“Give me one hundred men who fear nothing but sin and desire nothing but God, and I care not whether they be clergyman or laymen, they alone will shake the gates of Hell and set up the kingdom of Heaven upon the earth.” —John Wesley
Fear- it has taken our society over. We’re afraid of what we may catch. We’re afraid of what we may be spreading, unknowingly. We’re afraid of offending others, unintentionally. Then there is the fear of being socially misunderstood. As men, there is the fear of not being able to protect your family and don’t forget the consequences when you do have to protect your family. Many are afraid their rights are being taken away. Parents are afraid that our children’s futures are being altered without our permission or guidance. Still there are many in our society that fear they are no longer in control of anything that is happening to them. The concerns and worries that are consuming the minds of those who are trying to provide for their families are innumerable. Thoughts of will I be able to pay the house payment if I get sick? Do we have enough groceries if we get quarantined? Will I lose my job if I’m out too long from having to quarantine with my family? How will I pay the light bill if I’m not working? That’s a lot of fear. You may be dealing with some or all of those fears. My question to you is what are you applying to those fears? Now the devil would have us believe that we can’t handle all this. So he manipulates our lack of understanding of who we are in Christ and with that he deploys his greatest battle plan, Fear. Fear, it will wake you from your sleep and keep you up at night. It destroys your peace. It will cause your body to age faster than normal. It will give you ulcers and headaches and high anxiety levels. Lord knows how many times your stomach has been tore up over situations God did not intend for you to carry alone. If your fear is not dealt with it will eventually break you down mentally until it controls how you see and do everything. Fear in its simplest explanation is this – Fear is the tactic of the enemy to get you to hold yourself captive. You do all the work he gets all the relief because you are now one less thing he has to worry about. If I may, I would like to let you in on a little not so secret bit of information about fear.The Bible tells us in
Romans 8: 14,15 “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received that spirit of adoption by whom we cry out. Abba, Father”.
The enemy does not want you to know that through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, once you and I accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and savior, we have been given rights that he cannot revoke. He doesn’t want you to know that God even sent a guarantee (a promissory note) to seal the deal while we’re here, until we acquire all that he has for us in Heaven. The Bible tells us this in
Ephesians 1:11–14 (ESV): 11 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, 12 so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. 13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.
In the Old Testament we read of the Spirit of God coming upon man and dwelling with man. God knew that he had made us deficient by design. God is intentional in all that He does. He knew that without a relationship with Him we would never be whole. It was his desire from the beginning of creation that He would have an intimate relationship with us. From the beginning in the garden of Eden the bible tells us that He took the time to walk with Adam in the cool of the evening. I don’t know about you but I don’t take leisurely strolls in the cool of the evening with some random guy down the street. Those are moments of reflection to be shared with someone close to me. Someone I have a relationship with. Even after man sinned and was removed from the garden, God still wanted to continue this relationship with man. He knew that the law could not take the place of the relationship He desired to have with us.
So, He sent His son Jesus as the eternal sacrifice to bridge the great divide between the law and relationship. When Jesus died on the cross he died for all your sins. He paid in full – all debt for all sin. Things that you have yet to imagine and may never know of, He bought them all. Then, just three short days later after securing the keys to death, hell and the grave; Jesus rose from the grave having all victory and all power over all things. Then a short time after, He left earth and ascended to heaven and returned to the right hand of the Father as our advocate. Then, He sent the Holy Spirit to be our comforter. So now, in the New Testament, we read of man being filled with the Holy Spirit. No Longer are we left to wait for God to come upon us as it was in the Old Testament. No longer is it just God with us, it is now God in us! You ask what does this mean? It means exactly what the Word of God tells us in
1 Corinthians 3:16
Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?
Now, if you have accepted Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior and have been baptized with the infilling of the Holy Spirit the verse I just read applies to you. You are no longer just a body occupying space, you house divinity. You are not just another person, you are a temple of the Holy Spirit. You have been adopted into the family of God and the spirit of fear has no place in your life. Everything I just mentioned is because of the power of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. Without His sacrifice on the cross there would be no power in the new covenant with Him.
1 Corinthians 1:18 (ESV): 18 For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
The power of THE God who calls you His heir. Now concerning you being an heir. He has given you all rights and authority and power to overcome the distractions of the enemy. I’ve heard folks talk about different types of evil spirits and how scary they are and what they are afraid they might do.
What they don’t understand is that the most powerful thing on the face of the earth is not the one with the most riches or authority or weapons or fame or great fear tactics. The most powerful thing on the planet is the person that has been set free by the blood of the lamb and filled with the power of the Holy Ghost. There is nothing that walks the face of this or any other planet that has been given more overcoming delivering power than that of a Holy Ghost filled child of the Great I am. Fear fears you!!!!
So, when the enemy tells you that you don’t matter and no one sees you, you’re nobody, just remember that you are what fear – fears the most. You are a child of God! Yes Sir, You are a Spirit Filled, word of life breathing, child of the I AM!
As a man of God if you are dealing with fear in your life you need to be asking yourself this question. Do I understand my identity in Christ? It is of dire importance that you understand that to be complete in all that Christ has for you, your identity can only be found in Christ. When your identity is found in anything else you become what Christ is not. If your identity is wrapped up in money it will eventually lose its value and so will you. If it is wrapped up in people’s opinions of you then it will soon abandon you and leave you hopeless. If it is in your occupation one day someone will find another way of doing things and you will no longer be needed. If it is in your home it will over time age and crumble. If you worry continually about anything just remember your identity becomes that which consumes your time. If your identity is found in anything other than Jesus and His word you will experience and be overcome by an identity that embodies worry and fear. This is not the example Jesus led by. He led with love, hope, and all that the Father was, He was. The bible tells us in Colossians 2:9,10 For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.
Complete in Him means He has all you need and will ever need for anything and everything you were designed to be or do. If you are complete in Him then you have all that he has. That scripture does not show us an example of fear but of the power, authority and provision of God. It is the promises of the Father that when combined with the power of the cross and the gifts of the spirit and the intercession of the Holy Ghost within you that makes you the most powerful being God ever created.
Example
What it takes to create a fire. Oxygen, ignition source and fuel.
Obedience-Oxygen
Holy Ghost-Igniter
Word of God(Bible)-Fuel
Did you know that if you are walking in a right relationship with the Father your thoughts-just a single thought-is more powerful than any weapon the enemy can throw at you? Because if you are in a right relationship with the Father His thoughts are your thoughts. So the next time the enemy tries to knock your feet from under you, and he will try, stand tall. Look him in the eye and tell him, fear this!!!!! Then throw the word at Him. Fuel your fire not your fears! If you speak the word to him he has to obey. It’s the power of the blood of Jesus that was shed on the cross that paid for that word to be solidified in eternity that makes it not just any word but a living breathing word of knowledge and power that will set hell to shaking when you speak it. Remember this if you can’t remember anything else. Fear will always overtake you if your identity is found in anyone or anything other than Jesus and His Word. By the very name of Jesus, as heirs ,we have been given all power and authority under heaven.
The Bible tells us in Philippians 2:9–11 (ESV): 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
The devil knows that when you speak the name of Jesus you are taking the spiritual authority given to you through salvation that now as a son of God you wield the power and authority of all of heaven under the name by which you’re soul was bought and purchased by the spilling of his blood thus now a binding contract backed by that very blood of Christ that the devil can not break, alter or void. So he must take a knee at the name of Jesus. The word says in heaven and on earth and under the earth. Everyone everywhere! The devil can not ignore or circumvent the power of the very name of Jesus!!!!
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Now knowing this and knowing that you have been placed as the high priests in your homes it is high time we acted as such. Not as mere immature boys with egos and pride driving us but with love, wisdom, knowledge, understanding and discernment. We tend to think that we are dealing with such great persecutions that maybe God doesn’t understand what we are dealing with. That couldn’t be farther from the truth. Jesus told the disciples in
Matthew 10:16 (ESV): 16 “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.
He did not say as angry jerks and whining babies. Jesus knew that these men were going to face trials like never before. He wasn’t scared, upset or frightened and He didn’t want them being that way either. It reminds me of when I was a teenager. When I would leave the house to go out with friends, my dad would tell me before I left, be smart and keep your nose clean. You’re different so act like it. I think that’s what Jesus was telling the disciples. He knew their patience would be tested. He knew they would be attacked for their faith and some would even die for it. But, He also knew that because of what he had shown them they were different from the rest of the world. They had a hope and a strength within them the rest of the world did not. Well I’m a little older now and my dad has gone on to be with Jesus and it is not the same world today as it was when we were children but it is the same enemy with the same bag of tricks. What we must remember is we serve a God who is the same today, yesterday and forevermore. That being so, the devil was cast down and defeated then, now and forever. He knows his fate but he wants to change yours.
The Bible tells us in 1 Peter 3:14–16 (ESV): 14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, 15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, 16 having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.
It is important that we understand it is not just any hope that we have within us. We have a hope of eternal salvation backed by the power of the cross. When we give the reason for our hope it can only be properly given by way of the cross. It is not a weakness that we have been given; it is the power of the cross and the blood shed on Calvary’s hill for all who would accept it. It is all that we are, it is in what we identify, it is our identity. For everything else I turn to this scripture
Ecclesiastes 12:13–14 (ESV): 13 The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. 14 For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.
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So how do we know when we are no longer seeing ourselves correctly? That our identity may be in something other than Christ.
First and foremost you are not communicating with the Father! It is impossible to know what the Father is thinking without talking with him. So how’s your prayer life? Are you taking time to hear from Him or do you just wing it? I know that as men we rarely ask for directions or read instruction manuals but this is not a vacation trip or a new entertainment center with a few missing screws. We are dealing with the plan of the enemy to disable you so that you are of no effect for the Kingdom of God on the earth. We must be about the will of the Father. We must be communicating with Him. The Bible tells us in
Proverbs 18:10 (ESV): 10 The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe.
There is no safer place than on your knees calling upon the name of the Lord. There is no stronger fortress on earth than that of the presence of the Father.
Another way to identify that your identity is in something other than Christ is what you put before time in His word. Can you really be about the Father’s business if you haven’t even read His mission statement? The Bible has been put together with you in mind. It has been hand tailored by God over hundreds of years and through mighty men of God who endured all to see that you could know all that God has for you. We must be careful that we do not get so wrapped up in this world and all that it tries to occupy our time with that we forget to hide God’s word in our heart. The Bible tells us in
2 Timothy 2:4 (ESV): 4 No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him.
This means it’s not your job to worry or be involved in the things the world worries about. Your only job is to be about the Father’s business.
——-NOW IN CLOSING———
May I be real with you for a moment about what I fear? I fear that the real problem among Christian men is the silent killer, complacency. I have been guilty of letting something slide because I didn’t want to get involved or just too lazy to get involved or speak up. I’ve had to ask God to forgive me for not standing up when I should. You’re not alone. That being said, We must overcome our complacencies. Now more than ever is not a time to lay down and watch others carry your responsibilities. It’s your job to educate your family of the word of God. It’s your job to protect your family with the word of God. It’s your job to provide for your family through the word of God. When we lay down and let someone else do it for us it means we have to accept their outcomes and their shortcomings. We take on the identity of the ones whom we allow to fulfill and prepare our needs and desires. We can’t afford to remain complacent while the enemy continues to rob our homes and cheat our wives and steal our children!
Sir, your identity is not your sexuality. Yet we allow ourselves to be consumed with the temporary pleasures of lust and greed. Pornography takes away time from your life you will never get back. It cheats your marriage and steals your children. It consumes your life thus alters your identity from that of Christ and causes pain and fear in your home. Greed is no different. It causes you to be consumed with wanting and having more than you need and takes time from your relationship with God and your family. It’ll cause division within your family and it will steal from the lives of your children because instead of being submissive to the will of the father they are taught to be driven by possessions and achievements. All while losing sight of the Father! If ever there was a thing to fear! Fear the sin that you refuse to lose!
So you now know that God was intentional when he created you. Now you realize that He was intentional in having a relationship with you. We now understand that we have been given the Holy Spirit to strengthen and guide us. You now see that your identity should always be found in Christ and Christ alone. You now understand that anything that the enemy uses to consume you is trying to alter your identity in Christ. We have talked about you being the most powerful thing God has ever created and there is no place for fear in your life. So now we’re all feeling like we’re ready to back the devil in a corner and show him a thing or two. Good because now we’re gonna do our part to seal the deal and remove those things which so easily beset us!
Ephesians 5:13–14 (ESV): 13 But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, 14 for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says,
“Awake, O sleeper,
and arise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you.”
—————————-HOLY SPIRIT HAVE YOUR WAY!!!!———————-
M.U.S.C.L.E. 