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Body Aches

Proverbs 1:7 (AMP) The [reverent] fear of the Lord [that is, worshiping Him and regarding Him as truly awesome] is the beginning the preeminent part of knowledge [its starting point and its essence]; But arrogant fools despise [skillful and godly] wisdom and instruction and self-discipline.

How do you start your day? Do you start with thoughts of not really wanting to get up? Do you start with grabbing your phone and checking emails and social media? Do you start off with grabbing a cup of coffee? Do you start with stretches? I wish I could say that I start my day off in the Bible, but I am the one who is looking back at all of the posts that I made in my memories via Facebook. They are reminders of where I was a year, two years or even ten years ago. The good thing is that I post mostly about the Bible or my family. I never want to be separated from God nor my family. God is the priority, so that I can love my family well. I make it a point to pray over my mind to think on things that He wants me to think on, and to read to receive from His revelation knowledge.

I was in prayer over a statement my husband made on Sunday: “The church is being led back to a place of reverence. Reverence: a gesture of profound respect mingled with love, devotion,
or awe.” In a ‘me’ centered culture the church needs to be led back to Him focused. We only worship (I use that term loosely, it is more like attend) where we can be seen, where our talents can be used or we only attend when there is nothing else going on. That is not a fear of the Lord. He brought back to remembrance the above scripture. How we regard God is how we are going to revere Him.

2 Corinthians 7:1 (AMP) Therefore, since we have these [great and wonderful] promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, completing holiness [living a consecrated life—a life set apart for God’s purpose] in the fear of God.

Just before Paul reminds the Corinthians what God had revealed to Moses, “I will dwell among them and walk among them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. (2 Corinthians 6:16, Leviticus 26:12).” His Presence is the promise. The promised land was provided through Christ. Maybe I am a bit radical in this, but when I do not look at attending church with a reverence of who I am ministering to, then I should be questioning why I am doing such. Just to let you know, we are ministering to Him when we serve. If I keep my focus on the people (the ones that benefit) then I am serving His created and not Him as the Creator.

Hebrews 12:26-29 (AMP) His voice shook the earth [at Mount Sinai] then, but now He has given a promise, saying, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth, but also the [starry] heaven.” Now this [expression], “Yet once more,” indicates the removal and final transformation of all those things which can be shaken—that is, of that which has been created—so that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, and offer to God pleasing service and acceptable worship with reverence and awe; for our God is [indeed] a consuming fire.

This is where I want to be. I want God to be the consuming fire in my life. This is why I am constantly laying down the imaginations and arguments in my mind (2 Corinthians 10:4-5). This is why I join in with the body of Christ (Ephesians 2:22). In Ezekiel 37:26-27 is says,“I will make a covenant of peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant with them. And I will place them and multiply them, and will put My sanctuary in their midst forever. My dwelling place also will be with them; and I will be their God, and they will be My people.” His sanctuary is not just made up of me, it is with people joined together in unity (Ephesians 4:13). To realize this is to revere Him. This is a part of my fear of the Lord. To not be separated from His Presence. We grow more with those we have been placed in a body with. I stagnate our growth when I choose myself over His Kingdom. I halt the growth of the body when I hold onto an offense. I halt the growth of the body when I do not see the importance of the body.

1 Corinthians 12:12, 14, 26-27 (AMP) For just as the body is one and yet has many parts, and all the parts, though many, form [only] one body, so it is with Christ. For the [human] body does not consist of one part, but of many [limbs and organs]. And if one member suffers, all the parts share the suffering; if one member is honored, all rejoice with it. Now you [collectively] are Christ’s body, and individually [you are] members of it [each with his own special purpose and function].

We stop revering the Lord when we do not think the body is a part of what He wants for us. When it becomes ‘me’ focused and ‘doing what is best for me,’ then we have lost trust for the Father. I know I am stomping on some toes, but sometimes that has to be done in order for us to wake up from the slumber the enemy has laid out for us. It takes humility to come back to where you left. Sometimes we want a fresh start, I understand that. However, what is going to keep you from falling into the same trap or pit again? Do you see a cycle in your life? Reverence is a gesture of profound respect and devotion. That means laying down my rights and my pride. Most of the times we feel hurt is just because someone held us accountable, or we did not like that growing moment. The body has to grow (not talking just about numerically) in order to mature. So do not just look for a place to attend, look for a place that will join in with your spiritual growth (a seeking of His face). Then you will desire to see growth in others. That is called making disciples. That is joining in on your part of the ministry of reconciliation. Let us reverence Him.

Father, Abba, our Creator and Banner, You are so Wonderful and Awesome. We stand in awe of Your Holiness. Thank You for Your Son, to join us together as one body and to be made saints in Your Household. Thank You for the Holy Spirit, for without Him we would not be able to have Your revelation Knowledge and to know what the fear of the Lord really means. We love Your Word and do not take it for granted. Search within us and take out any unclean thought that is within us. We repent for making it all about us and for being self serving. We repent for not revering You properly by not taking your body as precious. Christ is the head and we need to see Him as such. We need to see each other as important parts to the growth of Your Kingdom, not ours. Let us lay down the weights of discontent and offense so that we may walk in the greater purpose. We desire Your Kingdom. We desire Your Presence. We choose forgiveness today. We choose hope today. We choose joy today. We choose love today. In Jesus Name, Amen.

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My Treasure

Isaiah 33:6 (AMPC) And there shall be stability in your times, an abundance of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge; the reverent fear and worship of the Lord is your treasure and His.

I love this verse. This verse has been on the cover of my Facebook page off and on for the past few years. How much do you desire stability? Stability in our lives makes us feel more secure and safe. You may be saying, ‘look at the things going on in the world, do they look stable?’ Right now there is a war in Israel. The United States just launched an air strike against Iran in retaliation for the attack that killed three American soldiers. Let’s not talk about the price of everything going up and the interest rates. Are those the things we look at to gauge stability?

John 14:27 (AMP) Peace I leave with you; My [perfect] peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be afraid. [Let My perfect peace calm you in every circumstance and give you courage and strength for every challenge.]

An abundance of salvation. This my heart leaps for because I want to see the captives set free. As I have written before, ‘Sozo’ is the Greek word for salvation. It means to save, deliver, heal, restore, to be made whole. In Hebrew it means deliverance and redemption. We cannot separate salvation from the need of repentance. I grow in my salvation when I realize I have a great need for Christ. I have to remind myself of that daily, because Amanda still likes to live. I so much want to surrender to that Sozo life.

John 10:10 (AMP) The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance [to the full, till it overflows].

How many of us would like more wisdom and knowledge? I know I would. That is why I read every day, if I am able. Most days I am able to spend a couple of hours to read. I know that it is a something that not everyone is capable of doing. I did not start out with a couple of hours. I started out with maybe five to ten minutes. I had to make it a priority in my life. I make sure that i am at least reading a few verses from my Bible every day. When I am at the gym, I am listening to the Word being taught. I love the Messenger X app. It is completely free and is tool from Messenger International, a ministry of John and Lisa Bevere. Reading without application really is a form of disobedience. I will go further in that in my last point.

Joshua 1:8 (AMP) This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall read [and meditate on] it day and night, so that you may be careful to do [everything] in accordance with all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will be successful.

The reverent fear and worship of the Lord is your treasure and His. This is where i want to sit for a moment. This fear is not of failure nor of punishment. It is ‘God, am I honoring You?’ Once we receive salvation we become new creations in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). I am now called into the ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18). I am now an ambassador for Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20). God gave us the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8) and the Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16). Jesus gifted us with five fold ministry (Ephesians 4:10-11) and the body of Christ (Ephesians 4:12-13). The fear of the Lord is also a gift. It is even a treasure. I take the Word very seriously, even the commands that Jesus left us. I am constantly allowing the Holy Spirit to put me in check because of the fear of the Lord. One verse really stood out to me this past week:

Exodus 20:7 (AMP) You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain [that is, irreverently, in false affirmations or in ways that impugn the character of God]; for the Lord will not hold guiltless nor leave unpunished the one who takes His name in vain [disregarding its reverence and its power].

Most of us were brought up with warning of not saying ‘oh my God’ or ‘Jesus Christ’ as response to be startled or in the heat of an argument, as in taking the Lord’s name in vain. How about how we live our lives as Christ’s ambassadors. Are we selfish? Are we self seeking? Do we put others down? Are we putting ourselves first? Do we take an account of a suffered wrong? Are we slandering? Do we stir up gossip and strife? All of these are taking the name of the Lord in vain. I have started to take this very serious in my life. I have written before that my prayer this year has been for God to increase His love in me, so that it is all that flows out of me. That requires me to submit to His cleaning some things out of me. Boy has this been an eye opener and stretching of my faith. The love walk is not an easy one. However, with the right training, it can become something we enjoy. I have to walk the walk and not just talk the talk. FYI, those who just talk it and do not live it actually come off unloving. It is truly a humbling thing to go back and apologize. Asking for forgiveness is an essential part of our love walk. I have to continually die to the rights of Amanda.

I go to the gym five days a week, not because it helps me looks good. I go because it gives me strength that I am going to need one day (we all get older). That is why I submit to the Lord. It is not about me looking good. Every day I need that strength to go through some really tough things. I know that I am being watched by people. I know they are writing down my words. That can be a really scary thing. In James it talks about the great weight it is to teach the Word (James 1:1). People hold you to a higher standard. Then it talks about if anyone who does not say the wrong thing then they are perfect (James 1:2). I am not perfect. I do misquote things, not with the intention of twisting their meaning, but in my zeal for the Word. Why do I do it then? Honestly, I would rather not be doing it. Like Paul, I am a bond-servant to it (Galatians 1:10). Even if my words are judged, it is His Word that brings freedom. I am in awe of who He is. I cannot keep it to myself.

When I focused on the reverent fear of the Lord, as my treasure, things began to change in my life. Stability is in my time. I am not afraid for the future or what is going on around me. I am quicker to repent and put into practice what the Word says (James 1:25). I take it seriously. I have an abundance of salvation. I have more life, more hunger, more thirst, more contentment, more wholeness like never before. Wisdom and knowledge started to chase after me. The light bulbs started going off. The way I present the Word changed. Proverbs 9:10 says, “The [reverent] fear of the Lord [that is, worshiping Him and regarding Him as truly awesome] is the beginning and the preeminent part of wisdom [its starting point and its essence], and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding and spiritual insight (AMP).” My relationship with God is so much deeper than I could have ever imagined. He is not some distant God. He is not a God that cannot be reached. He is my secret place. I am surrounded by Him. The more I enter in, the more I am consumed by Him. He desires to meet with us face to face. He desires to commune with us like we read about with Abraham and Moses. We can have that. I do not need anyone to write books about me, when He has written the best one (Psalms 139:16, Ephesians 2:10). His authorship did not do away with my free will, I will still have to give an account (2 Corinthians 5:10). Focus on Him. Honor the Lord. Let Him be your treasure.

Yahweh, Elohim, our Master, our Creator, You are Holy. We do not need anything but You. Thank You for Your Son. Thank You for the Way that You provided, established at the beginning. You are the Author of the beginning and the end. Thank You for the Holy Spirit. We are alive in You because of that great gift. Thank You for the gift of Your Word, of the five fold ministry, of the body of Christ. We are sorry for the times we took these gifts for granted and did not hold them dear. Thank You for the gift of the righteous fear of You. You said that the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord. We desire Your Wisdom. We desire Your ways. We desire the stability that only You can bring. We repent for seeking out anything or anyone that would take attempt to take Your place. Thank You for the gift of salvation, for restoring us to wholeness. Thank You for forgiveness, let us be courageous in giving it away freely. We choose hope today. We choose love today. We choose forgiveness today. We choose joy today. In Jesus Name, Amen.

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Taken for Granted

Jeremiah 5:22 (AMP) ‘Do you not fear Me?’ says the Lord. ‘Do you not tremble [in awe] in My presence? For I have placed the sand as a boundary for the sea, an eternal decree and a perpetual barrier beyond which it cannot pass. Though the waves [of the sea] toss and break, yet they cannot prevail [against the sand ordained to hold them back]; though the waves and the billows roar, yet they cannot cross over [the barrier]. [Is not such a God to be feared?]

My word for 2023 is ‘Presence.’ Often we think of His Presence as His Blessings. His Presence is so much more than that. His Presence should not be ‘me’ focused. His Presence is all about Him. Our faith and honor are a reflection on how much of His Presence we really want. I was in prayer yesterday about getting ready for the Thanksgiving Holiday. Tomorrow we will be inviting people into our homes, or we will be traveling to someone else’s home, to share a meal. I do not know about you, but I start my planning about a month before. I have lined up when I need to purchase certain items. I check out the stores for when the turkey goes on sale for 49 cents a pound. I start planning my cooking schedule so that items will be fresh, but I can still enjoy the company of those we are to fellowship with.

It reminded me of how we also need to prepare our hearts. Holidays are not easy for everyone. Sometimes we do not see family but once or twice a year. Some family or friends have become estranged because of things that have been said or done, or perceived to have been said or done. My prayer was that we would not take for granted His Presence. How can we do that?

I went back to the beginning. Cain and Abel were bringing God an offering of their firsts (Genesis 4). Abel’s was accepted and Cain’s was not. God addressed Cain about the issue. Cain instead of correcting, had murder in his heart and carried it out. What happened to Cain?

Genesis 4:13-14, 16 (AMP) Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is greater than I can bear. Behold, You have driven me out this day from the face of the land; and from Your face (presence) I will be hidden, and I will be a fugitive and an [aimless] vagabond on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.” So Cain went away from the [manifested] presence of the Lord, and lived in the land of Nod [wandering in exile], east of Eden.

What was so unbearable to Cain? He no longer had the Presence of the Lord. He took it for granted. There is nothing more disparaging than to not be in His Presence.

Can a believer have a murderous heart? Yes we can. How we speak of others is a reflections of our hearts. When we gossip and slander (damaging statements) it is like commiting murder. When we imagine scenarios of vengeance or one-uping each other we are not desiring the best (we are not exemplifying love). When we have arguments in our minds (we are fighting flesh and blood). What does this end up doing within us? I do not know about you, but I can tell I am in the wrong, especially when I am not at peace and have no joy. Ephesians 4:29-30 says, “Do not let unwholesome [foul, profane, worthless, vulgar] words ever come out of your mouth, but only such speech as is good for building up others, according to the need and the occasion, so that it will be a blessing to those who hear [you speak]. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God [but seek to please Him]“. How I speak (or even think) can be displeasing to Him.

2 Corinthians 3:17 (AMP) Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty [emancipation from bondage, true freedom].

1 Chronicles 16:27 (AMP) Splendor and majesty are [found] in His presence; strength and joy are [found] in His place (sanctuary).

Psalms 16:11 (AMP) You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; in Your right hand there are pleasures forevermore.

Have you been searching for true freedom? Have you been chasing happy? Have you made statements of “I will do it when” or “I will be happy when”? The Lord is the Spirit and where He is there is freedom. Where He is there is joy. How about trying surrender? I surrender my mind, my will and my emotions to God. I surrender my words and my thoughts. I give Him access to put my heart in check. I give Him the ability to fight the battles so that He wins. It is not worth taking His Presence for granted. I want Him more. We can focus on Him and fellowship with those that have hurt us. That is what love is all about (seeking the best for others, no matter what). This does not mean I change my mind or have to accept anything contrary to the Word of God. How are people to receive the gift of salvation if they are not drawn by the Holy Spirit? How are they to draw if people who are filled with such are not around? Just like Jesus, we should desire freedom for all. You take the Presence of God with you wherever you go. Do not take that for granted. Surrender how we speak and think and allow Him (His Presence) to come forth.

Father, our Banner and Maker, we stand in awe of You. You are Holy. You are Mighty. You are Marvelous. Thank You for Your Son. Thank You for sending Him to take on our sins and redeem us to our purpose. Thank You for the gift of the Holy Spirit. Thank You that the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead now dwells in us. Thank You for the written Word and the revelation Knowledge as revealed through the Holy Spirit. We surrender our mind, our will and our emotions to You. We tried doing it on our own. We repent for harboring unforgiveness and resentment. We repent for thoughts and words that defiled Your creation. We choose today to forgive. We desire You Presence. We know that in Your Presence is fullness of joy. In Your Presence is freedom from bondage. We surrender our expectations and choose to live in Your freedom. We choose love today. We choose hope today. We choose joy today. In Jesus Name, Amen.

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Pure in Heart

Matthew 5:8 (AMP) “Blessed [anticipating God’s presence, spiritually mature] are the pure in heart [those with integrity, moral courage, and godly character], for they will see God.“

I have written about this many times, but my word for this year is “Presence.” When we desire to see God face to face. Why? It is the type of relationship that we can converse with God as a friend (not His equal). Here, in Matthew, Jesus tells us that we should be pure in heart. Pure means to not contain any other substance, not to be mixed of different elements. Job asks, “Can [mortal] man be just before God or be more righteous than He? Can a man be pure before his Maker or be more cleansed than He?” (Job 4:17) Although my spirit man has been made alive, I am still residing in this fleshly body.

Psalm 20:7-9 (AMP) The law of the Lord is perfect (flawless), restoring and refreshing the soul; The statutes of the Lord are reliable and trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, bringing joy to the heart; The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the Lord are true, they are righteous altogether.

Psalm 24:3-6 (AMP) Who may ascend onto the mountain of the Lord? And who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to what is false, nor has sworn [oaths] deceitfully. He shall receive a blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation. This is the generation (description) of those who diligently seek Him and require Him as their greatest need, who seek Your face, even [as did] Jacob. Selah.

Our Master, our Creator, our Lord God is Holy. I am sitting here thinking of different ways to convey why we should obey, but all I can think of is that if you first do not understand that He is Holy. Where does the deep reverence we have for Him come from? Nothing I can write will convince you to even open your minds to such an idea without surrender. This is where we begin.

In order for me to be pure in heart, I need to surrender. In our surrender, God will remove the impurities. Everything used in the temple had to be of pure metals, the gold, the silver, etc. How do you get rid of the impurities? They had to put it under extreme heat. Surrender may seem extreme to some. I am not talking about rituals and works. I am talking about your mind, will and emotions. Not the goofy stuff either. God does not want us looking weird to show others of our surrender. We become no better than the religious men Jesus talked about in Matthew 6:1-8 and 16-18. His commandments are not supposed to be a burden. His precepts are not a formula to receive His blessings. They come from a heart of surrender.

It is not about how many scriptures you can memorize. It is about how much time you spend saying ‘God not my will but Yours today. Not my response, but Yours today. God, what is Your heart towards this?’ Read your Bible not to get streaks, not to get your reading goals met. Read your Bible with a surrendered heart. ‘God, what are you saying to me today?’

He desires a relationship with us. That is why I say to hunger and thirst for the communion as you would a close friend. This relationship development takes a pure heart. If I only go to Him to see what I can get our of it, is it really pure? Is my worship based on my emotions? Who’s atmosphere are you setting? What is my prayer life based on?

I can do good works; I can serve in ministry, and do them without a pure heart. I can be doing them as a stepping stone to a promotion. Why am I aligning with certain leaders? Is it so that I can support the vision that God has called me to, or am I biding my time until I can gather others to support my vision? Your personal surrender means you do not look for your own benefit. Love of self can be a huge distraction in our surrender. Remember we must align our will with His. Personal surrender means saying ‘no’ to areas that hinder me from developing a relationship with Him, so I can say ‘yes’ to the opportunities that draw me closer.

I have already mentioned serving. Jesus was all about serving. If you do not have an outlet to serve then you cannot put your surrender into practice. Where do you think the fruit of the Spirit is cultivated (Galatians 5:22)? Love is the unselfish concern for others. How I can I measure my patience if I do not have opportunities to be impatient? Patience has to do with our relation to people more than it does to events. How can I have opportunities for kindness if I do not have anyone to be kind to? How can I be gentle when there is no one to be gentle to? The fruit of the Spirit is a result of His presence within me. Being available to serve others, to love others, is your proving ground to surrender.

2 Samuel 22:26-27 (AMP) With the loving and loyal You show Yourself loving and loyal, with the blameless You show Yourself blameless. With the pure You show Yourself pure, with the perverted You show Yourself astute.

He knows the intent of our hearts. There is no manipulation I can use to hide my intent. He sees right through to the core of what we value most. I am choosing to surrender my mind to Him. I am choosing to surrender my will to Him. I am choosing to surrender my emotions to Him. In desiring His Presence my heart needs to be His as well. This is the gateway to something greater than I could ever imagine. In the scope of eternity, what are you waiting for?

Lord, Master and Creator, You are Holy. Holy is everything about You. Grace, Love and Mercy are just a few of Your attributes. Just is also one that we often do want to remind You of, but who You have always been. You are Just, just as much as You are Love. You are Just, just as much as You are Grace. Thank You for sending Your Son to be the atonement for us, so that we may be restored to Your right standing. Thank You for the Holy Spirit, so that we may be empowered to surrender. We cannot do this on our own. In the desire to see us restored, You give us every opportunity to grow strong in You. Thank You for the revelation of Your Word. Thank You for speaking to us as we listen in prayer. Let us continue to surrender our mind, will and emotions to You. Let us continue to listen to You and read our Word so that we do not get off in weird revelations. You call us Your sons and daughters. We desire Your Presence. We desire to be fruitful as You have commanded us to. We choose love today. We choose hope today. We choose forgiveness today. In Jesus Name, Amen.

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31 Days in…now what?

Proverbs 1:7 (AMP) The [reverent] fear of the Lord [that is, worshiping Him and regarding Him as truly awesome] is the beginning and the preeminent part of knowledge [its starting point and its essence];
But arrogant fools despise [skillful and godly] wisdom and instruction and self-discipline.

January is the time of year when we often make New Year’s Resolutions or begin a new Bible reading plan (often starting with Proverbs), or we participate in the 21 Day Daniel Fast, or we simply live like nothing has changed. It is either because we think that something magical resets in us on the first day of the new year, or we simply don’t care. In all honesty, nothing happens unless you are intentional. Only when you put God first will lasting change occur.   

When I think of reverentially fearing the Lord, I often think of the parable of the talents. This is what Jesus had to say:

Matthew 25:14-30 (MSG) “It’s also like a man going off on an extended trip. He called his servants together and delegated responsibilities. To one he gave five thousand dollars, to another two thousand, to a third one thousand, depending on their abilities. Then he left. Right off, the first servant went to work and doubled his master’s investment. The second did the same. But the man with the single thousand dug a hole and carefully buried his master’s money. After a long absence, the master of those three servants came back and settled up with them. The one given five thousand dollars showed him how he had doubled his investment. His master commended him: ‘Good work! You did your job well. From now on be my partner.’ The servant with the two thousand showed how he also had doubled his master’s investment. His master commended him: ‘Good work! You did your job well. From now on be my partner.’ The servant given one thousand said, ‘Master, I know you have high standards and hate careless ways, that you demand the best and make no allowances for error. I was afraid I might disappoint you, so I found a good hiding place and secured your money. Here it is, safe and sound down to the last cent.’ “The master was furious. ‘That’s a terrible way to live! It’s criminal to live cautiously like that! If you knew I was after the best, why did you do less than the least? The least you could have done would have been to invest the sum with the bankers, where at least I would have gotten a little interest.Take the thousand and give it to the one who risked the most. And get rid of this “play-it-safe” who won’t go out on a limb. Throw him out into utter darkness.’”

Reverentially fearing the Lord means not taking His love for granted. The gifting and the light He has given them will not be hidden away. However, the fear that the third servant displayed was not grounded in His love. It was grounded in the fear of punishment. This love is twisted and perverse.

1 John 4:18 (AMP) There is no fear in love [dread does not exist]. But perfect (complete, full-grown) love drives out fear, because fear involves [the expectation of divine] punishment, so the one who is afraid [of God’s judgment] is not perfected in love [has not grown into a sufficient understanding of God’s love].

I find it amusing that when you point back to the Word and point out what the character and nature of God is, you are labelled as judgmental or callous. I want to help you rethink the issue with compassion. The rejection I feel resembles digging out a deep root that is part of my self-worth. It’s digging up the roots of “not being wanted.” I have to remember the second part of the top verse: “arrogant fools despise [skillful and godly] wisdom, instruction, and self-discipline.” I never want to be associated with arrogance, but confidence is sometimes mistaken for arrogance. Where does the differentiation occur? Pride! Confident people are humble. In contrast to an arrogant person, a humble one will accept correction. Arrogant people believe that self-control restricts freedom. In humility, self-control is understood to be the fruit of love that is rooted in reverent fear of the Lord.

Where did you decide to begin in 2022? My goal is to increase my knowledge of the Word of God, not just attain, but also put it into practice. When I am not a doer of His Word, what good is knowing the Word? I let the apathy around me keep me from being Christ’s hands and feet. In my reading of Matthew 24, verse 43, the scripture says, “But understand this: If the head of the household knew when the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into.” I had to repent and tell God that I was sorry that I had let the thief rob me of what I desired. As a result of allowing the thief to steal away my joy in serving, I had to repent. God’s Kingdom is too important for that.

Let’s welcome the second month of 2022. If you didn’t start it with intention, you don’t have to wait until January 1, 2023 to do so. You can start right now. If you fall down, get back up. The intent is what matters, not the perfection. Let’s be intentional this year!