1 John 4:18, 19, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. We love Him, because he first loved us.”

We live in a time where emotions are running high. And rightly so, as we have seen a lot in the last 5 years alone. We dealt with and survived COVID, the first presidency of Trump, heinous acts against people of color, a fluctuating economy, and job loss. We have lived through the institution of DEI and the good and bad benefits that came with it. We are witnessing the dismantling of the same along with what seems like an increase is prejudice, bias, and outright bigotry. It is easy to understand why emotions are running high.

Matthew 11:28-30, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

There is something about the love of God! 

Fear only comes after us during those times when we lose sight of the love of God. God’s love gives us rest. That measure of faith that he gives us all, positions us to accept the love of God. Matthew tells us to “learn of me”. It is in this process of learning of Him that we understand how to rest in his love. There is no fear in his love.

Let’s talk about fear. 

By definition, fear is an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat.

Some accompanying emotions to fear are: terror, fright, alarm, panic, agitation, trepidation, dread, dismay, distress, anxiety, worry, angst, unease, apprehension, nervousness, doubt, and suspicion. 

There are many more, but you get the point. Anything that is not faith can be included here.

The goal of fear is to keep you so tied up or focused on your emotions that you do not have time to deal with the will and plan of God.

“In the last 5 years, particularly since the COVID-19 pandemic, the need for therapy has seen a significant increase. This is due to a combination of factors including a historic decline in mental health, destigmatization of seeking help, and the increased accessibility of virtual care.”

Social media influencers, Employers, and physical health providers all encourage you to seek therapy to deal with emotions that if left unchecked can lead to physical manifestations and lead to behavioral issues. 

Yes, we do need to deal with these emotions. If you need help, please get help and don’t be ashamed about it.

But we must also be careful not to allow the emotions we are experiencing distract us from the will of God for our lives.

However

The God we serve is the same – always. He operates outside of this spectrum of emotions. God has expectations – that we grow and mature in him. The struggles you had when you first came to know God, should not be the same after you have walked with him and gained personal experience of his goodness. This personal experience increases our faith.

Fear has no place in this equation!

The scriptures says it this way in Romans 14:23: “And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.”

The opposite of fear are calmness and confidence.

Calmness is the state or quality of being free from agitation or strong emotion; being free from disturbances or violent activity.

Confidence the feeling that one can rely or someone or something; firm trust.

Nehemiah was facing threats from Sanballat, Tobias, and others, who wanted to undermine his efforts to rebuild the wall. 

• Do you not think Nehemiah experienced high emotions during this time?

They accused him of plotting to rebel against the King. They tried to use fear against him to trick him into stepping away from the work he was called to do.

• Nehemiah asked his accusers “why should I stop working to come and meet with you?

He understood the assignment. Nehemiah exhibited both calmness and confidence. He did not fly off the handle at Sanballat and Tobias. Instead, he prepared himself to battle the enemy while he kept working the work before him.

His primary duty was to complete the task of rebuilding the wall. He had 1 part in the plan of God. He understood if he failed the impact would be great and the ripple of his failure would affect Israel’s restoration. 

He decided to push the fear aside and focus on obedience to the call of God. He chose faith over fear.

Now that we know what God has not given us (fear) let’s talked about what he has.

2 Timothy 1:7, “For God has not given us a spirit of Fear; but of power, love, and a sound mind.”

God has given us a sound mind or self control. 

Self control is defined as the ability to manage your impulses, emotions, and behaviors to achieve long-term goals, often involving resisting short-term temptations for the sake of a greater future benefit. It is about choosing what is healthy over something that is more appealing in the moment.

We need to allow the love of God to swallow up the fear that is causing you to avoid your responsibility. There is a job/calling/gift/vision that God has invested in you with the expectation you will strive to perform. We cannot afford to allow fear to stop us from being obedient to God.

First of all repent. Then go back into the grave yard of your past. Dig up those dreams and visions that God gave you, but your fear caused you to hide them away. Brush off the dirt of uncontrolled emotions, and stretch your faith. Trust in love. The same God that gave them to you is the same God that is going to give you everything you need to fulfill the call.

We need to have the same attitude as Nehemiah. We must focus on the work God has given us, but be prepared to fight the enemy over this same work. Our primary focus should be to accomplish what God has breathed into our spirit.

Fear is not an option!

1 Thessalonians 5:19-22, “Quench not the Spirit. Despise not prophesying. Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil.”

Philippians 1:6, “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ;”

Hi OTP Family – We are still walking through lessons learned from the 7 churches spoken of in Revelations chapters 2 and 3. One such lesson is to hold on. Think about it, how great a shame it would be if we wait to we are close to the finish line, just to give up or to throw in the towel just when the match is almost over?

Yet we live in a time when that is just what the enemy wants us to do. The enemy thinks if he burdens us with a deluge of distractions design to shift our focus from the things of God or from the work of God, that we will give up. But one thing he either does not understand or he cannot fathom is the power of the Godly inspiration. Just one word from God dropped or spoken in our spirit is enough not just to power a whole movement, it is enough to keep us through any and everything. Just like Jeremiah said – it is like a fire shut up in our bones (Jeremiah 20:9).

So, I encourage you to Hold On! Your strength may be little, but it is also mighty.

Church 6 – Philadelphia, Revelations 3:7-13

“Philadelphia combines the Greek words for “love” and “brothers.” The king of Pergamum founded the city in in 189 BC and named it Philadelphia because of His brother’s loyalty to him; his brother was the king of Lydia.

In His letter to the church at Philadelphia Jesus identifies himself as holy and true. The two characteristics are significant. Because Jesus is holy, He cannot lie. Therefore, He is both holy and true. Jesus also identifies himself in verse 7 as the one who has the key of David. It is also true that Jesus holds the key to open and shut a door that no one can open. He was able to use the key to open the doors of opportunity for the church at Philadelphia to advance the gospel into Asia’s unevangelized regions. Further, He could use the key to lock out the church’s enemies.” (BibleRef.com).

It is good to know that even when it feels like our lives are out of control, that God is indeed in control. He is not lost nor confused. Even when it feels that we are. He has the keys (power and authority) to open and close doors. He knows just when to exercise this authority. We may look at our situation and feel out of control and wonder where is God? But God is not confused. He is just being the God of our lives, and working in the background to bring about the things as they need to be for our good.

Our job is to learn to relinquish control and allow God to move in his sovereignty. We must learn to lean on him and trust in him. For he has never let us down before.

Looking at verse 8, Jesus describes the church as having only a little power, but confirms the church has used that power to good effect. Commends them for keeping his word and for remaining loyal to Him. I like this “Obeying the Word and staying loyal to Jesus ought to be significant features of any church. Opposition to Jesus and His word are fierce and insidious, but they cannot overcome a church that obeys Jesus and is loyal to Him.” (Bible ref.com). This is the key to our ability to hold on! In spite of everything – we trust and obey God. We stay loyal to his word.

It may feel as though you have just enough strength to hold on for one minute more. But at the end of that minute you find yourself still holding on. So, we keep on holding. This is the cycle of the believer. We keep holding on. God keeps inspiring us to hold on just a little tighter, just a little longer. There is that word that like a fire shut up in our bones again. After a little while we can look back over our lives and see just how far the Lord has brought us. And we never gave up. Understand, your ‘little strength’ is mighty indeed, through Christ!

Looking at verse 9, Jesus again speaks about those fake believers. Those wolves in sheep’s clothing otherwise known as those of the synagogue of Satan. These are those who say that love and follow the teachings of Christ, yet the life they live is in direct opposition to them. Here Jesus call them liars. It is nothing new that these bad apples give all Christian’s believers a bad name. But we do not allow their actions to prevent us from performing the work of Christ. Showing the love of Christ to all. Operating in the love of Christ at all times.

Revelations 3:10, ESV – “Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth.”

Ah, the promises of God! This church has a foundation of patient endurance. Trusting God is their way of life. Because of this, Jesus promised to keep them (us, as true believers) from the coming tribulation that is to try the whole world. “Jesus’ words make it clear that the church will not go through the hour of trial, a reference to the “tribulation,” a seven-year period of intense earthly distress and the subject of much of the book of Revelation.” (Bible ref.com). Thank God for the catching away of the church!

Looking at verse 11, ESV, “I am coming soon. Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown.” This highlights our responsibility. Our duty is to hold fast, to hold on tight, through faith in Christ. We have to protect ourselves that no one takes our crown. This verse indicates that we can relinquish our crown by letting go. As long as we hold tight, it cannot be taken away.

How do we let go?

When our focus shifts away from our the cause of Christ, our grip begins to loosen. When our attention is more on the cares of this life, rather than reaching the lost. When our light is so dim that it no longer illuminates the way for those without hope. When we can no longer remember or care about the call on our lives. When we have allowed idols to take over the center stage of our lives. These are some of the ways we lose our grip. The enemy if able to take our crown, and the sad part is we may not even realize its gone until its too late.

But God! We serve a great and mightily God that is full of grace and mercy. He always provides warning signs. Picture flashing caution lights that are designed to alert us that we are approaching this grave danger. We must give heed to these signs. Repent and make the changes that will help us tighten our grip back on our crown. It is that still, small voice speaking to our spirit letting us know we need to sure up, and firm our grip. We serve a soon coming King.

Hold on. Yes, your strength may seem little, but it is also mighty. As the song says, little becomes much when we place it in the master’s hands. Don’t fall for the trick of the enemy. You do have enough strength to keep holding on. Do not be tricked into letting go and giving up your crown.

Let’s pray together – Father, thank you for your word, for letting us know we do have the strength to keep holding on. Thank you Father for increasing our strength and our ability to patiently endure. Thank you for your promise to keep us from the hour of trial that is coming to the whole world. Father we pray that you continue to help us stay focused and do the work you have given us to accomplish. We do repent Father for those things in our lives that had us loosening our grip. We are encouraged and determined to hold fast, so that no man steals our crown. Father we thank you in Jesus name, amen!

Have a blessed night.