Month: May 2023

One of the great challenges of life is dealing with the inevitable presence of fear. As part of the divine design, fear is an emotional trigger meant to protect us in dangerous or at least potentially dangerous situations. This process is described by psychologists (for example, The Four Fear Responses: Fight, Flight, Freeze, and Fawn By Amy Marschall, PsyD ). In the spiritual realm, fear can be the danger itself, as the enemy is well aware.

Fear is a profoundly important spiritual issue because fear is the theological opposite of faith. Faith in God is not simply believing that God exists. One of the great biblical ironies is that the demons always seem to know who Jesus is while the religious leaders are often clueless: “As he stepped out on shore, a man from the city who had demons met him... When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down before him, shouting, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me,” for Jesus had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man” (Luke 8:27-29, NRSV). The demons believe God exists, but they place no faith in Him.

This begs the question. In biblical terms “What is faith?” A classic definition that is often referenced can be found in the book of Hebrews: “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (11:1, ESV). Clearly, faith goes beyond the physical senses. Instead, it is our commitment to God based on assurance, hope and conviction. Because God (the desired object of our faith) cannot be seen or quantified, even mature believers are sometimes subject to doubt and unbelief. This is a point of vulnerability. Satan, preying on our human frailties, uses fear to chip away at our faith in Christ with the goal of its complete destruction.

When we are fearful, we may start to engage in dangerous speculation like “ Maybe God can’t/won’t do anything about my situation.” There is a related line in an old pop song, Leaving me to doubt talk about God in his mercy; Who if he really does exist, Why did he desert me in my hour of need? (Alone Again, Naturally by Gilbert O’Sullivan). God doesn’t desert or abandon us. Instead, God, who is always present through the Holy Spirit, also equips us with spiritual gifts/weapons; so, we are prepared.

Paul reminds us as he reminded Timothy that we are not unarmed in the fight against our fears and the related attacks of the enemy. “For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control” (2 Tim 1:6-7, ESV).

For the next few weeks we will examine power, love and self-control as they relate to living courageous lives in Christ. Until then, FEAR NOT my brothers!

PSALM 91 (ESV)
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”
For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler
and from the deadly pestilence.
He will cover you with his pinions,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.
You will not fear the terror of the night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness,
nor the destruction that wastes at noonday.
A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
You will only look with your eyes
and see the recompense of the wicked.
Because you have made the LORD your dwelling place—
the Most High, who is my refuge—
no evil shall be allowed to befall you,
no plague come near your tent.
For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways.
On their hands they will bear you up,
lest you strike your foot against a stone.
You will tread on the lion and the adder;
the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot.
“Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him;
I will protect him, because he knows my name. When he calls to me, I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will rescue him and honor him.
With long life I will satisfy him
and show him my salvation.”

The Barnabas Strategy is an initiative of the Holy Spirit free of institutional constraints. … Ron Bellomy

(Royalty free image from Dreamstime)

When I did casework, a young woman with the IQ of a six year old told my boss, “Life is hard to live.” The wisdom of that statement proves that you don’t need a great intellect or formal education to understand the often difficult nature of life. In Genesis after the Fall, God makes it clear that we’re no longer living in paradise: “… cursed is the ground because of you (the result of sin and rebellion) in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground… ” (Gen 3:17-19). In addition to these inherent difficulties, Satan is still slithering into our lives with temptations.

We close our series by examining the final petition of the Lord’s Prayer, “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil” (Mat 6:13). We need to understand that God does not tempt us. James 1:13-14 makes this clear, “Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am being tempted by God,’ for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.” In other words, we shouldn’t blame God for our own sinful nature. In many situations, we simply look in the mirror to find the culprit.

Beyond self-inflicted seductions, God will allow us to endure temptations on occasion. Temptation in biblical terms is often experienced as trials (see Job 1:6-12). Trials may simply result from living in a broken world. We never know what others are going through. Recently, we discovered that a professional who wasn’t doing her job well had her father in the hospital, her mother seriously ill, and a daughter having a baby. Trials also result from spiritual attacks. It is widely understood that the deliverance sought is not from a faceless, generic evil. “The last petition in the Lord’s Prayer is a petition for deliverance from Satan. ‘Deliver us from the evil one’ (Matthew 6:13) is the correct translation” (Derek Prince, Secrets of a Prayer Warrior, p. 46).

Regardless of the source or type of temptation, it may help to remember two things: 1. We cannot face temptations alone; so we pray… lead us not into temptation, acknowledging our dependence on God. This is a plea for strength and guidance from our Father in heaven; 2. The Father who hears our prayers loves us more than we love ourselves. See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are… (1John 3:1a).

Therefore brothers and sisters, let us close as we opened this great prayer, in praise: For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen (included in some ancient manuscripts)

The Barnabas Strategy is an initiative of the Holy Spirit free of institutional constraints. … Ron Bellomy

(NOTE: The image of Archangel Michael defeating Satan is royalty free from Dreamtime.com.)

We live in a broken world with broken people who continually mess up, to put it lightly. I should know. I’m one of them. One of the great challenges and true blessings of the Christian faith is having a merciful way to deal with all that brokenness…

It’s time to discuss a critical aspect or the Lord’s Prayer (and life in general), forgiveness. Forgiveness is a very personal issue with many disturbing questions: Why should I forgive someone who has clearly harmed me? How can I truly forgive others if I can’t forgive myself? How can God forgive me with what I have done? We must sort through all this for the sake of our hearts and souls since receiving forgiveness is directly linked to offering the same to others— and forgive us our debts (trespasses), as we also have forgiven our debtors (trespassers) (Mat 6:12).

Like love, forgiveness begins within believers to build redemptive communities. When Jesus was asked about the greatest commandment, he replied,  …“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. ³⁸ This is the great and first commandment. ³⁹ And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. ⁴⁰ On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets” (Mat 22:37-40, ESV, emphasis mine). Similarly, forgiving our neighbor is tied to forgiving ourselves.

I was raised in a guilt-based environment at home and in church. The only sermon I remember from childhood was a tour of hell. Years later in seminary, we were to read and respond to an historic sermon by Jonathan Edwards, Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God. I wrote that this was a typical sermon in my childhood experience of church… no big deal. But, it was a big deal. I was so defeated and beaten down in my youth that I didn’t believe I could be forgiven, much less forgive myself or others. Overcoming this guilt-based, judgment generating lie has been a lifelong struggle. Now, I believe I am the forgiven son of a merciful loving Father, and that the divine forgiveness I receive must be passed on to my neighbor. It is an important part of the law of love which keeps my heart from hardening.

Love holds no grudge.

True forgiveness is not mouthing empty words. It flows out of a loving heart. Part of loving your neighbor as yourself is forgiving your neighbor as yourself (see dependence referenced in Mat 22:40). This is a safeguard against the injuries and pain of a broken world hardening our hearts. Hardened hearts cause some people to reject God along with the divine offers of forgiveness and salvation. It’s like slamming a door in God’s face. And, hardened hearts largely contribute to our cruel and broken world. Therefore, true forgiveness based in love is critical and irreplaceable, especially in communities of faith. Even if we can’t manage to find the love in our hearts to forgive our neighbors in the moment, we can use our love for God as the basis for the beginning of forgiveness. The prayer may look like this:

“Father, right now I can’t find the love in my heart for my neighbor necessary for true forgiveness. But, I forgive them as I am able out of my love for you. Help me to love and forgive them as you have loved and forgiven me; so, I can be faithful to Jesus’ teaching on prayer, “and forgive us our debts (trespasses), as we also have forgiven our debtors (trespassers)”” (Mat 6:12). Amen.

He will again have compassion on us; he will tread our iniquities underfoot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea (Mic 7:19, ESV).

The Barnabas Strategy is an initiative of the Holy Spirit free of institutional constraints. … Ron Bellomy