“Faithful” is the first Greek word in this verse. God’s faithfulness is trumpeted throughout Scripture, for God is worthy of your trust. Paul’s confidence in your salvation and sanctification is established [...]]]> “God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord” (I Cor. 1:9).

“Faithful” is the first Greek word in this verse. God’s faithfulness is trumpeted throughout Scripture, for God is worthy of your trust. Paul’s confidence in your salvation and sanctification is established upon God’s fidelity, not yours. God shall fulfill all His promises and He shall accomplish with you what He has begun in you (Phil. 1:6).

When God calls a person into fellowship with Christ, that person is delivered from the dominion of sin, he is no longer condemned, he has become a partaker of the divine nature and he is enabled to escape the corruption that is in the world by lust (Ro. 6:6; 8:1; II Pe. 1:4, respectively). You should have every confidence in God’s ability, desire and commitment concerning those He calls to fellowship with His Son, for “whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified” (Ro. 8:30).

When God delivers a man from the domain of darkness and transfers him to the kingdom of His beloved Son, the saved man is brought into fellowship with the God-man (Col. 1:13). The saved man’s will is surrendered to and becomes imitative of the will of Christ. The evidence of his relationship with Jesus is holiness of heart and life because the children of God are in fellowship with Christ by being conformed to His image.

God perfects His people individually and corporately. He brings His called ones into a body of believers so that every Christian might be tutored and encouraged in the ways of the Lord. A Christian divorced from the church will soon discover himself out of step with God because he has forfeited his earthly models of Jesus’ life, character and sufferings.

Are you fellowshipping with Jesus? Are those closest to you exampling the character of Christ? Is your church tutoring and encouraging you in the matters of the Lord?

God calls for an entrustment of His gospel from the more faithfully mature to those faithful ones desiring advance in their walk with the Lord. [...]]]> “The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, these entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also” (II Ti. 2:2).

God calls for an entrustment of His gospel from the more faithfully mature to those faithful ones desiring advance in their walk with the Lord. Would Christ identify you as being “faithful?” What portrait does Scripture allow so that you might know, become and disciple “faithful men?”

Hebrews 11 provides much insight into God’s portrayal of “faithful men.” They are at war with their society refusing the fashionable means and ambitions of an empty culture. An old Scotsman said, “What would you think of the man who, when the city was besieged, should buckle on his armour, and run to the east gate, where there was no danger, while the enemy was at the west.”

“Faithful men” are:

• Servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God (I Cor. 4:1)
• Seekers of more mature tutors regardless of the cost (II Ki. 2:2-12)
• Voracious readers of God’s eternal word (Acts 17:11)
• Precise and thorough thinkers, tireless expositors, ready speakers and consistent imitators of Christ (Hag. 1:5; Eze. 3; I Cor. 11:1, respectively)
• Direct, arresting, searching, sober, urgent and serious in the matters of Christ – they speak so plainly that their hearers cannot misunderstand (Jude)
• Witnesses to Christ when others are sinfully silent and silent when others are addressing biblically and verbally the matters at hand (Mk. 8:38)
• Abhorrers of lukewarmness (Rev. 3:16)
• Quick to apply Scriptural teaching to their practical lives (Lk. 19:8)
• Unashamed of the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:27)
• Sons of Issachar (I Chron. 12:32)
• Addressers of causes rather than symptoms (Nu. 25:7f.)
• Searching for a seminal influence of Christ upon their culture (Acts 5:29-42)
• Pursuers of solutions rather than placers of blame or blame-shifters (I Ki. 18:21)
• Willing to labor in eternal causes alone (Jeremiah)
• Desirous of dialogue that penetrates to the bone and marrow (Acts 26)
• Always counting the cost and yet never tethered to earthly numbers (Judg. 7:1-8)
• Mighty in prayer (Jn. 17)
• Near-dwellers to God rather than man (Gal. 1:15-17)
• Anticipators of affliction, persecution, suffering and trials (Heb. 11)
• Dissatisfied with incremental spiritual growth in themselves and in those they love (I Pe. 1:13-19)
• Disdainers of half measures, divided hearts and hypocrisy (Js. 1)
• Discerners of temptations, allurements, vice, and vanity fairs (Mt. 4:1-11)
• Refusers of continuing to attend the preaching and teaching that fails to challenge their Christianity by lowering the standard of sound doctrine (II Pe. 2)

“Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him” (Gen. 5:24).

Whose opinion carries the greatest weight in your life? Stephen valued Jesus’ opinion; whereas, Judas adopted the world’s opinion. [...]]]> “Do not fear those who kill the body, but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Mt. 10:28).

Whose opinion carries the greatest weight in your life? Stephen valued Jesus’ opinion; whereas, Judas adopted the world’s opinion. Whose opinion enjoys enduring eternal value?

God says, “The fear of man brings a snare, but he who trusts in the Lord will be exalted” (Prov. 29:25). Saul is one of God’s clearest examples of the tragedy one suffers when he elects to live his life in accordance with man’s will rather than God’s will. Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned; I have indeed transgressed the command of the Lord and your words, because I feared the people and listened to their voice” (I Sam. 15:24, italics added). Saul was a blame-shifter.

Be mindful, Moses did not fear Pharaoh and Micaiah did not fear King Ahab (I Ki. 22:8-28). Though your body and soul may be damaged by the world, God alone holds their future. No man or devil can destroy your soul or body in hell.

What did Paul advise the church in Rome concerning whom to fear? “You have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, ‘Abba! Father!’ If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?” (Ro. 8:15, 31f.).

The governance of this universe is not in a stranger’s hand. God is sovereign in life’s small matters and in your darkness is His light best perceived. God encourages you saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever” (Rev. 11:15).

Too many Christians never enter life’s battles because they fear those who only have an influence upon them in this life. Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego feared God alone. They had no fear upon entering Nebuchadnezzar’s furnace for they knew that their Redeemer lived (Dan. 3:17).

Every day you make choices regarding the opinions you deem to hold the highest value.

Christians should expect persecution from those they refuse to fear. Jesus said, “If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also” (Jn. 15:20). Mordecai refused to fear Haman and though he paid for his refusal, his earthly and heavenly rewards were one hundred times greater than all he lost.

Paul says, “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body” (II Cor. 4:8-10).

Fear is the fruit of hesitation. Anxiety is the outgrowth of one who is not committed completely to a work. Apprehension and panic [...]]]> “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (Josh. 1:9).

Fear is the fruit of hesitation. Anxiety is the outgrowth of one who is not committed completely to a work. Apprehension and panic are the consequences of partial pledges. If you have not earnestly and enthusiastically entrusted your soul to the Lord Jesus Christ, you will experience the full force of fear.

Every man is the servant of his fears. Fear causes boundaries to become blurred. Man begins to be stretched in areas God has not designed for stretching. Why do saints encounter personal fears hostile to their profession of faith? Because they have lost their untarnished fear of God (Ro. 3:18).

Never withhold your full strength from God due to unbelief. You must believe that you can trust God alone with your whole self. Commit to be totally at risk to God’s provisioning regardless of your assessment of the consequences. Be mindful of the words of your elder brother: “the righteous shall live by faith” (Hab. 2:4).

Joshua was abandoned in his commitment to the Lord. He knew your Lord was with His people; therefore he called upon his kinsmen to have no fear of the giants in the land of Canaan (Nu. 14:9). Moses promised the Hebrews saying, “The Lord is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear, or be dismayed” (Dt. 31:8). The people did not trust Moses or God, Joshua and Caleb did. Joshua and Caleb entered the land of Canaan – their kinsmen did not.

One evening Jesus slept as he sailed with His disciples across the Sea of Galilee. A gale came upon the waters and the disciples thought they were perishing. They cried out to Jesus and He rebuked the wind saying, “Hush, be still” (Mk. 4:39). After every thing calmed down, He turned to His disciples saying, “Why are you so timid? How is it that you have no faith?” (v. 40). The disciples were afraid because they failed to access faith in the One who controls the universe. Fear feeds timidity.

Jesus is always as close as a whisper. He promised He would always be near declaring, “And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Mt. 28:20). His nearness should squelch all discouragement and fear: “If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?” (Ro. 8:31f.).

You must make a choice. Will you be held hostage by your fears that are the stock in trade of unbelief? On the other hand, will you annihilate all fears by choosing to place your abiding trust in the God who is?

“For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Ro. 8:38f.).

The Arameans went to Dothan with many horses, chariots and a great army [...]]]> “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them… and he saw; and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha” (II Ki. 6:16f.).

The Arameans went to Dothan with many horses, chariots and a great army to take captive one meager defenseless prophet named Elisha. They came by night and surrounded Dothan with all the powers of an earthly nation and yet the would-be captors became the captives. What happened? How could such a tour de force be led captive by one disheveled prophet?

God’s psalmist affords the answer: “For He will give His angels charge concerning you, to guard you in all your ways” (Ps. 91:11). God’s angels are “all ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation” (Heb. 1:14). “I sought the Lord, and He answered me, and delivered me from all my fears. The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and rescues them” (Ps. 34:4, 7).

God loves His people. Did not God send His angel to shut the mouths of the lions in Daniel’s den of righteousness? (Dan. 6:22). God’s children possess the richness of Goshen in their very bosoms. “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you” (Ps. 46:1f.; Js. 4:8).

God’s character is immovable. He will not leave His children. The Holy Spirit is omnipresent.

During the season of Pharaoh’s chariots pressing down upon the Israelites standing on the edge of the Red Sea, Moses cried out to his kinsmen saying, “Do not fear! Stand by and see the salvation of the Lord which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see them again forever. The Lord will fight for you while you keep silent” (Ex. 14:13f.).

On the night of your Lord Jesus Christ’s betrayal, during the occasion of His arrest, Peter took out his sword and cut off the ear of the high priest’s slave. Jesus rebuked His disciple saying, “Do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels?” (Lk. 26:53).

Earlier in his life Elisha saw God’s power displayed via a chariot of fire (II Ki. 2:11). He knew the power of the God of heaven and earth. He had no fear, for he knew God’s perfect love for him had cast aside all his fears (I Jn. 4:18).

Remember Paul’s encouraging exhortation: “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. And my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:13, 19).

Fear overwhelmed the shepherds. They could not [...]]]> “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which shall be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Lk. 2:10f.).

Fear overwhelmed the shepherds. They could not receive the message of the angel until their fear was shattered. Zacharias and Mary knew this fear; Peter would come to experience it (Lk. 1:12; 1:29f.).

Unbelief feeds fear. God commands His people to believe. Faith robs fear of its fuel. God’s messenger provides the reason for fear’s abortion: “I bring you good news of a great joy which shall be for all the people.”

One of the earliest New Testament preachers was God’s angel. He brought the “good news.” The good news was that the promises of the prophets Daniel and Micah were given flesh that very day in Bethlehem (Dan. 2:44; Mic. 5:2).

The good news was not limited to a precious few. It was intended “for all the people.” Very early in the New Testament you are made aware that God did purchase for Himself with the blood of Jesus “men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation” (Rev. 5:9). He has commissioned you as His harvester (Mt. 28:18-20).

The angel is quite clear in his communication. He tells the shepherds that “there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” The Savior was born “for you.” They received an individualized gift. It was as if Jesus was born just for them.

These men of ignoble occupation moved with haste; they offered no rebuttal or negotiation. It appears they acknowledged the value of possessing a Savior. How many of your friends believe they need a Savior? How many of your friends believe in their need so strongly that they are pursuing “the” Savior?

Has anyone ever asked you about your Savior? No? Why do you suppose no one asks you? Perhaps in this season of your life you will offer yourself more fully to your Lord Jesus Christ in order that many would come to know Him through you. It just could be that those within your own family are measuring you with their eyes to discern if your Christianity is real, and is it worthy of their lives.

“Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,’ which translated means, “God with us” (Mt. 1:23).

Ask yourself two questions:

If the answer to either question is yes, then probe more deeply by asking yourself, “How [...]]]> “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding” (Prov. 9:10).

Ask yourself two questions:

1. Do I want wisdom?
2. Do I want understanding?

If the answer to either question is yes, then probe more deeply by asking yourself, “How do I attain wisdom and understanding?” God answered this final question of yours thousands of years ago. God says you acquire wisdom and understanding by giving Him the respect He is due.

God created the heavens and the earth; He created you and all you desire. In order for you to become wise in what is best for you, you must reverence and honor the God who created the heavens and the earth. In order for you to gain understanding of how you should live, you must recognize the power and position of the One who created you.

Man separates life into the religious and the secular; God does not. God says that all of life is marked by one’s religion. Your wisdom and your understanding are tethered to your religion. What is your religion?

Christians trust the truth that their wisdom and understanding come from God. They delight in their relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Their awe of Christ is defined by a lifestyle of loving God at every moment and in all circumstances.

Lack of wisdom and limited understanding is the product of you being more precious to you than Jesus is to you. Are you infatuated with you? Are you more interested in man’s opinion of you or God’s opinion of you? (I Sam. 15:24). Do you believe that one day all you have thought, said and done will be made open and laid bare before the eyes of Christ? (Heb. 4:13).

God says your knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. Therefore, the better you know the Holy One, the more comprehensive will be your understanding of how to live in this world He has fashioned. Without strengthening your present knowledge of the Lord Christ, how can you possibly know what client to cultivate, when to seek another employment position or how to capture peace in your personal and professional engagements?

Perhaps this very day you are thoughtfully addressing major issues in your life that remain unresolved. Perhaps you lack peace due to some of the changes this world has brought to you over the recent past. Perhaps you recognize you need more wisdom and understanding right now than you have ever needed.

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; a good understanding have all those who do His commandments; His praise endures forever” (Ps. 111:10).

God is faithful without condition or inhibition. The intensity of your feeling toward God is not the measure of God’s faithfulness – the character of the faithful One determines sovereign faithfulness.

How faithful is God? God says and Moses writes, “It is eleven [...]]]> “Great is Thy faithfulness” (Lam. 3:23).

God is faithful without condition or inhibition. The intensity of your feeling toward God is not the measure of God’s faithfulness – the character of the faithful One determines sovereign faithfulness.

How faithful is God? God says and Moses writes, “It is eleven days’ journey from Horeb by the way of Mt. Seir to Kadesh-barnea. And it came about in the fortieth year, on the first day of the eleventh month, that Moses spoke to the children of Israel, according to all that the Lord had commanded him to give to them” (Dt. 1:2f.).

Why did it take the Israelites forty years to make an eleven-day journey? They blinked. They did not believe God could or would do all He covenanted with them to accomplish.

God commissioned twelve spies to take forty days to survey the Promised Land. God defined the land of Canaan as a land “which I am going to give to the sons of Israel” (Nu. 13:2). The men chosen to spy out the land were leaders – Moses sent the best he had.

Nevertheless, ten of the twelve reported back saying, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are too strong for us” (Nu. 13:31). God’s provision of the Promised Land was never conditioned upon the strength of the Israelites. The promise was founded upon God’s strength, not man’s strength.

Caleb stated the case so well: “Do not rebel against the Lord; and do not fear the people of the land, for they shall be our prey. Their protection has been removed from them, and the Lord is with us; do not fear them” (Nu. 14:9).

God’s description of His faithfulness and Scripture’s definition of His faithfulness is designed for your assurance of its value:

• The Jericho harlot risked her life in order to hide the two Hebrew spies because she believed that God’s faithfulness was great
• The priests carried the ark of the covenant into the Jordan River and watched the waters stand and rise in one heap on one side because they first believed that God’s faithfulness was great
• The sun stood still at Gibeon for one whole day in the midst of a battle with the Amorites because God’s faithfulness was grea

A spouse may walk out of your life and never return – God will not. A parent may walk out of your home and never be heard from again – God will not. A child may sever all relations with his family – God will not. A trusted friend may betray the years of trust that the two of you have enjoyed – God will not.

Great is God’s faithfulness. May your trust become as great as His faithfulness.

This verse is a portrait of Nehemiah’s life. His reverential fear of God affected his everyday life and established an eternal standard for him that outclassed the prevalent culture of his day. Nonconformists are of noble character because Christian [...]]]> “But I did not do so because of the fear of God” (Neh. 5:15).

This verse is a portrait of Nehemiah’s life. His reverential fear of God affected his everyday life and established an eternal standard for him that outclassed the prevalent culture of his day. Nonconformists are of noble character because Christian nonconformists have God’s holy Zion in their bosoms. Their attitude toward customary practices is uncustomary.

God-fearing is a will subordinated to God, a heart purposed to please God and a spirit trembling before His word. God-fearers are prompt to repent of and make right any insinuation of wickedness in their words, thoughts and deeds. They delight in their relationship with Christ and their fear of the Lord is the mantra of their every movement. The angel of the Lord said to Abraham, “I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me” (Gen. 22:12).

Satan hates God-fearers. He renames sin so it appears pleasant. He exhibits Christ’s colors rather than his own (II Cor. 11:14). Satan tempts you to cease fearing God by pleading necessity – necessity is never an accepted excuse for unrighteousness (Gen. 19:8). Rationalizing is the initial step toward much sin.

Public opinion (the spirit of the age now working in the sons of disobedience) opposes God’s Holy Writ. Reverencing man’s opinion over God’s opinion is a universal infection and it is criminal because it battles objective truth. Truth is as the angel before Balaam both warning him to reverse course and brandishing the sanctified sword. Divine truth reveals sin, rebukes sin, embarrasses sin, interferes with your sinful pleasures, establishes bounds on your sinful appetites, and assures of death and hell for unrepentant sinners. Truth, like Mordecai, will not bow before you, or earthly Caesars, or civil magistrates, or apostate churches. God’s inspired truth dethrones Satan, sin and moral insanity.

Non-compliance with societal aberrancy is the necessary infrastructure for a person to become involved in a cultural shift. You must abort sloth, cowardice and natural imitations. Do not allow the tyranny of the majority to affect you. Look through the eyes of God, the mind of Christ and the Bible of the Holy Spirit. Become a voice for God rather than a mere echo of men. Refuse enslavement to the trends of the day.

Tertullian, a third century church father, declared, “What has Athens to do with Jerusalem?” Only remnants of people know the fear of God and the narrowness of the way to Christ. Most people want to resemble everyone else, so they follow everyone rather than the only One. The tyranny of majorities is revealed throughout Scripture and human history. The charter for your liberty from false allegiances rests in Christ, not man.

You can know that you fear God instead of man when the influence of Christ upon your life begins to actually shape your lifestyle, desires and habits. God fearers know the emptiness of a life without Christ, so they refuse to chase the world. They know the brevity of life, so they refuse to forfeit life. They know the preciousness of their salvation, so they refuse to neglect so great a salvation.

Profane times should heighten your zeal, for the more promiscuous others become the stricter you should be because you know that in the days of Noah all flesh was so corrupted by sin that it was swamped in sin prior to being engulfed in water. The more out of line the world is in sinning, the more in line with Christ should you become. Christians burn hotter when others become glacial in their frigidity. Your Bible plainly states that multitudes are entering hell and how much better is it for you to go to heaven with a remnant that to hell with a crowd?

How does God’s word describe God-fearers?

• Fearful of doing anything that may be sinful (Ro. 14:23)
• Oftentimes found in the traffic of unholy company, yet always refusing to take up residence in the streets of unholiness (Ps. 1)
• Refuse to wound the face of their Christianity (II Sam. 12:14)
• The sacred canon is their lifestyle, not the example of worldlings (I Jn. 2:15-17)
• Exercisers of integrity when others fail and adorers of chastity when others sacrifice their lives to their lusts (II Pe. 1:4)
• More frightened of their own hearts than they are of armies and monies because they know that its subtleness hides its stubbornness (Jer. 17:9; I Ki. 15:5)

God-fearers are God-fearers because they have personally experienced His thunder, His lightning and His rainbows. Have you?