Wrong Diagnosis

This is a series of devotions and meditations on scripture that reject fear and champion faith in God. The power of words is emphasized, with the reminder to focus on God's word as unvarnished truth. Believers are encouraged to stand on the promises in the Bible, speak them aloud, and praise God. The importance of faith and trust in God's love is emphasized, along with the reminder that His love endures forever. The transcript concludes with the reminder that God loves each person unconditionally. 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 Isaiah 37.6 Isaiah said to them, Tell your master, Yahweh says, don't be afraid of the words that you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me. We live in the age of information. Very little of it seems good. But there's a lot of it out there, so it's hard to tell. Social media can help us create bubbles to keep us safe. I mean it. You play your cards right, and all you'll have on your timeline is cute cats and babies eating pickles. But if you're more enthusiastic with your clicks, there's no telling what will flash before your eyes and ears. What news story, disaster, war, movie, opinion, event, celebration, or fad will be next is anyone's guess. Words are even worse. We get told so much. There's a narrative out there for everything. How we should dress, how we should do our hair, how much makeup is good, how short a skirt should be, what pictures we should send, whether we should drive under the speed limit, or just keep it reasonable. What should we eat, how should we eat, what our performance was like at work, how close is too close to stand, what shows are nice, what people are nice, and on and on and on and... on. Where does it stop? Where should it stop? At the doorposts of heaven. When you get saved, you walk through the door of heaven. All heaven is open to you. John 14, 1-7, Jesus said he was the way, the truth, and the life, that you cannot get to the Father except through him, that if you know Jesus, you know the Father. Heaven is our home. We're part of the kingdom. We're part of the family of God himself. Nothing can take that from you. You are a child of God. 1 John 3, 1-3. As such, we have some privileges. We have an inheritance. Part of it is the authority of Jesus, because we've been remade into the righteousness of Jesus. Ephesians 4, 22-24. We are pure, holy, whole, and his. Do not let yourself accept anyone's words unless they're in accordance with the word of God itself. Why? Because we've been remade into Jesus, and Jesus is the word. John 1, 1 and 14. And the word is God. Revelation 19, 11-13. The word must not be contradicted. If the word says it, it is truth. If the word promises it, you can trust that you will receive. God cannot lie. God says you are healthy because he is a healing God. Exodus 15, 26. Psalms 103, 2-3. Malachi 4, 2. We were healed by the stripes and bruises that were laid upon him at the cross. 1 Peter 2, 24. And Matthew 8, 16-17. How dare a doctor tell you you're sick? You aren't sick. You're healthy. The devil's trying to steal that health. Don't let him. How dare someone diagnose you with anxiety, depression, or mental illness? You don't struggle with those thoughts. That's totally incorrect diagnosis. You are whole. You are joyful. Those thoughts are coming from outside you, not in you. I know that because you were made new. 2 Corinthians 5, 17 and 21. You can inhabit Jesus' nature. You can inhabit perfect health. You can inhabit a space with no black clouds. It exists in the praise of God. It exists in the Lord's mercy. Jesus destroyed everything else at the cross. Everything. 2,000 years ago, you already have victory. You only need to claim it, to take it, and to receive it. So how do we live it? Words. We live it with words. We need to saturate our environment with words. Not empty human words. Not wishful thinking words. God's words. In His word. There are promises for every aspect of the human experience in the word. Stand on them. 2 Peter 1, 4. What affects your situation? What are you facing? Read up on it. Read it out. Again and again. Words are activated by speaking them. John 6, 63. We need to speak them. Proverbs 18, 20. We praise God and bring Him His word. James 5, 13. We build up walls around us of thanksgiving. Hebrews 13, 15. Not for the problems, but for His solutions. For His presence and comfort and love. And we stand on it. 2 Timothy 3, 16-17. We stand and stand and stand and we are not moved. 1 Thessalonians 5, 16-22. We have the power to choose. Deuteronomy 30, 15-19. God advises, but He won't force. He cannot assume. That might violate our will. The will He gave us on purpose. We have to voice things. Life and death are in the power of the tongue. Proverbs 18, 21. But our words do not have power. It's the word of God that has power. God is the source of our power. And we've been given the word so that we can actualize it. For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword. Piercing even to the dividing of soul and spirit of both joints and marrow. And is able to discern the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Hebrews 4, 12. For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are dying. But to those of us who are being saved, it is the power of God. 1 Corinthians 1, 18. He sends His word and heals them and delivers them from their graves. Psalm 107, 20. Therefore, putting away all filthiness and overflowing wickedness. Receiving with humility the implanted word which is able to save our souls. James 1, 21. It is the spirit who gives life. The flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit and are life. John 6, 63. That's power right there. His word is power. And that power can change us. John 17, 17. We stand on the word. We claim its promises. And we stand when we've stood. We stand as long as it takes. We stand if it happens right away. We stand if it takes decades. We stand if it never happens on this earth. Remember, we're eternal beings. What we say echoes beyond time. What we say has importance not just here in the world, but in the world to come. This isn't a joke. Every word is a seed. Seed lies dormant until it grows and gives harvest. Our seeds may lie dormant until forever happens. We can only stand and make it to our harvest whenever it comes due by praise. Only by praise can we stand. The early church praise will imprison, Acts 16, 22-35. They called to God while being martyred, Acts 7, 59. We're told again and again to praise, rejoice, and pray continually, 1 Thessalonians 5, 16-18, Colossians 2, 6-7, and Hebrews 12, 28. Faith is being fully persuaded that what God says is true is true. That if he makes a promise, he can deliver it. Now, we just have faith in that. We are fully persuaded, and we have faith in that. That's what standing is. It has to be faith-related. You have to absolutely, from your innermost inner, believe it, and then we stand. We praise, rejoice, and we pray on the thing that we're standing, about that promise that we know is going to come to pass. Our experience isn't about the now. It's about the Lord, James 1, 2-4. We get all things from healing to perseverance to the faith that we need to do all this in and through the love of the Lord, 1 John 4, 16. Perfect love casts out all fear, 1 John 4, 18. These words that the world throws at you do not have to stick. These words that come up from your past do not have to stick. You do not need to bring them into your heart. Now, I'm not denying that issues can exist. Of course, they can. It's the work of the devil to steal your health, your peace, and your joy. We don't have to let him. You can, in all honesty, not deny that a thing exists, cancer, depression, sickness, COVID, etc., while also denying it the right to affect you. Fear and oppression are far from you, and fear cannot come near you, Isaiah 54, 14. No weapon formed against you will prosper, but what you do will prosper, Isaiah 54, 17. Boldly declare, being fully persuaded that you walk in supernatural health, joy, and prosperity because you're in Jesus, and Jesus does it all. 1 John 5, 14-15. Declare that you will take joy in the Lord no matter what, John 16, 22. And that Jesus is the Lord over your life, particularly over that part that you're struggling with. Job 22, 28 says, You will also decree a thing, and it will be established unto you. Light will shine on your ways. Believe it. Find your promises in the Word. As led by the Spirit, find what you'll stand on. Speak it. Decree it is for you today. Receive it. Walk in it. Praise through it, in it, and around it. Jesus is the way. Jesus is the truth. Accept no lies. God's Word is the truth, and the Father will sanctify you in that truth, John 17, 17. Believe it. Our daily affirmation of God's love is 1 Timothy 1, 12-17. The Lord's mercy endures forever. It started before the world. It will extend far beyond the world. His grace extended it to us because He loves us. He loved the idea of you. He loved all the many sides of you. He loved the goofy things you like. He loves your sense of humor. He loves how you look at the world. He loves what you do. He loves your bravery. Even in the minuscule things. He didn't want to miss out on you. On your smiles, your laughs, on anything. He extended His mercy to you even when you were a sinner. Because He loves you. Thank the Lord for His grace, mercy, faith, and steadfast love. They endure forever. 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 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.