Rebuke the Wind - Part 3

Hello everyone,

The night the disciples were completely caught off guard, and taken by surprise by a terrifying wind storm that threatened to take their lives, they witnessed a power far greater than anything they could have imagined.

They had lost all hope of surviving until they saw Jesus stand up, in their boat and rebuke that demonically inspired wind.  

Did you notice how Jesus rebuked the wind and not the waves?  It may have looked like the waves were the real problem for the disciples that night.  They were crashing into their boat, throwing them around, shaking and rocking and pounding, while filling it up with water.  

The truth is, even though the waves were all they could see, they were only the symptom of the problem, not the source of it.  The unseen force of that wind is what was causing those waves to rise up and reek absolute havoc with that fishing boat that night.

I want to remind you of what Ephesians 6:12 says, “For we are not wrestling with flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the despotisms, against the powers, against [the master spirits who are] the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spirit forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) sphere.”

The problem you are facing in the natural is only a symptom of what is causing it in the unseen world of the supernatural.  If you can’t understand why your marriage is suddenly falling apart, or why there is so much strife in your home, stop wrestling with what you can see in the natural.  Your enemy is not your spouse, or your family members.  Your enemy is not flesh and blood.  It’s unseen forces that are on an all out attack to kill, steal, and destroy anything good in your life.

The Bible clearly says they have absolutely no right to do that, in fact, every weapon they form against you cannot prosper - they are already defeated concerning you!  It’s time you stand up and do exactly what Jesus did.  Face the real enemy and rebuke him into submission!

Once we deal with the spirit realm, things in the natural realm will be resolved.  It’s that simple.

James 4:7 says, “So be subject to God. Resist the devil [stand firm against him], and he will flee from you.”

The key here is to know you are subject to God.  If you have been flirting with sin, or giving the enemy an open door into your life, or marriage, then resisting the devil will do you no good.  He’ll just laugh at you and bring you more trouble.

Now, when you are living by faith, and walking in God’s love, and being careful to obey the voice of the Holy Spirit, then you can stand up strong in the authority God has given you, rebuke the devil, and he will flee from you.

Once Jesus rebuked that wind, the waves were easily calmed. Look at what the Bible says happened:

Mark 4:39, “And He arose and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, Hush now! Be still (muzzled)! And the wind ceased (sank to rest as if exhausted by its beating) and there was [immediately] a great calm (a perfect peacefulness).”

Hallelujah!  Once Jesus dealt with the unseen spiritual force that was in that wind, all He did was speak to the sea and tell it to be still! Don’t you love how the Amplified Classic translation says the wind sank to rest as if exhausted by its beating!  The word ceased literally means to give up the fight!  And as a result, the Bible says, “... immediately a great calm, and perfect peacefulness” came over it. 

Jesus knew full well that the source of that storm was the demonic force behind the wind.  He knew all that was needed was to rebuke it, pull it into submission and then speak peace over the waves.  

There is nothing stopping that from happening in your life too.  No matter what you’re facing, and how terrifying it may seem - know the source of your trouble doesn’t have to do with what you see or know in the natural.  So stop trying to fix it or spend all your energy fighting it in the natural.  

Learn to take authority in the spirit realm - you don’t have to read up about spiritual ware-fare, or attend seminars on the structure of the kingdom of darkness, so you can map out where the spiritual high places are to strategically pray from.

No, the Bible says in Psalms 24:1 that, “The earth is the Lord’s, and the fullness of it, the world and they who dwell in it.”.   All you need to do is know who you are in Christ Jesus, and stand up in the authority He has given you, and rebuke the devil.  Command him and his forces to stop what they are doing and to get out of your affairs in Jesus Name.  

The spiritual realm will hear you and obey when you open your mouth and speak God’s will in faith.  Jesus showed us exactly how it’s done, and we are expected to follow His example.  

So submit yourself to God, stand up strong in faith and rebuke that wind, because as Jesus is, so are we in this world!

All my love,

Jenny

Rebuke the Wind Part 2

Hello everyone,

Being caught off guard by bad news, or sudden trouble can certainly knock the wind out our sails.  The truth is, we don’t have to stand in unbelief, feeling bewildered and speechless.  The moment we realise that we are locked up in Jesus, we will find our voice and speak words that are weighty with the authority He has given us, to turn that storm around! 

In this series Rebuke the Wind, we see how the disciples were completely caught off guard by a ferociously dangerous wind that suddenly came up on them in the dark one night.  They were on a boat with Jesus, on the Sea of Galilee, and this mighty wind of hurricane proportions, picked up the waves and violently beat them against the boat,  terrifying the men as their boat began to sink.  

After desperately trying to fight the storm and keep themselves afloat, the men realised their efforts were hopeless.  As they shook Jesus awake, you can hear the urgency and confusion in their words.  

How could it be that after all they had done for Him, after all they had given up for Him, He would let them face this impossible storm alone, asleep in the corner, leaving them to drown?  Didn’t He say He loved them?  Don’t He even care about what they were going through, or what would happen to them?

Doesn’t that sound familiar?  When we are faced with sudden trouble and it looks like it’s impossible to get through victoriously, what do we hear ourselves murmuring in the heat of it all?  “Lord, what’s going on?  Don’t you love me?  Didn’t you say You would take care of me?  Did I give up everything to follow You for this?  Are You abandoning me?”  

Well, the disciples were feeling completely abandoned at this point of the story, and interestingly enough, we read three different accounts of it in the Gospels.

I have to tell you, after hearing Greek scholar, Rick Renner, mention how Matthew, Mark, and Luke give an account of this story, and each address Jesus at that precise time of panicked terror, by a different name - I had to find out more!

Without making a doctrine out of this, I really think it’s worth talking about.

In Matthew 8:25 (NKJ), the disciples urgently wake Jesus up, calling Him ‘Lord’.  Now often enough, when we address Jesus as ‘Lord’ we do so with an inner confidence, knowing He is in complete control of the situation.  When we are thrust into a terrible circumstance, where we are taken by surprise and reach out to the Lord for help, we usually call Him ‘Lord’, knowing and trusting that He is well able, and willing to save us.

Then, in Mark 4:38 (NKJ), it’s recorded that Jesus is woken up by the panicked disciples, and addressed as ‘Teacher’. When the situation we are thrust into doesn’t immediately get better, we seem to become a little more anxious in our appeal, and begin to wonder if the reason we aren’t seeing results is because God wants to teach us something through our living nightmare.   

I want to pause here and take a moment to clarify what God’s Word says about this particular kind of thought pattern.

The Bible clearly teaches that in the New Covenant we have in Christ, we can be assured that God is never the source, nor is He the author of any calamity or problems we encounter in this life.  He does not bring bad things into our lives to teach us lessons.  That is simply not His nature, and the New Testament is filled with scripture to confirm this.  

Even If we got into the mess because of a mistake, or wrong choice we made, we can still call on His Name in our time of trouble, and He will give us the wisdom, strength, and power to overcome.  

After we are out of the mess, and in a safe place of victory, we can certainly expect the Holy Spirit to reveal any lessons we needed to learn through that experience, and we will gain experiential wisdom from it.  

So it’s important for us to understand that even though God is never the cause of our calamity, He has promised to never leave or abandon us while we face it, or go through it.  When we turn to Him, He will always teach us how to lean on Him, rely and learn from Him so we can walk through that experience into victory.  

Romans 8:28 says He causes all things to work together for our good. So don’t for one moment allow yourself to think God brought trouble on you to teach you a life lesson.  

Now, let’s take a look at how the Gospel of Luke records the way the disciples addressed Jesus in the storm.  In Luke 8:24 (NKJ), the distraught disciples woke Jesus up, addressing Him as ‘Master’.  

Here we see no confident pause, or time for reflection.  Here there is pure desperation, where they are calling on their Master to command action!  The Greek translation for the word ‘master’ is a compound word  that translates to the words ‘stand’ and ‘upon’.  More than anything, the disciples needed Jesus to stand up, on the spot and deliver them.

And that’s exactly what Jesus did, it’s also exactly what He will do for you, when you need His intervention. In the next letter, we’re going to take a look at how Jesus responded and acted in the heat of their crisis, and how we can learn from His example.

Until then, know no matter what you will face in this life, you belong to a Heavenly Father Who loves and cares for you dearly, and is waiting for you to call on His divine assistance.  He will show you how you can take authority over the wind and waves, and reach your destination safely.

All my love,

Jenny

Rebuke the Wind - Part 1

Hello everyone,

When you feel like you’re suddenly thrust into the frontline of battle, or you’re facing a storm of life that came up on you so suddenly, you didn’t even see see where it came from, it’s easy to be thrown off balance.  In fact, in moments like that it can feel like your whole world has been turned upside down and you’re completely losing control.  

This is the exact time we need someone to stand up, take authority over the situation, and make it all stop!  

We know Jesus’ disciples faced a time like this when they were onboard a fishing boat with Jesus, on the Sea of Galilee.  They were on route to a region that was notorious for harbouring a demonised man, possessed by a legion of demons.  

Jesus knew His mission was to get to the other side of the sea, deal with the demons that were oppressing this man, and see him set free and made whole.  For far too long the devil held the people in that area hostage with fear.  The entire coastland knew about this dangerous, mad man who would rant and rave, and live like a tormented animal amongst the caves.  

No one deserves to live this way, and Jesus had set out to do exactly what His Father wanted Him to do - destroy the devil’s work and bring freedom and dignity to those who were bound and suffering.  1 John 3:8 says, “...The reason the Son of God was made manifest (visible) was to undo (destroy, loosen, and dissolve) the works the devil [has done].”

The devil knew that if Jesus crossed the sea that night, when He reached the other side, He would cast those demons out and end his reign of terror.

So, as Jesus and the disciples were crossing over the sea, the Bible says a great, violent, and destructive wind seemed to come up from nowhere.  Mark 4:37 (AMPC) says, “And a furious storm of wind [of hurricane proportions] arose, and the waves kept beating into the boat, so that it was already becoming filled.”

Now, it’s important to note that the word arose used here, in the original Greek text describes something that happens unexpectedly or catches you off guard. Obviously, the disciples, who were skilled fishermen, didn’t expect this kind of ferocious windstorm that night.  The event took them completely by surprise.

Of course, I took full advantage of using my Sparkling Gems From the Greek by Rick Renner to help bring out the richness of the text and give us a clear and detailed picture of what took place that night.  When we begin to dig a little deeper using this knowledge of the Greek, it opens up such wonderful truth for us to hold onto and learn from.

Back to the storm...the Bible explains how the wind that came up that night was no ordinary wind.  One translation says it literally picked up the waves and threw them against the boat.  The Greek translation uses the words ballo (to throw), and epi (against).  It describes how this invisible force continuously hurled giant, angry waves against the boat, beating against it continuously, one after the other, filling their boat until it began to sink into the ferocious, terrifying black waves.  

No wonder the disciples were frightened out of their wits!  No wonder they shook Jesus awake, and in their panicked terror asked Him why He didn’t even care that they were perishing!  In the Greek, the word perish here actually describes being undone, unravelled, or broken in pieces. What an accurate description of these terrified men.

We can certainly understand their confusion, they were doing nothing wrong, in fact they were doing exactly what Jesus had instructed them to do.  They were on a God inspired mission, with the Son of God in their boat no less.  They were almost there, and out of nowhere, this ferocious wind launched an all out attack on them, manipulating the sea to rage its fury against them.  They were helpless against its power.  The boat was filling up and they were about to drown.  And where was Jesus in all this?  He was peacefully sleeping through it all!

If you ever find yourself in a situation where out of nowhere you are confronted with trouble of such great proportion, you simply don’t know how to respond - understand the source of your problem is more than likely not what you see or hear happening around you in the natural.  Your enemy, the devil could very well be manipulating circumstances around you to distract you from what God is about to do through you, unravel your emotions, and cripple your faith.

Just like the devil orchestrated the unseen force of the wind that night, to manipulate the waves and prevent Jesus from accomplishing His purpose; the devil is constantly lurking behind the scenes trying to catch us off guard and prevent us from living out our faith for the Lord. 

I want to remind you of what Ephesians 6:12 says, “For we are not wrestling with flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the powers, against [the master spirits who are] the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spirit forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) sphere.”.

The good news is Christ in us has already overcome the enemy that’s against us, and given us the authority to rebuke him and bring his evil plans to nought!  

In this series we will come to understand how the fight we are in is not against natural things, and that God has already given us victory over it!  You will learn how to stand up and use your voice, and God given authority to stop the devil in his tracks, and see the whole situation turn around for His glory!

In the next letter we will see exactly how Jesus responded to the enemy’s attack, and how the circumstances immediately changed as a result.

Much love,

Jenny

Fear on the Run - Part 5

Hello everyone,

Probably one of the most effective and dangerous weapons our enemy, the devil, tries to launch against us is fear.  But it doesn’t have to have any power over us if we choose to respond to the devil’s threats the way God’s Word tells us to.  

Isaiah 54:17 says, “...no weapon that is formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue that shall rise against you in judgment you shall show to be in the wrong. This [peace, righteousness, security, triumph over opposition] is the heritage of the servants of the Lord...; this is the righteousness or the vindication which they obtain from Me [this is that which I impart to them as their justification], says the Lord.”

This is God’s promise to us! Any weapon the enemy hurls against us through circumstances or bad reports, intending to derail us, has absolutely no power to harm us.  Not when our hearts and minds are rooted in faith, and we have learnt to respond to his tactics the way the Word teaches us to.

Remember Jesus told us - while we are on this earth, living for Him, we are most certainly going to encounter challenges.  As long as we have an enemy, those challenges are not going to stop coming against us.  But Jesus said in the midst of them, we can rejoice!  Because He has overcome anything this world could ever throw our way, and He has deprived it of its power to harm us!

A good friend of mine, Pastor Rhonda Spencer reminded me that my response will always determine my outcome.  Isn’t that a powerful statement?  Our response to the bad news we receive, or the troubling circumstance we find ourselves facing has the power to determine our outcome.  

If our reaction is going to be full of negativity and panic, then we empower the spirit of fear to work against us.  However, if our response is going to be what God’s Word teaches us to say, we empower the faith in our hearts to go to work and cause God’s promises to become our reality!  Even the impossible becomes possible through faith!

So what does God’s Word tell us to do the moment we face trouble?  Well firstly, it tells us to not fear!  So if you know negativity or anxious words are going to come out of your mouth - keep it shut!  Rather say nothing than empower the enemy to work against you.

The second instruction the Word gives us is to cast that care right over to the Lord.  Give it to Him immediately, knowing He has your very best interests at heart, that He loves you completely, and is extremely attentive to your prayer.  

Once you’ve given Him that care, begin to find out what His Word says regarding it.  Follow the Holy Spirit’s lead here - He will help you find the appropriate scriptures for your situation.  Then once you have His Word on it - you pray and speak that promise right over the situation.  As you do this, you will literally feel the peace of God rise up inside you like a mighty, flowing river.  That peace is powered by your absolute trust in your God.    It’s so powerful that it causes joy to bubble up inside you too.  That joy is a supernatural force that is your strength.  

So now, when you open your mouth, the words that come out are, “Lord, thank You for Your Word and Your promises concerning me.  Thank you that You always work all things for good, to and for those who love you, and are called according to Your purpose.  And I love You Lord! I trust You completely to fulfil Your will concerning me.  No matter what things look like, I know they are subject to change, but You Lord, You will never change!  You will always be my joy, You will always be my peace, You will always be my delight, and You will always be faithful to me. I bless Your Name Lord, I worship You, I adore You!  You are wonderful, and glorious, and so worthy to be praised!”.

Let me tell you, at this point, fear has completely lost its bearings and sense of direction, including its power.  It has actually derailed itself!  And your spontaneous praise has put the enemy on the run!  Because you responded the way God’s Word has taught you to respond!

Now take a look at this scripture from Isaiah 41:10:

“Fear not [there is nothing to fear], for I am with you; do not look around you in terror and be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen and harden you to difficulties, yes, I will help you; yes, I will hold you up and retain you with My [victorious] right hand of rightness and justice.”

When we learn to trust the Lord and His Word concerning us, He hardens us to difficulties.  That means, we find we are stronger than we were the first time we cried out to Him and He rescued us.  We find we are not moved to worry and fear like we used to be.  That’s because we are reminded of how He came right into our midst and rescued and delivered us, and we know He will do it again.  We become tough in the Spirit, not weak and vulnerable in the flesh.  We are no longer easy game to the enemy.  We will not be shaken as we may have been before. 

I’ll end with this promise Jesus gives us in John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

The moment you hear anything that contradicts God’s Word concerning you, respond by saying, “Heart, don’t be troubled, neither be afraid, God is with Me and yes He will help me, yes He will deliver me, and yes He will rescue me from all trouble. He will protect and provide for me and give me the wisdom I need to act on to see me through safely.”

If you let this be your response, fear will have no option but to leave and you can trust the Lord to show you exactly what you need to say or do to walk through to victory, every time.

All my love,

Jenny

Fear on the Run - Part 4

Hello Everyone,

Some people believe that fear can be a healthy emotion, and that it’s even responsible for us to have little dose of it to keep us living within cautious, reasonable boundaries.  But that’s not God’s will for us.  According to the Word, fear is a spirit that is relentless in its intent to keep us in bondage, paralyse our faith, and stop us from experiencing fullness of life.

Since we know fear is our enemy, the Bible teaches us how to practically refuse and overcome it so we don’t have to be bound by its destructive power.  Fear will always bring bondage, torment and oppression; but if we establish ourselves in God’s Word, we will be equipped to refuse it and keep it out of our lives!

Did you know that God has given us spiritual equipment of an entirely different nature than fear - according to 2 Timothy 1:7, He has given us a spirit of power, love, and a sound mind to combat it!

“For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (of cowardice, of craven and cringing and fawning fear), but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control.”

We can refuse fear by taking a hold of any negative thought or emotion and pulling them in line with God’s Word!  When we bring our souls into submission to God’s Word, we actually do what the Bible calls, “establish ourselves in righteousness”, which is exactly what causes us to overcome!

Let’s take a closer look at what it means to Establish Ourselves in Righteousness.

Take a look at what Isaiah 54:14 says, “You shall establish yourself in righteousness (rightness, in conformity with God’s will and order): you shall be far from even the thought of oppression or destruction, for you shall not fear, and from terror, for it shall not come near you.”

In the New Covenant we have in Christ Jesus, we have been made the righteousness of God. This means it’s now our nature and expected behavior to constantly know and be aware of what God’s Word says about Himself, and to live in Him and His ways. 

When we are established in these truths, we are established in righteousness and, according to the Word, will be able to resist and refuse fear!  In fact, when we get into the habit of establishing ourselves in God’s thoughts and ways - the Word says we will be far from even the thought of oppression or destruction, because we will not fear!

Just on a quick side note, the word oppression means removing the power from someone being able to control their own future.  Fear says we are bound to destruction and hopelessness, where God’s Word says we are bound to life and victory in Him.  We don’t have to settle for what the devil dictates, he doesn’t have the power to oppress us, unless we give it to him - by yielding to fear.

In today’s letter, we are taking a look at one of the foundational truths, found in God’s Word, we must establish ourselves in order to refuse fear:

We must know and believe the love God has for us.

1 John 4:16-18 says, “And we know (understand, recognize, are conscious of, by observation and by experience) and believe (adhere to and put faith in and rely on) the love God cherishes for us. God is love, and he who dwells and continues in love dwells and continues in God, and God dwells and continues in him.

In this [union and communion with Him] love is brought to completion and attains perfection with us, that we may have confidence for the day of judgment [with assurance and boldness to face Him], because as He is, so are we in this world.

There is no fear in love [dread does not exist], but full-grown (complete, perfect) love turns fear out of doors and expels every trace of terror! For fear brings with it the thought of punishment, and [so] he who is afraid has not reached the full maturity of love [is not yet grown into love’s complete perfection].

We can know and believe God’s love for us when we continuously spend time learning about Him in His Word. The Holy Spirit makes that truth alive in our hearts and begins to reveal the true nature of God to us in a most intimate way.  Our hearts literally swell with the love God pours into us (Romans 5:5).  

That love produces a deep sense of trust in us towards Him, and His Word.  When His character and promises become more real to us than our troubles, fear looses its power and is literally driven out.  

Take a look at how this happened to Jesus’ disciples when they were faced with fear:

John 20:19-20, “Then on that same first day of the week, when it was evening, though the disciples were behind closed doors for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, Peace to you!

So saying, He showed them His hands and His side. And when the disciples saw the Lord, they were filled with joy (delight, exultation, ecstasy, rapture).”

Did you notice how Jesus responded to the disciples when they were fearful, He came and stood among them.  God is not distant from you when you go through trouble.  He promises that He is with you, and insists that you realize and recognize that He is your peace and your refuge.

It’s time to settle in your mind once and for all that God loves you with an unfailing, never ending love.  He is for you, and completely dependable and faithful to you.  You don’t have to worry about Him turning His back on you, or leaving you desperate and alone.  You can trust Him with your life.  

In John 15:9, Jesus says He loves us, as much as the Father loves Him, and He invites us to continue in that love with Him. “I have loved you, [just] as the Father has loved Me; abide in My love [continue in His love with Me].”

In John 16:27 He says, “For the Father Himself [tenderly] loves you because you have loved Me and have believed that I came out from the Father.”

In Isaiah 38:17, we see how powerful God’s love for us is. “...You have loved back my life from the pit of corruption and nothingness, for You have cast all my sins behind Your back.”

His promise in Jeremiah 31:3 stands true for us, “...I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with loving-kindness have I drawn you and continued My faithfulness to you.”

Spend time meditating on these scriptures that speak the truth concerning God’s love for you.  Let them fill your thoughts throughout the day, and meditate on them before you go to sleep at night.  They will begin to dominate the way you see yourself in God’s eyes.  

The moment a negative, fearful thought comes into your mind, vying  for your attention, it will hold no ground in your heart or mind.  Since you are more convinced of God’s love and care for you than what that negative thought has to say, it has nothing to latch onto and it’s power over you is gone.

Now you can confidently find refuge in the truth you’ve become establish in, and refuse even the thought of fear.

In the next letter we’ll learn how knowing God’s love for us hardens us to difficulties and secures us in a place of complete dependency on Him.

All my love,

Jenny

Fear on the Run - Part 3

Hello Everyone,

The Book of Proverbs tells us that God’s Words are, “... life to those who find them, and healing and health to all their flesh.” - Proverbs 4:22.  We’ve been learning how meditating on the truth of God’s Word brings life, peace, and healing to our lives as it produces the spiritual force of faith inside us (Joshua 1:8; Psalm 1:2-3; Romans 8:6; Romans 10:17).  

Just the same, we know that meditating on anything that contradicts the truth of God’s Word, produces the spiritual force of fear inside us. Fear is a destructive force that has no place in a believer’s life, yet we all fall prey to its tactics unless we constantly guard the thoughts we allow ourselves to mediate on.

Being in the habit of guarding our hearts and minds to combat fear is something we can learn to do, in fact, we can become quite skilled at it.  The Word of God clearly tells us how we can go about doing this.

1) Refuse Fear!

To begin with, let’s look at what Jesus said in John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you; My [own] peace I now give and bequeath to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. [Stop allowing yourselves to be agitated and disturbed; and do not permit yourselves to be fearful and intimidated and cowardly and unsettled.]”

Jesus tells us to not allow our hearts to be troubled, and to not be afraid.  Now, I found an extract about this verse from Rick Renner’s Sparkling Gems From the Greek 2, and I want to share it with you.

“...The word “troubled” is the Greek word tarreso, which means to shake, to disquiet, to unsettle, to perplex, to cause anxiety, or even to cause feelings of grief...

Often when these troubling emotions begin to work in the soul, they open the door to other negative emotions and eventually pull us over into the realm of fear.  That’s why it’s so important to bring the soul into submission before this happens.  This is precisely why Jesus continued to say, “Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

The word “afraid” is from the word deilos, and depicts a gripping fear or dread that produces a shrinking back or cowardice. In essence, our ability to calmly and objectively look at the problem head-on to deal with it appropriately disappears when fear sets in.  It literally paralyses our ability to move forward and causes us to retreat into our own mode of self-preservation - which, in effect, is cowardice or the lack of courage to face what is before us...”

That’s why, even when we find ourselves thrust into situations that are designed to unravel us, and cause us to fear, we must remember we were not created to shrink back and retreat in this life.  Jesus knew what we would be facing and told us in advance how to deal with these moments.

2) Find Your Peace in Him

He says we must refuse fear and find our peace in Him!  We cannot allow ourselves to stay in a state of feeling troubled, upset, and fearful.  Instead, we must let His peace become the dominating force in our lives.  

The Bible calls Jesus the Prince of Peace, and in 2 Corinthians 13:11, we are told God is the author and promoter of peace. So when trouble comes, leaning and relying on, and pressing into the Person of Jesus is where we draw our peace and strength from.   

In John 14:27, Jesus says we have the very same peace He possesses, that means no matter what we encounter in this life, we are able to navigate through it with the very peace of God.  Jesus made a point of explaining the peace He gives is not the same as the peace this world knows.  His peace is perfect, making us complete and lacking nothing! It’s based on Him and His unchanging character, not on circumstances or fleeting emotions. 

3) Fix Your Thoughts on Him

Now, since peace comes from God and His Word that is alive in our hearts, we must set our sights on its truth and His promises concerning us. Isaiah 26:3 says when our thoughts are fixed on the Lord, He will keep us in perfect and constant peace. 

1 Timothy 6:17 says we are to set our hopes on God, Who richly and ceaselessly provides us with everything for [our] enjoyment.  To set our hopes on the character of God that is described in this verse, means there can be no wavering or questioning His good intention towards us, or whether He will desert us, or contradict Himself and suddenly take things away from us.  

Look at what Hebrews 13:5b-6 (AMPC) says, “...He [God]Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not,[I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down (relax My hold on you)! [Assuredly not!]. So we take comfort and are encouraged and confidently and boldly say, The Lord is my Helper; I will not be seized with alarm [I will not fear or dread or be terrified]. What can man do to me?”

We are to establish ourselves in the truth of Who God’s Word says He is, and receive a revelation of His unwavering, perfect love towards us - especially when we are faced with problems that are by no means imaginary.  Our emotions must not be in bondage to a spirit of fear that will turn us into cowards, if we succumb to it.  Shrinking back is not God’s will for us.

In the next letter we’ll continue learning how to practically refuse fear in our lives.  Until then, choose to commit yourself to the Lord every day.  Purpose to keep your thoughts on Him, especially when you hear disappointing news, or you find you’re having to ward off fearful thoughts.  Deliberately refuse to focus on the negative and immediately cast your cares on the Lord.  Then as you fill your mind with thoughts of Who God is, and how much He is committed to take care of you, that peace that surpasses all understanding will be yours to experience.

All my love,

Jen