DIG for Thursday the 25th of May…..we can trust in him and not live in fear…..Psalm 56 v 4

 

I quite often get replies to my DIGs and it is good to sometimes build on these replies.

Yesterday a brother read the DIG and replied, “I also like Psalm 56 v 4”, so I had a look at this verse and it adds an extra dimension to what I wrote yesterday.

At the same time as we trust God we must not fear men (Psalm 56 v 4).

We are living in a troubled world, a world where evil men are continually doing vile and wicked things to innocent people.

This is truly a time when we should be putting our trust in God.

It is also a time however when we should not fear what men can do to us.

You may be thinking that this is not so easy to do, especially with what we see on the internet, on our tv screens and what we read in the newspapers.

However if you value his Word and praise His Word, and at the same time take a view of our life in eternal terms, we can put Psalm 56 v 4 ‘into operation’.

Fear can incapacitate us, fear can stop us doing what we want to do, and this is exactly what the evil men want.

We can trust our God if we understand His love, mercy and compassion for us.

An understanding of His Word will lead us into trust.

Remember that perfect love casts out all fear (1 John 4 v 18).

So, what is my advice to you in these troubled times?

Get into His Word, learn how much He loves you and trust Him, and of course carry on with your life as if these evil me do not exist!

Speak this out…..”Thank you Lord for your Word and your love, and thank you that we can trust in you”.

Psalm 56 v 4…..In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me

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DIG for Wednesday the 29th of June…..Joshua did not live in fear…..Joshua 1 v 9

Life without fear is a life of freedom; that is what I have been meditating upon as I travel on my last leg home this morning.

One of the good things about travelling and working away from home (one of the few good things!) is that I get a lot of thinking time sitting in airports and hotels.

Today I’ve been meditating upon what we should see in our lives if we are free from fear; and Joshua “popped” into my mind.

To cut a long story short Joshua led the people into the Promised Land, He was of course a picture of Jesus, leading us into salvation.

The Lord gave Joshua some wonderful advice when he started to lead the people and this is still very valuable to us today.

The Lord told him not to be afraid, not to fear, and He also told him to be courageous and strong (Joshua 1 9).

Being strong and courageous talks to me of assertiveness, and this is what we should see in our lives if we are free from fear.

Assertive enough to strongly live out our lives of faith without being aggressive and offensive.

Assertive enough to talk openly and eloquently about Jesus without being abusive and intrusive.

Assertive enough to carry out what the Lord wants us to do without leaning on the knowledge or suggestions of men.

We are free to live our lives like Joshua and Caleb not like the other “spies”, living in fear because of what the world could potentially throw at them.

A life free from fear is what we should be living.

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord for the example of Joshua, thank you that I can live an assertive life, free from fear”.

Joshua 1 v 9…..Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with the whithersoever thou goest

DIG for Tuesday the 28th of June…..what if, what if, what if…..1 John 4 v 18

Lots of people live with the fear that I had as a youth and young man, the fear of death.

This has gone for me now, however I see a different kind of fear in many people today, and this includes many believers in the church.

Today there are lots of people with a fear of life!

What if I lose my job, what if my wife leaves me, what if the economy falters, what if we leave the EU, what if, what if……

Asking these types of questions is, in my view, a fear of life, as these questions are normally asked if we feel negative towards that area.

Very rarely do we ask what if in a positive light!

Living in the world today we have to accept and deal with uncertainty in many areas such as the economy and relationships.

But as I’ve been writing in DIG recently there are truths and certainties in life, such as righteousness and forgiveness.

Fear is something that we should not have as a born again believer.

An understanding of the love that God has towards us will result in less fear in our lives, that is what the Word of God says (1 John 4 v 18).

If we are in fear over our economic future we do not understand that God loves us so much that He will provide for and bless us (John 10 v 10 and 2 Corinthians 8 v 9).

If we fear the rejection of men we do not understand that God loves us so much that He accepts and approves of us (Ephesians 1 v 6).

Fear, in every area of your life, is a lack of understanding about the love God has for you.

So the way to remove any fear is to dive into the love of God!

Speak this out today…..”Thank you God that you love ME”.

1 John 4 v 18…..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

DIG for Saturday the 25th of June…..why all the doom and gloom…..Psalm 27 v 1

There is a lot of doom and gloom being spread abroad at the moment.

Everywhere you look there are words of anxiety, doubt and fear; and this is not just in the UK but all across the world.

Well I say everywhere but that is not quite true, as this is not what you will read in the Bible.

Yes there are doubts and worries with regards to economics, politics and other things of man.

There should be no doubts and fears if you are in Christ and believe His Word.

The Lord is our light and salvation, no matter what country we live in, no matter what parliament or organisation imposes rules upon us, no matter who is President or Prime Minster.

The Lord is our strength, not the political party we belong to or vote for.

The truth is found in the Word of God, not in the newspapers we may read or the television news programs we may watch.

Men come and go, countries come and go, and organisations come and go.

But the Lord is the one constant in this changing and unpredictable world.

There is one certainty in all of this and that is that Jesus Christ is Lord and through His finished work the born again believer is blessed and highly favoured, with NOTHING to fear.

I for one am going to get into the Word and fill myself with His truth and take less heed of what men are saying!

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord that you are my light, my salvation and my strength”.

Psalm 27 v 1…..The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

DIG for Thursday the 23rd of June…..no need to worry…..Ephesians 1 v 3

Well, there is about 2 hours to go and the voting will be finished; the counting will then begin and we will know if the UK is in or out of the EU.

Given what we have been told over the last few weeks we should have a great deal to worry about.

If we stay in it will be an economic disaster and we will be overrun by immigrants from the east.

If we leave we will still face economic disaster and we could be heading for World War III.

I may have taken the worst that each side said, however the fact is that we are being told that there are troubled times ahead if we do not get the decision right.

Well, I don’t know about you (actually if you are a believer I do) but I am going to be blessed and highly favoured whatever result we are landed with tomorrow.

I am blessed and highly favoured right now and I always will be.

My friends, do not be conformed to the nonsense spoken about in the world, but be transformed by renewing your mind to the truths in the Word of God.

You are already blessed with all spiritual blessings through Jesus (Ephesians 1 v 3).

You already have all that you need for life and godliness through knowledge of Him (2 Peter 1 v 3).

You have been healed (1 Peter 2 v 24) and you have been made prosperous (2 Corinthians 8 v 9) as a gift of grace through faith in Jesus.

You had this yesterday, you had this today and you will have this tomorrow.

Don’t worry whatever happens overnight

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord that I am blessed and highly favoured, healed and made prosperous”.

Ephesians 1 v 3…..Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ

DIG for Sunday the 13th of March…..His love changes things…..1 John 4 v 18

I want to testify this morning to the goodness of God, showing how His love can cast out fear (1 John 4 v 18).

For years I was afraid of flying (I’ve shared this a number of times before) but looking back I have realised that as my revelation of the love of God for me grew, my fear diminished.

Yesterday the flight from over to Paris was amazing.

I sat at a window seat (I used to avoid this in case I looked out and saw where I was) and enjoyed the view from start to finish.

Once out of the cloud cover the blue sky was stunning and the approach to land was fantastic.

I looked out of the window marvelling at creation and at the Creator.

But I also marvelled at how I had changed, or rather ow a revelation of the love of God had changed me.

Perfect love, God’s kind of love, casts out fear, and there is no place for fear in His love.

A revelation of His love will remove fear from your life.

What I truly realised yesterday was that if there is any fear in my life (and there is a wee bit) there is some area where I don’t have a full revelation of the love of God.

And the same will be true for you.

If you have fear (about anything) ask God for a revelation of the area where you are lacking in knowledge with regards to His love for you.

Are you in fear of the economic climate?

Well, God loves you so much and He will provide for you

Are you in fear for your health?

Well, God put all sickness and pain on Jesus so that you could live in wholeness and health.

This is just two areas where I know people live in fear, but there are many others.

Ask the Lord about your fears.

Seek His wisdom about His love towards you, His perfect love.

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord that you love me in a perfect way and help me understand this truth in a deeper way today”.

1 John 4 v 18…..There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear…..

DIG for Saturday the 30th of January…..fear, what fear…..1 John 4 v 18

In church today I testified to my church family that a lot of my life had been driven by fear; fear of failure, fear of not being able to provide for my family and fear of death (among other things).

The good news is that because of a better understanding of Jesus and His finished work these fears no longer have an effect on me.

I no longer fear failure, as I know my success in life is guaranteed because of and through Jesus.

I no longer fear lack of provision, as I know Jesus has already provided all I need, for both my family and me.

I no longer fear death, as I know Jesus has also provided for my eternal salvation.

Knowledge of Jesus and what he has done, in other words knowledge of His perfect love has meant fear has had to flee from my life.

The Word says that perfect love casteth out fear.

This is true not just for me but also for you.

If you have a fear in your life today it is because you do not have an understanding or revelation about one part or another of His love for you.

So, the good news is you can overcome that fear by getting a deeper revelation of His love.

It has to be His love that is important, as only His love is perfect.

You cannot force yourself to overcome a fear, but you can “work” on gaining a better understanding of His love and what He has done for you.

This will allow you to cast out the fear that is currently affecting your life.

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord that you love, that you have always loved me and that you will always love me”.

1 John 4 v 18…..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

DIG for Thursday the 2nd of July…..safe and secure in His love….. Romans 8 v 38 and 39

I’ve been meditating on the end of Romans 8 again this morning, and this passage is more than just about the love of God.

Yes, it is great telling us that we can never be separated from the love of God and it is an essential truth that we need to know.

But there is more to it than that; it speaks to me of safety and security.

Knowing that God’s love is unconditional and will never be removed breeds a feeling of safety and security.

We are safe in His love and we are secure in His love.

I can also say that if you do not feel safe and secure in your faith then there is something you are missing about God’s love for you.

If you have any fear or insecurity you need a deeper and truer understanding of the unconditional love that God has for you.

Perfect love (God’s kind of love) casts out all fear (1 John 4 v 18).

If we have any fear we do not know perfect love, and only perfect love comes from God.

Nothing will ever stop God’s perfect love; it will always be there for us.

But we can removed ourselves from this love, removed ourselves from the benefits, by lack of knowledge and lack of understanding.

Meditate upon the scriptures that talk about God’s love (1 John 4 for example) and soak in the truth that HE LOVES YOU.

Speak out these scriptures and let yourself hear that He loves you.

Tell yourself that He loves you and believe it.

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord that you love me unconditionally and that you will always love me”.

Romans 8 v 38 and 39…..For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord

DIG for Monday the 4th of November…..fear and anxiety; not for you…..Isaiah 26 v 3

Many believers are living in fear and anxiety today; fear and anxiety about the future, about the present and about many other things.

Fear and anxiety is not from God and should not be the everyday experience of the born again believer.

I believe that peace is an absence of fear and anxiety, so if you can find how to live in peace you can remove fear and anxiety from your life.

Isaiah writes about how to live in peace.

He says that if you trust in the Lord and keep your mind focussed on Him you shall have peace (Isaiah 26 v 3).

So we can say that if we have any fear or anxiety, in any area of our life, we have taken the focus away from God and stopped trusting in Him.

This is a very powerful truth if you can believe and understand this verse.

Here we are given a simple formula to remove fear and anxiety and in its place have peace.

Trust in the Lord; do not trust in your own strength.

Focus your mind and thoughts upon Him; stop thinking on your circumstances and your problems.

In other words stop trying and striving; instead just rest in Him.

Paul wrote something very similar to the Philippians; he said focus on things of the Lord, think on the good things of Him and you will see peace (Philippians 4 v 4 to 9).

You can remove fear and anxiety from your life, it can be done; there is a Biblical model for you to understand and follow, and this can set you free and into a life of peace.

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord for your Word, and thank you that I can trust You and focus on You in order to move into my life of peace”.

Isaiah 26 v 3…..Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee

DIG for Thursday the 8th of November…..remove stress; the easy way…..1 John 4 v 18

I’ve just gone through what is normally a rather stressful and anxious time; presenting to the Leadership Team in my company asking for extra resources for my department.

I’ve done this a few times before and it has always been stressful in the past.

I was early for the meeting so was asked to wait and wait and wait……

In this time I prayed and spoke out positive words over the situation.

“Thank you Lord that you love me; thank you Lord that you want me to succeed; thank you Lord that you say I will be blessed by the work of my hands; thank you Lord that it is your opinion of me that counts, not the opinion of men; thank you Lord that you are with me; thank you Lord that I am filled with your peace and joy; thank you Lord that I do not have a spirit of fear but of  power and of love and of a sound mind”.

Speaking that out really blessed me and removed any traces of stress, anxiety or fear. Our words affect our lives and what is going on around us (Proverbs 18 v 21).

Being in the presence of God and His love does remove all fear (1 John 4 v 18).

I went into that meeting in a state of peace and confidence; and yes, it went well.

Try it folks, it really works.

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord that your love does remove all fear”.

1 John 4 v 18…..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