your heart, and you shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise up. Deuteronomy 6, 4-7 It goes on. We're to reverence God, serve Him, avoid other gods, actually worshipping deities, or putting others in His place in our lives. We're to do what is morally right and good in His eyes, not our own. Keeping things that are bad away from us and our houses, being broken before Him, letting Him humble us, so that we rely on Him and Him alone. Remembering all that He has done for us, and not forgetting Him or His commandments, and acknowledging that He is our source and the provider of all that we have, need, or could want. Essentially, we're to keep the first and greatest commandment as laid down by Jesus, and also given to us by Moses from the Father. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. Matthew 22-37 This is how we get the blessing, by not caring about the blessing. Sounds like a contradiction, but we aren't in the race of faith for reward. We aren't here to earn heaven. We aren't here to try and get something. It isn't about riches, or possession, or blessing, or success, or anything like that. It is about in every situation, with every possession, with everything that crosses our paths, asking ourselves if it is a benefit to our walk with God or not. Does it promote godly morality, or does it celebrate that which is not? It is not giving up the music you enjoy, the shows you enjoy, the games you enjoy, or anything you enjoy, or sitting alone and bored, being restricted in everything you can do. A thousand times, no. It is about putting God first. It is about loving Jesus above all else. It is about bringing God into every piece of your life. And when something rubs against your spirit, when something finds itself uncomfortable, coexisting with the Lord God Almighty, get rid of it. Cast it out. It isn't worth keeping. The fellowship and landscape that the Lord opens to you will be more fulfilling and more exciting than anything that you gave up. And no, it isn't always easy. Being broken before the Lord never is. The flesh is really good at finding the things that make it feel good, and holding them out to you. But anything worthwhile in life, we get by seeking God first. If the Lord is first, the rest won't matter. And if the rest doesn't matter, it can't get a hook in you. And if it can't get a hook into you, then as long as it is in line with the values of the Word, there isn't any reason for you not to have it. And if there isn't any reason for you not to have it, then the Lord will give it to you without you even seeking it. The Lord knows what we need and what we like. He knows what is best for us and what will benefit us. He knows what we will take pleasure in. He knows everything that is good. The Lord loves to bless His children. The Lord is the source of all good things, and all good things come from Him. He won't hold back. But to be in the place where He blesses, we have to put Him first. And that means that we will be willing, able, and eager to give away every single thing that He has given us if He asks us to. He might bless you only to see you blessed. He might bless you so that you can in turn bless others. It might be pass-alongs. The world hoards. The world sees things as yours or mine. In the kingdom, there is no ownership. The Lord owns everything. He gives to you for your turn, and maybe asks you to pass it along. Maybe not. But if you're not willing to give up every single thing you own, you have your priorities wrong. If you're not bothered by things you see on TV and in movies, you have your priorities wrong. It doesn't mean everything produced is bad. Puritans weren't pure. They were just rule followers. Pharisees weren't righteous. They were just rule followers. We're called to be like Jesus. We have the Holy Spirit within us. We're supposed to be focused on Him 110%. The Lord isn't as the world is. If you're putting Him first, the world will constantly be bumping against the Lord. But the Holy Spirit will also tell you what to do about it. It might be changing the channel for 30 seconds. It might be switching programs. He will tell us. But the fact is that the more pure our lives become by putting the Lord first and only, the richer our rewards will be now and in heaven. Everything we do must be in service of the ideal of putting the Lord first. If not, we're building a life on something that can't last, on something that has no real value. For no one can lay any other foundation than that which has been laid, which is Jesus Christ. But if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, or straw, each man's work will be revealed. For the day will declare it, because it is revealed in fire, and the fire itself will test what sort of work each man's work is. If any man's work remains which he built on it, he will receive a reward. If any man's work is burnt, he will suffer less. He himself will be saved, but as through fire. 1 Corinthians 3, 11-15 It is only in Jesus putting the Father first that we have anything lasting or get any blessing at all. When God is first, it is a witness to the world around us. When God is first, the rest of everything can be. We were designed and built to worship Him, to dwell with Him. When we accomplish that, then we won't be a prey to those around us. Then we will dwell securely. Then we will have no fear of others. So take up your cross today, be broken before the Lord, and put Him above everything else in your heart. It is a simple decision, but one that has to be made a thousand times a day and more. Love God above all. Always. Our daily affirmation of God's love is 1 John 4, 19. We are capable of love because He loved us. We love period because He loved us. So why don't we love Him? Why are we faithful? Why isn't He our utmost? We are spiritual beings living in physical forms. We tend to identify through our physical forms and not through our spirits. But that isn't the goal or the ideal. It wasn't the plan, but it is where we find ourselves. The best is to put God first. No experience or relationship or profession or entertainment or anything should be before Him. He is first and foremost. We shouldn't tread water waiting for life to settle, for life to get less crazy, for us to get our equilibrium. Don't wait for the waves to cease. Don't wait for the perfect economic upturn. Don't wait for the feelings to catch up or present themselves. Don't wait for solvency or proper decision-making. Love Him now in your turmoil and distress. Love Him now in truth. Accept His love and return it as words, songs, worship, prayer and obedience. Give yourself to the Word and let it change you and your thinking. Let it open you up to the possibilities of your imperfections. Each one is a place Jesus can stand and be. Let Jesus become more of you so that you can become more of Him. Love Him because He loves you so very much. As we close, remember that you have worth. You are precious and valuable. Declare this. Today, God loves that I, now you, fill in the blank. Was it a meal you made? A smile you gave? Did you get out of bed? Read? Put on socks? There's no wrong answers here. There is no end to God's love There is no end to the things about you that He loves each and every day. Pick one. And remember, the Lord loves you just because you're you. 1 John 4 9-10 tells us By this, God's love was revealed in us that God has sent His only-born Son into the world so that we might live through Him. And this is love. Not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as the atoning sacrifice for our sins. His perfect love turned away God's wrath because of sin. And it casts out our fear too. See verses 18 and 19. We love because He first loved us. He just loves us. Can't get enough of us. And that is wonderful. See you next time.