Rejoice, O ye nations, with his people: for he will avenge the blood of his servants, and will render vengeance to his adversaries, and will be merciful unto his land, and to his people.
Deuteronomy 32:43 KJV https://bible.com/bible/1/deu.32.43.KJV
Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.
Isaiah 12:2 KJV https://bible.com/verse-of-the-day/isa.12.2/307
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
1 John 1:9 KJV https://bible.com/bible/1/1jn.1.9.KJV
It seems that we, as Christians, live in fear. Fear of offending someone, fear of telling others about our faith because they might reject us or the message and report it to someone, fear of being apostles like we are supposed to be. Why? Well, in the society which has come into America in the past twenty or thirty years, there seems to be more hostility toward people who profess to have faith in Jesus. Most don’t care if you believe in God because “everyone believes in God”, but if you bring the name of Jesus into the conversation things get a bit tricky. Because they don’t want to hear what He said or believe in Him. Why?
Mostly, because He taught that the hatred of someone is equivalent to murder. He taught that the thought of adultery was the same thing as the sin of adultery. Just the consideration of a sin, whatever it may be but specifically those two, is the same as committing them. That is why, in my opinion, people are so polarized against Jesus and His message. God is okay because His laws begin with the Ten Commandments and nobody could keep those perfectly, right? While this statement is true, they are still commandments, especially the ones about how to treat your mother and father and those which tell us how to behave toward one another.
So, why are we afraid to speak about our faith? Is it because it is our faith which scares others or is it because of the reaction we may get because of our faith if we tell someone about Jesus? Truthfully we shouldn’t be afraid of those around us because we have God on our side. He is in control of the situation regardless of where we may be as long as we have faith in Him to “have our backs” as we walk through this world. Psalm 23 tells us that He is with us through the “valley of the shadow of Death“, so why should we be afraid or live in fear of others? They can hurt us physically but if they kill you, then it was your time to go and you will be in His Presence. Does this give me chills? If I were foolish enough to walk on the streets of a big city after dark, yes I would be afraid, but I would be praying so hard that people would think I was loony anyway so, who cares?
As Christians, born into the family of God, we have His Spirit with us at all times, so why be afraid of talking to someone? One of the Trinity is there with us every step of the way and He gives us the words to speak at the time that we need them. God loves each of us with a love that we cannot understand or imagine and it will be His Presence working through us, protecting us from those of Satan’s army who would try to hurt us wherever we go. So, don’t be afraid of things which go bump in the night because your God is your Protector and your Guide it is He Who will protect you and lead you to the places where there is cool water and rest for your soul.
Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy.
Micah 7:18 KJV https://bible.com/bible/1/mic.7.18.KJV
What do you think of when you hear the word “worship”? Is it beautiful music and choral songs of praise? Is it a message brought from God’s Word and spoken in your ears and in your heart that brings you to the point of knowing that you need Jesus as your Savior?
Actually worship is all of the above and more! We can worship God when we watch a beautiful bird fly over our head. We can worship God by watching the Sun go down over the ocean or behind a bank of clouds which turns the sunset almost the color of blood. We can listen to a baby laugh or play with a puppy or a kitten or watch a newborn calf or horse get up and run just as fast as its little legs can carry it. How can we worship God in all of these things in the natural world? Because He created them and He created you and your eyes and your brain to appreciate beauty in creation.
God loves each of us far more than we can know or even comprehend but by appreciating His creation and just thanking Him for giving you the ability and opportunity to worship Him by knowing that He is the Creator and that He created all of this for His glory and to let you know Who He is!
He also sent Jesus, His Son, to Earth as a baby to grow up as a human being. To be tempted and tried just as we are and in every way that we are…yet He did not sin. Remember that He was fully human because He was tempted but He overcame those temptations so that He could pay the price for us. Jesus overcame those temptations not just because He was God in the flesh because He still felt fear and hunger and heat and cold and all of the temptations which we feel. But because of His relationship with His Father, He was able to resist those temptations and do so many good things while He was here.
If you want to know the ministry and majesty of your Savior, read the books of John and Romans. These two books encapsulate His miracles and His Majesty as the Son of God Who came to seek and save us because we were lost. When we feel His touch and know that we truly need His Presence in our lives, we should seek Him just as hard as He sought us.
For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord , as the waters cover the sea.
Habakkuk 2:14 KJV https://bible.com/bible/1/hab.2.14.KJV