Walk This Way

I often find myself struggling to trust God for myself. I have great faith for others but when it comes to me, I almost fail. I wrestled with my A-type personality for years. I understand the necessity of being able to prostrate myself before the King of the Universe and my Messiah but having that be my go-to position is a difficult task. Trusting. Not leaning unto my own understanding. Acknowledging in all my ways. Yikes! Bring me a straight path!

Thankfully God gave me the tools I needed to understand how to get where He wanted me to go including bending my will to His. He lovingly gave me chapter names to a book He wanted me to write. Obediently, I wrote what came bursting out of me diligently for months but to this day, I do not know if the book is done…though I have a sneaking suspicion that it is not quite finished yet.

The chapter names are as follows: Faith. Be Patient. Be Still. Be Love. Be Fearless.

I am not big on “Christian” formulas. I feel they are a bit misleading and perhaps a way of trying to get around just living out your faith every day, day in and day out. If you do not know what I mean by formula, I mean those sermons or teachings that go something like 12 steps to prosperity/healing/salvation or 50 ways to leave your lover (just kidding that’s a Paul Simon song). And yet, there is a pattern to what God showed me in the names of those chapters.

Faith is defined in the Bible (Hebrews 11:3) as the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of realities not seen. For by it the elders receive commendation. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the Word of God, so that what is seen did not come from anything visible.

What does the Word mean when it says the elders receive commendation? Other translations say that they obtained a good report or were praised or won God’s approval. I think anything that brings with it the approval of Adonai needs to garner our attention, yes?

The rest of the chapter provides many examples of faith noted for dying without receiving the things promised—but they saw them and welcomed them from afar, and they confessed that they were strangers and sojourners on the earth (verse13). Important to note here that our Biblical forefathers understood even before Yeshua’s arrival that Earth is not their forever home and like us, the longed for the heavenly city God is preparing.

Yet more examples follow, none of them pleasant, but the author ends the chapter thusly, and all these, though commended for their faith, did not receive what was promised— because God had provided something better for us, so that only with us would they reach perfection. I have read and reread this portion of the chapter. I even considered leaving it out, but we cannot just leave out the parts of God’s Word that we do not like because we are uncomfortable. Instead, we should seek out meaning and understanding.

We reach perfection together as the Kingdom of God is fully established at the end of time. However, we are called to work towards being perfect just as our Father in Heaven is perfect (Matthew 5:48).  The Greek word used here is téleios meaning complete, mature, fully grown. Chapter 12 goes on to explain that we have a cloud of witnesses surrounding us and this should help us throw off sin and run the race Jesus set out before us. He is our example on how to run it successfully.

The act of being patient and being still are often confused as being the same thing but ARE NOT. I no longer pray for patience without being super specific, but I pray freely and regularly to be still.

Synonyms for patience are tolerant, long suffering, composed, even tempered.

Synonyms for still are unmoving, motionless and immobile.

Patience is a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). What is patience? The dictionary defines it as the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble or suffering without getting upset or angry. It is the ability to endure without complaint showing self-restraint in the face of provocation or affliction. In short, it means you can suffer with a smile. Patience is about you. Your submission.

The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still (Exodus 14:14). The Hebrew word for still here is tacharishun meaning silent, speechless or to hold one’s peace. Be still and know that I am God. I am exalted among nations. I am exalted in the earth (Psalm 46:10). Differently, the Hebrew word in Psalm 46:10 is raphah which means to relax (release tension or anxiety), sink down (surrender), cease striving, stop fighting, quit resisting or let it go…let it go (do you hear Elsa singing #snort) but really it is let go. Being still equals shut up, block out noise, submit, and let God do God. Stillness is about God. Your trust.

Love. God is love. I have written extensively about Love and God being Love and that we are to reflect His Love and what that is supposed to look like as we walk our daily lives. Just to recap though in case this is the first time you have stumbled upon my blog…the greatest act of LOVE was Jesus crucified for you and me. Love is not a warm fuzzy feeling though we do associate feeling with love but rather a choice to put the needs and sometimes wants or desires of others before those of ourselves. It is reflected most accurately via sacrifice not euphoria.

In 1 John 4:18, the Bible states that perfect love casts out fear and that there is no fear in love. God’s love is perfect and unconditional. It was manifest to us through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus as well as every word in the Bible. Love creates security and inspires courage. Love replaces loneliness and anxiety. It transforms.

Be fearless. Everyone is afraid of something. Even people that jump out of airplanes or purposely walk into what they believe is a haunted house. Fear defined is an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain or a threat. Supposedly, there are 365 verses in the Bible telling us not to fear or be afraid or something akin…one for each day of the year. I won’t be counting them for myself, but I do know there is A LOT of scripture addressing fear. Out ability to overcome fear is obviously something that concerns God.

In Luke 12:7, Jesus points out that God knows the number of hairs on our head as proof that we are important. “Aren’t five sparrows being sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten before God. Indeed, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.” We are called to live a life without fear. This is an undoubtable fact made apparent to me as I study the scripture both old and new. Yet, I would argue that today more than any other time throughout history, fear is prevalent and rising.

Harnessing the ability to walk without fear is the key to walking properly in faith and Love. It allows us to go where He calls without faltering. It allows us to not just believe in every good thing but trust in every good thing. I argue that faith, patience, stillness and love are building blocks to living a life free of fear. Our prayers should echo the lyrics of Hillsong’s Oceans:

You call me out upon the waters, the great unknown where feet may fail and there, I find You in the mystery in oceans deep, my faith will stand. And I will call upon Your Name and keep my eyes above the waves when oceans rise, my soul will rest in Your embrace for I am Yours and You are mine.

Your grace abounds in deepest waters. Your sovereign hand will be my guide where feet may fail, and fear surrounds me. You've never failed, and You won't start now. So, I will call upon Your Name and keep my eyes above the waves. When oceans rise, my soul will rest in Your embrace for I am Yours and You are mine.

Spirit, lead me where my trust is without borders. Let me walk upon the waters wherever You would call me. Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander and my faith will be made stronger in the presence of my Savior. I will call upon Your Name. Keep my eyes above the waves. My soul will rest in Your embrace.

I am Yours and You are mine.

We should actively ask for our faith to stretched and tested making us more resilient so that we grow in patience, expand our ability to be still, reflect better the unconditional love of God and finally be able to walk out life fearlessly…knowing without a shadow of a doubt that God is good. He is GOOD! He is kind. He is patient. He does not envy. He does not brag. He is not puffed up. He does not behave inappropriately. He does not seek His own way. He does not provoked. He keeps no account of wrongdoing. He does not rejoice over injustice. He does rejoice in the truth. He bears all things. He believes all things. He hopes all things. He endures all things. He never fails. He has no favorites. He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. These facts alone about our God should administrate shalom.

I no longer want to be afraid of the future or what comes next. I do not want to be afraid of failing. I want to walk upright in righteousness having a testimony that shouts to the world that my God is an AWESOME God. I want to trust that He will never leave me or forsake me. I want to KNOW He will not allow all that He has planted within me to wither and die but rather He guarantees it will to come to complete fruition and be harvested. I want to say no to fear! And that isn’t to say there isn’t sometimes pain along the way because we live in a broken world, but I want to be the dangerous one. The battle was won on The Cross and satan is supposed to be our bitch not the other way around.

I want to WALK THIS WAY.