Life Worth Living

This is a series of devotions and meditations on scripture that rejects fear and champions faith in God. It discusses the importance of peace and the need to seek it in God. It emphasizes the need for obedience and submission to Jesus and the benefits of walking in peace. It encourages gratitude and thanksgiving to the Lord for His love and blessings. The transcript also talks about the concept of covenant with God and the assurance of His care and protection. It concludes by reminding listeners of their worth and value in God's eyes and the unconditional love He has for them. 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 John 16.33 I have told you these things, that in me you may have peace. In the world you have trouble, but cheer up, I have overcome the world. We have our morning cup of coffee. We get in a short workout. We watch our favorite program, our energy drink, our cheat meal, the waffle light. It goes on and on. We addict easily. We focus on things and give them extraordinary power over the way we think and feel. We aren't productive or even happy unless we participate in whatever ritual we have decided that we need. Humanity is not marked by high self-control. But we are marked by seeking these little rituals to give us a framework. Moments of retrospection or enjoyment. Peace. Those moments of peace that we live for. Those simple things that, if removed, make for a poor existence. Across every people, nation and culture, human beings strive for moments of peace. The moments that make life worth living. We are creations of Yahweh God Almighty. Made in His image. Copies of Him. Peace is one of the aspects of His nature. As such, it was part of ours. When we lost our righteous nature, we lost our easy access to peace. It became an outside thing, not an inside thing. Like everything else we lost, peace is something we know we should have and therefore seek out. Like everything else we lost, there is no finding lasting peace without the Lord. Until our nature is restored, we can only create temporary shadows of what was. Pale imitations of what we should have. No matter how wonderful and satisfying they are. They are chaff and fade into the wind. Moments lost, not reality to walk in. Praise the Lord. I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart. In the council of the upright and in the congregation. The Lord's works are great. Pondered by all those who delight in them. His work is honor and majesty. His righteousness endures forever. He has caused His wonderful works to be remembered. The Lord is gracious and merciful. He has given food to those who fear reverence Him. He always remembers His covenant. He has shown His people the power of His works. In giving them the heritage of the nations. The works of His hands are truth and justice. All His precepts are sure. They are established forever and ever. They are done in truth and uprightness. He has sent redemption to His people. He has ordained His covenant forever. His name is holy and awesome. The fear, reverence, of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. All those who do His work have a good understanding. His praise endures forever. Psalm 111 This redemption the Lord sent us was Jesus. Out of love for us He was willing to send us the only thing that could bring us back to where we started. Jesus out of love for us and the Father volunteered to be the sacrifice that paid for sin and got it off the table. Jesus resurrected to life was able to in Himself offer us as sanctified gifts to the Father putting us where we could interact with Him again face to face. Abiding in Jesus we are clothed in His perfect righteousness and able to stand before the perfect righteousness of the Father. Back to where we started. Restored. Sanctified. Complete in Jesus. At peace. Throughout our history we have cried out to God. From our fallen state we cry out to be rescued. He answers us. He answered us before we cried out. Before we fell. Before creation. He set everything in motion before the founding of reality as we know it. To ensure that for all who want to we can rest in His presence forever. Not sitting on clouds strumming harps but going about our intended business. Doing the work that He sets before us. But doing it in perfect peace. Perfect love. Perfect faith. Knowing that we can go and see Him. Worship at His feet. No barriers. No entry fees. Perfect relationship. We get a glimpse of that now. In Jesus we can interact with the Father. Speak to Him and listen to His voice. But once we have been fully sanctified a journey of a lifetime in our heavenly bodies then we will have the full access that we have been promised. Then we will feast as the bride of Jesus and the children of the Father. Right where we want to be. Right where we have chosen to be. Give thanks to the Lord for He is good. For His loving kindness endures forever. Let Israel now say that His loving kindness endures forever. Let the house of Aaron now say that His loving kindness endures forever. Now let those who fear the Lord say that His loving kindness endures forever. Out of my distress I called on the Lord. The Lord answered me with freedom. The Lord is on my side. I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? The Lord is on my side amongst those who help me. Therefore I will look in triumph at those who hate me. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to put confidence in man. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to put confidence in princes. All the nations surrounded me. But in the Lord's name I cut them off. They surrounded me. Yes, they surrounded me. In the Lord's name I indeed cut them off. They surrounded me like bees. They are quenched like the burning thorns. In the Lord's name I cut them off. You pushed me back hard to make me fall. But the Lord helped me. The Lord is my strength and song. He has become my salvation. The voice of rejoicing and salvation is in the tents of the righteous. The right hand of the Lord does valiantly. The right hand of the Lord is exalted. The right hand of the Lord does valiantly. I will not die, but live and declare the Lord's works. The Lord has punished me severely, but He has not given me over to death. Open to me the gates of righteousness. I will enter into them. I will give thanks to the Lord. This is the gate of the Lord. The righteous will enter into it. I will give thanks to you, for you have answered me and have become my salvation. The stone which the builders rejected has become this cornerstone. This is the Lord's doing. It is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day that the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it. Save us now, we beg you, Lord. Lord, we beg you, send prosperity now. Blessed is he who comes in the Lord's name. We have blessed you out of the Lord's house. The Lord is God, and He has given us light. Bind the sacrifice with cords, even to the horns of the altar. You are my God, and I will give thanks to you. You are my God, I will exalt you. Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His loving kindness endures forever. We have a better covenant even than this. Hebrews 8.6 We are under grace, not punishment. But the nature of the Lord has not changed. He corrects those He loves. Hebrews 12.6 We are not to run willy-nilly around, doing whatever we want, or living life according to what we feel. We are called to pick up our cross and follow Jesus. Luke 9.23 To sacrifice ourselves and live in Jesus. To be more like Him and less like us. John 3.30-35 By dying to self, we can live forever in Jesus. To take refuge in Him. To let Him become our strength in our song. DMI 8.10 To praise the Lord who deserves all our praise. To rejoice in Him. To thank Him for all the rescuing that He does. To thank Him for all the victories He allows us to walk in. The needs He meets. The wants He delivers, according to His will and His word, which is where we should source all our wants anyway. We can thank Him for all that He is doing in our lives. Bringing our prayers to Him. Making our requests and thanking Him that He has it covered. Not covered our way. Covered in His way. He has a solution, not just for you, but for those coming against you. Not just for your part in the situation, but for all parts of the situation. We are not making demands of Him. We are saying, Father, this is an issue. Please take care of it. Then praise and thank Him for the solution. As we actively listen to see what He wants us to do and when. He saves us from our troubles. 2 Corinthians 1.3-11 As the rescuer, He doesn't need to follow our opinions. He can save us however He wants. As the rescuee, we should just be grateful that He saved us. Remember, He is promising us victory. Total and complete. And on an eternal scale. For example, we will be persecuted for our faith in Jesus. Matthew 10.22 But ultimate victory is ours. Things will work out as He wants. We aren't yanking God's chain and trying to get Him to do things our way for a victory that we want how we see it. This is subservient sacrifice to Him in obedience for the fulfillment of His plans, wants and desires. We'll be well taken care of as beloved children. Ephesians 5.1-2 and Matthew 7.11 When we do this, we inhabit perfect peace. That can be defined as tranquility. Free from agitation in mind and spirit. Free from disturbance or turmoil. Because we have nothing to fear from God. And we are completely content in where we find ourselves here on earth. Because if we are obedient and faithful, we will always be led onward into better things. We are grafted into the Abrahamic covenant. He was extremely blessed and very rich in material wealth, but also was a nomad and not a landowner in the sense of a permanent home or a place to rest. So for obedience and faithful, submitted to Jesus in all things, we will be able to walk in that covenant. Rich, but maybe not in the way we think of it today. But maybe we will be. Either way, we're satisfied with the abundance that we have and ever prospering into greater things as we stay committed and in connection with Jesus in whom we have all things. 3 John 1-2 This peace we gain in Jesus isn't peace as the world sees it. It isn't peace that the mind can comprehend. It isn't based on feeling. It isn't based on property or things. It isn't based on the banking system. On the human condition. On where we find ourselves in physical rest. It is God's peace. Literally the peace of God. God doesn't subscribe to human standards. God isn't limited by human understanding. He created the universe. The universe didn't create Him. He isn't bound by our rules, laws, understanding or reason. He's outside of all of that. But out of His sheer love for us, He enters in with us to partner and bring us to where He wants. At peace, in Jesus, and submitted in loving and total obedience to Him. Those who obey stay where He can pour onto us all the blessings of heaven. They come down and soak us, splashing off the blessed everything around us. But if we don't submit, if we don't joyfully bend our knees to Him, if we don't sacrifice self on a daily basis, we will move out from under that shower. It will still be coming down, but we'll be across the street and not enjoying it. The reverence of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Wisdom would say, Stay blessed. Stay secure. Stay warm. Stay in the fortress. Stay in victory. It is the foolishness of humanity that says, I can do it better. The eternal toddler throwing a fit because they want to open the jar themselves. It is not the way to go. Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I will say, rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. In nothing be anxious, but in everything. By prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4, 4-7 To walk in peace is to walk in Jesus. It gives us that which our souls crave. It restores to us the tranquil confidence that we are in God and God has us. That He is at the reins. That we have given Him permission to work in our lives and we are humble, broken before Him, listening and obeying. Our feelings might chafe, but they are just feelings. Sensory input from a world that hates righteousness. Don't listen to them. Don't let them inform your day. Reject fear. Reject anxiety. Reject depression. Reject worry. Trust in Jesus. Abide in Jesus. Read the Word expecting revelation. It will transform the way your mind works. Listen to anointed teaching from men and women obedient to Jesus. Test their words and hold fast to that which is good. That which is aligned with the Word. Stay in Jesus. Stay in peace. It is the only thing that makes life worth living. Our daily affirmation of God's love is Philippians 4, 10-13. Donuts are great, but they are not for everyone. They can be too sweet, too fatty, too dry, too stale. They can be the most wonderful melt-in-the-mouth confections. They can be sadness in your mouth. They can be dunked and infused with the extra flavors of a good beverage. They can also crumble and sink into goo in the bottom of the mug. Some of that has to do with timing. And all of that has to do with perspective, attitude, opinion. Where you are willing to place yourself. It works the same way with Yahweh God Almighty. Will you place yourself where He is? Or will you go your own way while maintaining radio contact with Him? Contact is great, but it is a bit stale. It is too far removed from where you should be. And when you take a dunk in life, you may crumble and sink into goo. It is better to stay where He designed you to be. Doing what He designed you to do. Wherever and whatever that is. He will take care of you. In all circumstances, you can find contentment and peace. Trusting that the Lord will take care of you. He has given food to those who fear. Reverent. Him. He always remembers His covenant. Psalm 111, verse 5. If He doesn't forget His covenant with us, why should we? Covenant with the Lord is like having a gym membership, but without all the sweating and working. Jesus does the heavy lifting. We get all the benefits. Sure, the world will hate us. Persecution in Jesus' name will rise against us. But God will take care of us. When the world is crumbling, we will be fresh and fine. Because we are obedient. Because we are focused on Him and in Him. Because we are giving place to the Word in our lives. Because we are thinking on Him all the time. And doing what He shows us to do. He loves us always and in all things. But covenant isn't a spectator sport. We love because He loves. We do because He did. Out of love, we are offered covenant. In covenant, there is no worry. No fear. No anxiety. No depression. No negatives. It is a walk in Jesus, beside Jesus. Hand in hand. Cross to cross. Rejoicing and abounding in all things, no matter where we find ourselves. Because Jesus is our all in all. When the Lord is God above all, there is nothing else. Amen. As we close, remember that you have earth. 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. And 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. That we might live through Him. And this is love. Not that we love 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.