victory – Page 6 – Cross Culture Church

February 2015 Article: “Godly Fear and Freedom”

“In the fear of the Lord there is strong confidence, and His children will have a place of refuge. The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, to turn one away from the snares of death.” Proverbs (14:26-27)

I have been recently reflecting on the effects of godly fear and am amazed at all of its benefits. Fear, apart from godly fear, involves torment according to 1John 4:18, but the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. “The righteous are as bold as a lion” because they are wise enough to choose the right path of life. Some believe that all fear is negative, so they think knowing the love of God alone is sufficient. But you cannot know His love unless there is a deep level of reverence for Him. His power to heal is the same as His power to kill. His power to deliver is the same as His power to bind. He loves what reflects His character, but hates all the works that are measured against His will being made known among humanity and nature. Without healthy fear, you would be prone to unhealthy fears or phobias. God does not make promises, but He remains too omnipotent not to fulfill them. Many are impressed to believe in Him just in case He is real, but not to trust Him completely. Salvation cannot come to any individual unless one reaches that point of seeing sin as being exceedingly sinful. Therefore, the redeemed loves what He loves and despises what He despises. This even precedes the regeneration of the heart and soul. It is my fallen nature or the sin in me that I must first despise. Since we are all descendants of Adam and possess the sin of all humanity, even our attempts to progress in life would be motivated by some disguised fear working against my benevolence. We will not be able to love unconditionally unless that healthy fear is arrested.

The fear of the Lord arrests the fear of death because it contains the fountain of life. In Him is life and He becomes life to you once you are able to see Him as All-Wise and All-Powerful. The confidence to stand in faith will position you to trust His power to deliver you and His wisdom to guide you. Both are necessary in life in order to know your purpose. There is a freedom that further binds the soul. It is the freedom to do as you please without the constraints of God. This is the path of death and self-destruction. It is the way that seems right to a person but the end is death. The paths and patterns all around are there to vie for your attention. The culture competes with Truth and bids all within it to conform. Yet God stands above what is observable with long lasting solutions in time that are transferable into eternity. Even the fear of death is conquered because it has lost its sting and the grave gains its victory! While rights are fought for and often privileges are pursued, life itself is often ignored.

What good is it to have the privilege without the substance? Those who are seeking to gain life lose it in search of the privilege while compromising its very essence. Can you imagine dying at 90 or 100 years old, but only living five or ten years or never living at all? Jesus came that you might have life and has life more abundantly. Unless life is lived in reverence to the Giver of life, all that remains is the diurnal drifting between hither and yon.

Where should you begin this journey of living life every day? It must begin with wisdom. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning….” The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. If that first step is never taken the second step is impossible to take. If the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, then lacking this fear is the furtherance of the propagation of ignorance. I pray that this will be your place of refuge (safety and security).

15 Jan 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: January 15

Posted by wwalker Categories: Meditations

“And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.” Hebrews 6:15

The rush towards the promise without patience to endure the interval trials is giving expression to doubt and unbelief. Those careless movements are usually met with disappointments with self as well as with God. Misunderstandings arise concerning God’s character of love and concern when one caves in while engaged in the battle. This happens when Christ is not being seen and known throughout all of the circumstances of life. Faith requires one to believe in God and what He has promised even before the evidence is present. His desire is to reveal Himself through His Word that is able to withstand every crisis met along the way. His Word is truth and can outlive the lies of Satan. The bump in the road was not a roadblock but a stepping –stone leading towards the life that lies ahead. There are times when there is nothing left but His promises and pressures. The pressures may try to shroud the promise but the promises are true regardless of the amount of pressure. Perhaps this could be the path of authentic faith being developed within one’s life. Many need to be weaned from the ineffective pop religious messages that create a state of euphoria, directing their confidence towards themselves rather than towards knowing God. It is not what we escape always, but what we go through that marks the measure of true faith. The promise is on the other side of the challenge. He teaches us to endure whatever may come our way. When we are yet standing firm after the battle is over, we stand in victory before Almighty God.

10 Dec 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: December 10

Posted by wwalker Categories: Meditations

“Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” 1 Timothy 6:12

The battle continues to rage for the soul of every human. It requires one to have knowledge that the fight is on unless there be a state of lethargy leading to self-defeat. There are battles chosen by many people that require the total commitment of life and duty. Even if there is victory in those battles, what would be their gain? Yes, this is the fight that many may engage, but it is not the best. The good fight is the best one in which we may be engaged. It is the fight of faith that matters for all of eternity. All other celebrations of victory are short-lived because to gain the whole world and lose ones soul is vanity. God has called us to stand on the battle lines He has drawn. Only in standing there can we receive His rescue and victory. We are strengthened to maintain our focus on Jesus who has gone before us and is now leading us to triumph over the enemy.

06 Dec 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: December 6

Posted by wwalker Categories: Meditations

“In that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah:”We have a strong city; God will appoint salvation for walls and bulwarks.” Isaiah 26:1

There will be a day where the people of God will have a new song on their hearts. Those who had been driven into exile while the land had been forcefully taken from their hands will return to the land of promise. God Himself will be a firewall around them. They will live in a fortified city and their song will be of victory while they experience a level of peace beyond any that they had ever known. This is the future state of the Church of the Living God. God will provide both deliverance and protection for His people. It will not be a place inhabited by a den of thieves or corrupted by money-changers, magicians, sorcerers, or any who have a bent in the direction of corruption. God will establish His rule and His peace will abide among the people. This is the battle that is raging today. God wants His Church back and is determined to gain reentry where His praises are to be offered up by His people. It will happen for sure. His House shall be called a House of Prayer, Praise, and Power because He will reign among His own thus establishing His peace among them.

18 Nov 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: November 18

Posted by wwalker Categories: Meditations

“And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.” John 12:32

Those who are drawn to Jesus by the Spirit are kept by the Spirit. The mysterious magnetic pull of the cross of Christ produces within the heart of the believer a willingness to fully follow after Him even when circumstances are difficult. They see the sacrifice that He has made in contrast to the challenges that lie before them and equate all in light of what Jesus Christ has already done. This is not the easy believe(ism) or our day where many are attracted to the trappings of success in this life and the glory that comes from others. It is a heart commitment to fully follow Christ in all that He may assign as a part of our journey. They lifted Him up as an enemy to their doctrines and lifestyles by crucifying Him. He transformed what would have been defeat into victory. Now the message of the cross of Jesus must be preached throughout world in order for any to be drawn by dimensions of love never known before. Love was the motive for Him to die for our sins which were many. It is the acknowledgement of sin and its effect upon our lives and our world that would bring one to understand the necessity of His sacrifice. Are you drawn to Christ today? He was lifted up and His message is now being preached throughout the world providing an opportunity for you to be delivered out of the bondage of sin and its affect to the glorious liberty that only He is able to provide.

17 Oct 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: October 17

Posted by wwalker Categories: Meditations

“Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; but we will remember the name of the Lord our God.” Psalm 20:7

Our strength against the enemy must not in our boasting. Many may flex their muscles and consider that they are strong enough to withstand the attacks of the opposition. The chariots of old were status symbols representing pedigree of the warrior. Some had two horse chariots arrayed with precious metals which were often intimidating to those of lesser position. They trusted in their nobility and the amounts of artillery they were able to afford. Their horses were the best money could buy, trained to obey their every command. But even the best had the possibility of failing them. The psalmist placed his trust in Lord his God and remembered His name. His name defines His character. He trusted in what God said about Himself. When we who are called by His name remember it, we are able to face every opposition. We take ownership of His name as His people and are protected with His strength. He is reliable in keeping us from falling and failing and gives us victory over our enemies.

27 Sep 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: September 27

Posted by wwalker Categories: Meditations

“I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” Phil 3:14

The Apostle Paul uses the language of an athlete competing for the ultimate prize. The intermediate victories are not be become the level in which he was to settle, but his eyes were upon something much greater. They may be used as a means to lead him there, but ultimate prize was the fulfillment of the upward call. This has more to do with becoming someone than getting something. He qualified to enter in to the competition of becoming all that God had called him to become. And out of his becoming, he was enabled by the Holy Spirit to do all that God had called him to do. We too have been called by Almighty God to a standard of spiritual excellence. It is a standard of living out and giving a full and clear expression of the life of Jesus Christ upon the earth. The world is in desperate need of knowing Christ and He can only be known through His Church. He was aware of his imperfections and areas where improvements were needed. But also open for God to reveal to him any blind spots that he at that point was not able to see. His was a matter of progressing in Christ towards the ultimate goal that was before him. To be found in Him, not having his own righteousness or self-justification of deeds, but totally yielded to Christ. We must set this as our goal as well. He has called us to reach up in order that we may reach out and touch the world with His love and power. This can only happen when it is all of Him and none of us.

07 Sep 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: September 7

Posted by wwalker Categories: Meditations

“And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees.” Matthew 3:10

Many have sought justification for wrong habits of the heart in which they have grown accustomed. They strain to admit when they hear an unfamiliar voice from an unfamiliar place preaching an unfamiliar message. It is baffling to the mind to accept the fact that all previously known by them was in error. The truth contradicts our folly. We by nature try to fight against what we feel is right. Yet what we may be resisting is our true love calling us to a higher place. The call is away from our pride of knowledge that we may really know truth that beforehand was too elusive. The skillful artisan does not bring a scalpel to remove minor excess but an axe to completely remove the whole thing. It must be completely uprooted if it is ever to be replaced with what contains virtue. There will be something new replacing the old once the old is brought down in defeat and ruin. There is a defeat, a loss that must preceded victory and gain. Then God will plant seed in place of plant. The potential of the godly is far greater than the success of the wicked. As we continue to listen to His voice and wait on His promises, in a little while new growth will sprout up from the ruins of the past.

22 Aug 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: August 22

Posted by wwalker Categories: Meditations

Gideon said to Him, “O my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’ Judges 6:13

God called Gideon before there was any evidence of might and valor within him. God did not wait on the evidence in order to affirm the fact that he was called. His call provided the evidence necessary to face the challenges that awaited him. We have been called to greatness! His call is initially a call to Himself. It is His might and valor working through us when given permission, that will launch us into new challenges and trials leading to victories beyond measure. The question on Gideon’s heart was, “if the Lord is with us, why then has all these things happened to us?” Things happen that cause questions to be raised. Sometimes we may feel abandoned and all alone. These are times when God provides evidence that will take is beyond the level of our own strength. He was a mighty man of valor incognito. God does not merely choose those who have the external qualities of exerting strength. He may choose a man or a woman that has the appearance of a coward. With knees trembling and heart in hand, God calls him or her out of their inhibitions and reluctant demeanor to a level and task that the mightiest would fear to approach. Once Gideon was convinced that he had been called, he tore down the altars of Baal. These sacred altars represented what were most dear but most damaging to the people. Then he defeated the both Midianities and Amalekites. The Lord is with us because He has called us to rise beyond complacency to engaging the enemy on his own turf.

09 Aug 0Comments 0Likes

Meditation: August 9

Posted by wwalker Categories: Meditations

“For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” Philippians 1:21

Life takes on a new meaning once Christ has come into the heart of the believer. He does not merely exist among the other things once deemed important, but rather sets the priorities for ones existence. Any other place given to Him constitutes a warms feeling in His regards, but not the quality of life He promises and died to give. This was the revelation given to Paul, the Apostle by the Holy Spirit. “For me, the meaning of life has shifted. For me, it’s no longer a matter of consulting with God as to whether it is permissible for me or not to have my own way. For me, to live is for Christ to fully live His life through me.”

This ought to be the earnest desire of each and every Christian. This is a life of discovery whereas one is freed from pretense or attempting to force himself to do what he thinks that Jesus would do. But rather discovering in his own flesh the life and works of Jesus personally.

“To die is gain.” Death died on the Cross when Jesus was crucified and rose from the grave. The victory of resurrection life becomes our victory as we identify with His death. The more one dies to self, he provides the opportunity for Spirit Life rise within Him. It eradicates the fear of physical death because the assurance of God’s promise become ever present; “To live is Christ, and to die is gain for me.”

Load more posts