The First Fruit Of Our Justification Is Peace With God

                                                 When the Door Slams

All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.            John 14:25-27 NIV

            The struggle we have with a holy God is rooted in the conflict between God's righteousness and our unrighteousness. He is just and we are unjust. This tension creates fear, hostility, and anger within us toward God. The unjust person does not desire the company of a just judge. We become fugitives fleeing from the presence of One whose glory can blind us and whose justice can condemn us. We are at war with Him unless or until we are justified. Only the justified person can be comfortable in the presence of a holy God.

            The Apostle Paul set forth immediate benefits--fruits of justification. In...Romans he explains what happens to us when we are justified, when we are covered by the righteousness of Christ that is by faith: "Since we have been made right with God by our faith, we have peace with God. This happened through our Lord Jesus Christ, who has brought us into that blessing of God's grace that we now enjoy. And we are happy because of the hope we have of sharing God's glory" (Romans 5:1-2). 

            Think about this: The first fruit of our justification is peace with God. To the ancient Jew peace was a precious, but elusive commodity. The present-day turmoil in the Mid-East seems like a replay...The Jew longed for peace. He yearned for the day when swords would be beaten into plowshares. He waited for the time  when the Prince of Peace would come to end  the incessant hostilities. So important to the Jew was this quest for peace that the very word peace became a daily greeting. Where we say "hello" or "good-bye," the Jew said, "Shalom." 

            Renewal: Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (Colossians 3:15-17 NIV)        

 Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for His forgiveness.

                                                            Never Rest Ministries

               

Fear Is Not Your Master

                                                 When The Door Slams

The LORD is my light and my salvation--whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life--of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked advance against me to devour me, it is my enemies and my foes who will stumble and fall. Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then I will be confident.                                                                                          Psalm 27:1-3 NIV 

             Are you afraid? Does it bother you and lower your self-esteem? Do you try to deny it? Well, don't. Because the truth is, you are not alone in your fears. We are all afraid. My fears may not be the same as yours, but they are there nonetheless. 

            You may be afraid of the dark, whereas I am afraid to speak in front of a large group.... Fear is not my master....You may be afraid that you are going to come down with an incurable disease, and I may worry that I am going to be involved in an automobile accident....Fear is not my master. But one way or another, we all have our doubts about the future, our worries, and our fears....Fear is not your LORD. 

            If you tell yourself you should not be afraid, or to fear something that makes you a coward, then it is time for you to lower your expectations in that regard, fear has a price to high and it will take you to a place you don't want to go. 

            Very often, the person who has tendencies in the direction of defeated perfectionism has a problem with his fears. He tries to deny them and fight against them, which don't usually do any good at all, and then he berates himself for being a coward. He don't realize that courage really has nothing to do with the absence of fear.

            Think about this: If you tense up and fight it, chances are that it is really going to grab ahold of you. If you tell yourself things like, Stop being afraid, stop having butterflies in the stomach and you probably going to aggravate things. But, if you learn to admit that you are afraid, just go with it and accept it, you can overcome it. 

            This great law briefly and simply stated is that if you think in negative terms you will get negative results. If you think in positive terms you will achieve positive results. That is the simple fact which is at the basis of an astonishing law of prosperity and success. Believe and succeed that fear is not your master.

            Intercession: Then Asa called to the LORD his God and said, "LORD, there is no one like you to help the powerless against the mighty. Help us, LORD our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this vast army. LORD, you are our God; do not let mere mortals prevail against you  (2 Chronicles 14:11 NIV).

Ask the Holy Spirit to search your heart and reveal any areas of unconfessed sin. Acknowledge these to the LORD and thank Him for His forgiveness.

                                                        Never Rest Ministries