Today I will continue my current series entitled, REASONS WHY NOT TO FEAR! Before I get into the message, I want to say that while I am teaching on the fact that we, as believers, should NOT be afraid, this does not mean that we should be reckless. Right now it does make sense to stay home. We should follow the guidelines put out by global health organizations. When we do go out and we come back, we should wash our hands and remove anything clothing that was exposed. Those practical measures are prudent. I’m just saying, don’t allow fear to get ahold of your heart in the process.
I will give you an example. Since we have been home under “quarantine”, I have gone out a few times to get things in the store or run a few errands. Whenever I come back, after I wash my hands and do what is prudent, the devil invariably puts thoughts in my head that are attempts to get me to fear. If I sneeze, after being out, here come those thoughts. If I cough, after being out, here come those thoughts. My point is that you CANNOT allow your heart to be afraid. If you don’t resist the devil (James 4:7), his thoughts of fear, doubt, and unbelief will cause you to lose your mental health in this season. Simply put, fear is NOT okay. Fear is NOT of God. You can wash your hands and practice social distancing, but if you don’t control your mind and your heart, you will live in FEAR and that is NOT the will of God!
So here is Reason #15 why NOT to fear: You Are ONE With God!
So what does this mean for you today? A few things.
1. You are a visible expression of our invisible God.
The Apostle Paul said: “Now Christ is the visible expression of the invisible God.” (Colossians 1:15 J. B. Phillips).
a) People cannot see God. But while Jesus was on the earth, they could see Him. The people Jesus encountered could not see heaven. But while Jesus was on the earth He was able to bring heaven to them. Jesus walked around displaying heaven’s reality on this planet. Now that Jesus is gone, He left us to continue what He started.
b) People cannot see God today, but they can see us. We are the visible expressions of an invisible God. People may not know what heaven is like, but when they come in contact with us, they are supposed to get a glimpse of it. But in order to fully operate in this capacity, you must see yourself “As Jesus is, in this world.” (1 Jn 4:17). In order to fully embrace your divine assignment, you cannot see any separation between you and God, between God and you. You must see yourself as ONE with the Father and see Him as ONE with you! This is a critically important mindset to live with in this season. If the world ever needed to see God in us, now is the time. People are afraid. Many are struggling to maintain their mental health. They are looking for hope. They are looking for answers. When you allow God’s light to shine through you, you will be a source of both! You are on this planet to show the world what God is like!
2. You have THE HOPE OF GLORY living on the inside of you.
The Apostle Paul said: “This message is the secret truth that was hidden since the beginning of time. It was hidden from everyone for ages, but now it has been made known to God’s holy people. God decided to let his people know just how rich and glorious that truth is. That secret truth, which is for all people, is that Christ lives in you, his people. He is our hope for glory.” (Colossians 1:26,27 Easy To Read).
a) Many people think God wants us to see ourselves as FAR below Him. In our humanity, this is certainly the case. But we have been redeemed! There is a mystery that was hidden for ages and Paul said it was revealed. What is that mystery? It is the fact that “Christ lives in you!” That’s the mystery that was revealed. That’s the gospel. That’s good news!
b) We are human, yes, but we are humans with a God living on the inside of us. We are human conduits of the divine. When we fully embrace this truth, we will become visible expressions of an invisible God!
c) Christ lives IN you and He is THE HOPE OF GLORY! So you are not like those without hope. You have HOPE HIMSELF living in you. This means that you can get up every morning with great expectations, even in the midst of a global pandemic. Why? Because Jesus is still alive and He is alive IN YOU! It’s time for you to let the world see Jesus in you. If the world can’t hear Jesus in the way you talk, then you have to make some changes. If the world can’t see Jesus in the way you walk, then it’s time to change. CHRIST LIVES IN YOU! He is THE HOPE OF GLORY! People should SEE HOPE and HEAR HOPE in you!
3. You are ONE with the Father.
a) In the prayer Jesus prayed for us (see John 17), He prayed that we would be ONE with the Father like He was ONE with the Father (verse 11). Jesus was God in the flesh. He was the incarnation of God in the earth. We are the continuation of His incarnation.
b) In John 14 Jesus got upset with Philip because Philip asked Jesus to reveal the Father to them. Jesus said, “If you have seen me, you have seen the Father. I am in the Father and the Father is in me.” Jesus lived His life as ONE with the Father. Jesus wanted people to see Him as the physical representation of an invisible God. Guess what? Jesus expects us, today, to live with the same mindset.
c) The Father wants us to live with the same mindset Jesus had. He wants us to be able to say, “If you have seen me, you have seen the Father. I am in the Father and the Father is in me. I am ONE with the Father and the Father is ONE with me.” Now, if you are religious, your mind just went haywire when I said that. A religious person will never see themselves as ONE with God. A religious person is way too focused on their humanity to fully embrace their divinity. A religious person would think it presumptuous to claim to be like God. But to God, this is not presumptuous at all. The Father is not upset when we make such statements. He is happy. He is a proud Father. He is pleased with the fact that we believe His love enough to fully embrace it to the point where we can see ourselves AS JESUS IS, in this world!
d) When you look in the mirror the Father wants you to see yourself as ONE with Him. If you ever get to this point, fear will have no power over you! And the world will experience God every time they come in contact with you! That’s the goal.
Declaration of Faith:
Father, I thank You for helping me to fully embrace ALL You are IN me! I am ONE with You and You are ONE with me! I am IN You and You are IN me. I am not disconnected from You in any way. I don’t lack a thing. I don’t have a need You have not already supplied. You live in heaven, but You also live on the earth, because You live IN ME! You want to influence the people of this world and the systems of this world. Especially in this season. You can and will do it through me. I am a man with a God on the inside of him. This is why I boldly declare: As Jesus is, so am I, in this world! Today the world will see a representation of heaven on this planet and it will happen through me! I am the visible expression of my invisible God! Since there is NO FEAR in You Father, there is NO FEAR in me! I declare this by faith! In Jesus’ name. Amen!
This is Today’s Word. Apply it and prosper!
