FEAR NOT LITTLE FLOCK
A Biblical Look At Fear
Its Origins and Termination

By David Ben Yakov

Recent events have caused me to write this article. In these last days our enemy is using some pretty nasty tactics. His favorite thing is to cause a believer in Messiah to doubt and if he is really successful, that person who doubts will walk away from Yahweh. In grade school, in an attempt to get us to understand antonyms, our teachers would play a game with us. In that simple game the teacher would say a word and we would have to say the word that best represented the opposite meaning of the teacher's word. I really don't want to knock my teachers, but one thing they taught us with this game turns out to be wrong. In the game, one of the words that the teacher would say is "love." The natural answer that most people would answer, as being an antonym for love would be "hate." But if you think about it, at least where the human condition is concerned, the opposite of love is fear. Hate is a mere byproduct of fear, or of that which we do not understand.

Who Is The Ultimate Fearful Being?

To understand how this works, we can look at the ultimate fearful being that exists; namely, Satan. Did you ever ask yourself why he hates El Elyon so much and why he has a rabid hate for Christians and Jews? Fear is the bottom line of Satan's hatred. He hates Yahweh because he fears what Yahweh has decreed concerning Satan's destiny. Yahweh had passed judgment on Satan and that judgment is that Satan and his angels will burn forever in a lake of fire, which incidentally was created just for them. Because he is a prideful being, he could never humble himself enough to even begin to ask Yahweh for forgiveness. Because he has no hope of getting clemency from Yahweh, he fears his ultimate end and hates Yahweh.

Satan hates Jewish people because we have always been a reminder of his judgment. Satan has always remembered the decree of Yahweh in the Garden of Eden, where Yahweh told him that a redeemer would be born to bring mankind back unto Yahweh and that this redeemer would crush his (Satan's) head. So in an attempt to corrupt the human gene pool and prevent a Messiah, Satan's minions took human wives unto themselves and bred the Nephilim who in turn bred with many other human women. This plan was foiled by Yahweh who caused all of the Nephilim to kill themselves by the sword. Mankind was corrupted so much so that Yahweh had to destroy the earth with a flood; but he saved one family to perpetuate the human race and the messianic line. The Nephilim came into being again after the flood, but not like they were before and were destroyed by the Israelites when they came out of Egypt. Satan tried to destroy the Jewish people various times via Pharaoh, Haman, the Babylonians, the Assyrians, the Greeks and Romans etc. When a Messiah was finally born Satan had Herod try to exterminate every child in Bethlehem to stop the redemption. The Diaspora was used to destroy the Jews too, Satan hoping that assimilation would erase a Jewish bloodline and Jewish people. You see, Satan knows that Yeshua is going to come back to save the Jewish nation. All of the pograms and purges were attempts to punish the Jewish people for being Yahweh's people. Hitler's "final solution" was another one of Satan's attempts to end the Jewish people. All throughout history Satan has fired arrows at the Jewish people, and while some succumbed, most escaped to keep Yahweh's seed alive. In future persecutions the same will be true.

Christians have been another favorite target of Satan. Who else reminds him more of his failure and ultimate doom. From it's inception, the Church of Messiah Yeshua (all true believers) has suffered from the slings and arrows of Satan's anger, perpetuated by his fear. The church is a loudspeaker blaring in all of creation, blasting the message that Satan's time is short. Want to talk about fear; imagine your future being the main piece of meat in a brimstone stew for all of eternity. So fear as we have seen, it a key ingredient of hatred.

Two Plans Of Action:

Anyone who's had any sort of psychology class in school has heard of the flight or fight syndrome.

I think that we've all experience both of these tendencies in our lifetimes. For me the most memorable flight experience was when I was a little boy and I saw that UFO and thought that the aliens were going to come and take me away. I huddled under the covers of my bed and managed to call on Jesus' name and the paralyzing fear went away. The most memorable fight syndrome (the only one I care to talk about) happened one day while target practicing out in the country outside of Vacaville, California. I had been shooting into a levee  from an old railroad trestle when I started to hear what sounded like big bees buzzing by me. I turned around to see a couple of guys target practicing, but shoot along the levee. Hence, the bullets were whizzing right by me. All attempts to get their attention failed and so I got angry and decided to head down their way and fire a few rounds over their heads. I had them vastly outgunned and that gave me confidence. As I got closer I noticed another gentleman who had driven up. He had seen the whole thing go down and he ran the guys off. I was still mad and pursued them. The man (found out later he was a local farmer) ran up to me and told me to calm down. He told the two guys that they better get out of there because they were in trouble. I think the military rifle with the bayonet sticking out gave him this impression. Well, I assessed the situation and finally calmed down. So, there are two examples.

We can see these things illustrated in Biblical text in many places. The most classic example of the flight syndrome was when God talked to Jonah and told him that he needed to go to Nineveh to preach to the city.

Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me. But Jonah rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD, and went down to Joppa; and he found a ship going to Tarshish: so he paid the fare thereof, and went down into it, to go with them unto Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. Jonah 1:1-3

Wow, it must have been a daunting task, a dangerous thing to do if it caused a prophet to actually think that he could flee from the presence of Yahweh! A lot of commentators draw the conclusion, (based on the last chapter of the book) that Jonah didn't want to preach to Nineveh because it was in Assyria and the Assyrians were a people who constantly warred with Israel. In other words, he hated the people of Nineveh. Well, all the more reason to flee, seeing that the Assyrians were a sworn enemy and a Jew entering the city and proclaiming judgment could easily get himself killed. So I believe his reason for fleeing the presence of Yahweh was out of fear for his life.

I would have to say that the best fight response episode in the Bible happened in the Garden of Gethsemane while Yeshua was praying to El Elyon. Remember that Yeshua had a mission to accomplish during his first advent. That mission was to die as a sacrifice and put an end to the transgression and sin. The easy way out would have been to call heaven for help and start his kingly reign there and now. But if that would have happened then mankind would not have the gift of salvation and all would still be slaves to sin. Jesus did have the option as we see below: 

Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then shall the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be? Matthew 26:53-54

The common Roman Legion of Yeshua's day was anywhere from 4000 to 6000 men. So Yeshua had at his disposal upwards of 72,000 angels that he could have called on at that time. Now, let's look at an event that happened a few hundred years before Yeshua walked the earth and see what just one angel can do:

And the LORD sent an angel, which cut off all the mighty men of valour, and the leaders and captains in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned with shame of face to his own land. And when he was come into the house of his god, they that came forth of his own bowels slew him there with the sword. 2 Chronicles 32:21

So if one angel could totally destroy a whole army, from the highest officer down to the lowest fighting man, what are 72,000 capable of? I'll leave that to your imagination.

Yeshua was under a lot of stress as he prayed in the garden. Twice he prayed and asked Aveinu if there was another way out; but He knew what had to be done. His stress was so great that he actually sweat blood.

A thorough search of the medical literature demonstrates that such a condition, while admittedly rare, does occur in humans. Commonly referred to as hematidrosis or hemohidrosis (Allen, 1967, pp. 745-747), this condition results in the excretion of blood or blood pigment in the sweat. Under conditions of great emotional stress, tiny capillaries in the sweat glands can rupture (Lumpkin, 1978), thus mixing blood with perspiration. This condition has been reported in extreme instances of stress (see Sutton, 1956, pp. 1393-1394). During the waning years of the twentieth century, 76 cases of hematidrosis were studied and classified into categories according to causative factors: “Acute fear and intense mental contemplation were found to be the most frequent inciting causes” (Holoubek and Holoubek, 1996). While the extent of blood loss generally is minimal, hematidrosis also results in the skin becoming extremely tender and fragile (Barbet, 1953, pp. 74-75; Lumpkin, 1978), which would have made Christ’s pending physical insults even more painful [Apologetics Press; Did Jesus Sweat Blood? by Dave Miller, Ph.D. http://www.apologeticspress.org/articles/2223 ]

So taking all of this into consideration, we have established that the fight syndrome was in effect here. Since he had a way out and didn't choose to accept it, he pressed on to fight a battle that nobody on earth (other than he) has ever had to experience or ever will. So three cheers for Yeshua for fighting the good fight to bring salvation to us.

So what does this all mean? What am I trying to allude to? Well, I just want to lay the foundation that it is natural for each of us to have one or both of these attributes when it comes to stress; depending on what stress we is being exerted upon us. However, when it comes to doing spiritual battle, the most ardent warrior will admit, if they are truthful, that the thought to bolt like a steed and flee from the attack has crossed their minds several times. It's probably because most of this warfare is done in the unseen world and that is a thing that, although we're indwelled with the Ruach Ha Kodesh and more familiar with the spiritual realm than secular people and most lukewarm Christians; it is still not something that we're versed in very well.

Let's Wear The Kids Out:

Now I've never been a parent, but I am an uncle and I have many, many friends who have children. I've seen how the little tykes can tire out the most energetic mother of father. One of the tactics that I've seen used by parents is to bring their kids to places like the mall, or to a park where they can play on all of the equipment and interact with other children. Usually after those times the child will fall asleep in the car or will want to take a nap when they get home. It is a tool that some parents use in order to get an hour or two of peace and quiet. It is a very effective tool.

I think we all know someone who has done something like this to themselves too. You might know a person who for whatever reason works a lot of hours a week and on the weekend all they want to do is sit around the house. They are so worn out physically and/or mentally that they just don't want to do anything. In modern society, we call it vegging. I did this for quite a few years when I was a young believer in Yeshua. I would work my forty hour weeks and then spend Monday nights at a Bible study, Wednesday nights at church, Thursday nights at a cell group, Friday nights at the single's ministry, Saturday was a break day where I would do nothing and then Sunday would start the whole process over again with two church services a day and teaching a Sunday school class too boot. One day it all came crashing down around me. I was totally burned out and withdrew from everything. Part of the problem is that within the Body of Messiah, there are two types of people, the doer's and the pewers. The doers are people who see needs, and that nobody is rushing to meet those needs, so they volunteer to fill in the vacuum. The pewers are those who really aren't motivated to do anything but sit for the service or class and then they depart after the service or class is over. They really don't volunteer for anything either out of lack of knowledge, fear, or just the knowledge that if they sit long enough, one of the doers will rise up and fill the void. Of course, this isn't just a problem at churches, but just about anywhere where people congregate as a group; yes, even at work.

Sure enough, this is one of the favorite tactics that the enemy uses against us in spiritual warfare. This is especially true with any field that deals directly with the express mission to battle the unseen entities head-on. For instance, when I focused more on the evolution side of the ministry, I was not bothered very much. Sure, I would get into discussions with people who would mock me and use condescending smiles and gestures; but as a whole, there was no direct demonic or angelic attack. But, when The Resistance started to focus more on UFO's, extraterrestrials and the origins of such things, it was not very appreciated by the enemy and that is when the e-mail threats and the night visitations started. Thanks to Yeshua that we have His name and its authority to fight against these entities.

I know that I touched on it lightly in a letter that I sent out recently, but I'd like to tell the whole story about what happened one Saturday night. I went to bed late that night and no sooner did I turn the light out and close my eyes then a fear came over me and very soon I found that I was unable to move; not even my lips and my ability to speak was totally gone. I knew what this was because it has happened several times before. My first instinct was to become fearful but then I remembered the other times, and how this sort of being feeds off of fear and resolved in my mind not to be scared. Instead I got mad. I said, "no dammit, I'm not going to fear, I'm going to fight." So, with my mind being the only thing that still worked I prayed, "please Yeshua, give me the ability to speak so that I can fight this thing." I kept praying that while I kept tying to talk. At first all I heard was breathing, but no sound and gradually I heard parts of words come out, followed by words, then sentences and I was rolling. I pleaded the blood of Yeshua over my life and claimed to be His and His alone. I told the entity or entities that it had no hold over me; I am a child of God, one of His sons and His will is the only thing that will reign in my life. I told it or them to be gone in Yeshua's Holy Name and within a few minutes they were gone. I was amused that they even went out of their way to cause some sort of electronic beeping noises, almost like they were trying to convince me that there was some sort of craft above my apartment. They just don't get it, I know where they come from, and it's not from out there. Well, I laid there for a while and prayed in the Spirit and after a little while I fell asleep.

Now a very interesting thing happened the next day. I went to church and I guess that I looked a little tired. I think it was my friend Curt at church who asked me if I was feeling okay. I told him that I had spent the night locked in spiritual warfare and told of some of the things that had happened. I go to a very spiritual warfare centered church so nobody looks at you funny when you say things like that. Anyway, from my left front I heard someone say to me, "you too?" It was my pastor, Tom and he repeated his question one more time. I then asked him what he meant. He told me that he had experienced an attack by what he termed "a trinity of demons" the previous night and that he had battled quite a while. And he looked at me square in the eyes and said that another fellow had the same thing happen the night before. So, three of us had the same experience. I knew then that it was all the more a real experience and had not been some sort of lucid dream. So, at the beginning of the service, the pastor asked anyone of they had experienced anything strange the night before and one lady said that Yahweh had woken her up and told her to pray for people who were in distress. He asked her what time this had happened and she told him that it was between two and three o'clock that morning. That was the exact time of all of our attacks. Thank Yahweh that he had that sister covering our flank while we were in battle.

You see, Satan and his minions really hate it when a fellowship (two or more people) are being successful in fighting our adversary. Because he has used fear for millennia to frighten people away from doing Yahweh's work, it is always the first thing that he will try against us. I guess that what he didn't count on was that all three of us were going to fight instead of run and we prevailed; the icing on the cake being our sister at church who was faithful to wake up early that morning to pray for her brothers in battle. Yahweh is always faithful to not only provide the tools for battle, but He also gives us warriors to fight alongside us.

The important thing to remember is that Yahweh sees the whole scope of what is happening to us all of the time. He's known about each particular battle before it happens; knowing all things form before the world was formed. Anyone reading this text can rest assured that when you are going through any battle He is aware of it and has summoned help from all sides, angelic and Christian alike. So if the time comes that you are under attack, at least one Christian is being awakened (if during the night) or summoned to some quiet time to pray for you. This should also heighten one's sense that those peculiar times when you feel the urge to pray it is a wise idea to heed the call. Someone is probably counting on you.

As The Conspiracy Turns:

I think that if I asked anyone that has investigated the UFO/paranormal field, if they have explored conspiracies, they would answer yes.  All of the phenomena associated with these things is of occult nature. Occult simply means, "hidden." Those who practice the occult like to keep it hidden because they feel that their supposed mastery of hidden things makes them powerful. Power makes people feel special. If everyone knew the secrets of the occult then everyone would be powerful and human nature can't stand everyone having all things shared equally. Christians who study like to keep occult things sort of hidden too because it does have an allure that one can get caught up in if they are not careful. It is so much prudent for any believer in Messiah, who chooses to study the occult in order to reveal its origins and fallacies, to be very grounded in their walk with Yeshua before they should even attempt to study these things. One should fast and pray and ask for clear confirmation from Yahweh before proceeding.

Conspiracies always seem to have some elements of truth about them; but they're also ever evolving. About a year ago someone started to write to me concerning certain conspiracies that they had stumbled upon while studying why certain things were happening to them. I became alarmed for several reasons. First, they were a brand new Christian, the proverbial seed that had been sown on the hard ground. They spurned attempts by me and others to get hooked into a good church and with people in their area whom another brother just happened to know. Having gone to a deliverance ministry just once they thought they knew all of the answers on how to fight the things that were harassing them. Basically, what they wanted was a quick fix for their problem. I can't say that I blame them wanting a quick fix. They had been bothered by evil spirits for quite a long time and wanted relief.

So when this person didn't get a quick fix they started to explore other things. According to them, they were weary that Yahweh had not (in their estimation) answered their prayer. They admitted that the attacks on them had diminished quite a bit, but they had not ended. So in their renewed search for answers they came across sites that advocated that the government, either in conjunction with extraterrestrials, or on their own were harassing them. They even told me once that prayer would not help because it was the government that was doing all of the damage. Poor soul, giving more power to the government than Yahweh. All attempts to convey the truth went unanswered by them. According to them, they had the answers and they were the one that was going to fight this thing.

Well, as they got more into the conspiracy theories a very large fear started to grow inside of them. They started to demand that I investigate reports that they had read about the US government building concentration camps for Christians and how we would be shipped to these camps in rail cars that have shackles in them. Recently, in a letter that they wrote to me they blasted me because I didn't follow their road of study. Like fearful people usually do, they turned my lack of concern in such things around, saying that I was too fearful to write about them. They expressed great concern for their children, whom they are sure will be taken from them and tortured and abused by the aggressors. I was accused of being uncaring because I am excited that Yeshua is coming back soon. It's pretty sad when someone accuses another for watching for our Blessed Hope.

So you see what Satan has done to this pour soul? He has kept up the harassment so that they would grow weary and doubt that Yahweh could help them. When he convinced them that this was the case, he made them believe that it was the Government, and not him that was giving them the problems. With lack of faith, they searched for other forms of help and fell into the conspiracy theorist camp, bringing themselves fear. Then he caused them to doubt the people who wanted to help them and finally, he caused them to cast away those same people, even going the point of accusing me for all sorts of things. They are a clear case of fear causing anger and hatred. I won't mention their name in this document, but if you read this and feel the urge to pray for them, I know that Yeshua will honor that prayer.

There will always be that one person who will write to me after reading an article like this one, and they will claim that the Bible doesn't address our times because things were different back then. But, Yahweh knew that it would happen then and that it will happen now, and He has addressed it in His Holy Word.

Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do. 1 Timothy 1:4

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. 2 Timothy 4:3-4

What Has God Taught Us About Fear?

Whenever fear attempts to overcome us we need to realize that we are not standing naked and alone. Yahweh knows what is going on and has prepared a solution for each and every trial. In every instance there are unseen hosts that are surrounding us, doing battle for us on Yahweh's behalf:

Therefore sent he thither horses, and chariots, and a great host: and they came by night, and compassed the city about. And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do? And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha. And when they came down to him, Elisha prayed unto the LORD, and said, Smite this people, I pray thee, with blindness. And he smote them with blindness according to the word of Elisha. 2 Kings 6:14-18

Yeshua explains to us the intricacies of how much Yahweh really cares for us; how he goes out of his way to provide for our every need. Thus we read:

The word for "thought" in the passage above in the Greek is merimnao {mer-im-nah'-o} and it means, "to be anxious, to be troubled with cares." In essence, Yeshua is telling us not to have anxiety about our needs, our safety and such, because He has it all taken care of.

When it comes to all of the conspiracy theories and such that send such fear into people, the basic fear is over the lives and livelihood of ourselves or those that we love. Yeshua knew about this and illustrated how Yahweh wants us to think about such matters.

And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him. Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God? But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows. Luke 12:4-7

It is interesting that the word for fear (and afraid) in the two scriptures in Luke is the Greek word phobeo {fob-eh'-o}. The word phobeo has two meanings and each is used in context:

• 1) to put to flight by terrifying (to scare away)

  • a) to put to flight, to flee

  • b) to fear, be afraid

    • 1) to be struck with fear, to be seized with alarm

      • a) of those startled by strange sights or occurrences

      • b) of those struck with amazement

• 2) to fear, be afraid of one

• 3) to fear (i.e. hesitate) to do something (for fear of harm)

• 4) to reverence, venerate, to treat with deference or reverential obedience

So now that we have done the word study and can see things more clearly, we can render the last scripture to read:

And I say unto you my friends, don't be struck with fear or seized with alarm over them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will forewarn you whom ye shall show reverence to: obey out of reverence, after which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, venerate Him. Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God? But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So put away your fear or anxiety that you have, ye are of more value than many sparrows. Juke 12:4-7 (Dave's paraphrase)

We learn from the Apostle Paul the things we are to think about in order to keep a content and peaceful life. Let's look at his teachings in Philippians:

The Greek word for "careful" in the second sentence is again merimnao {mer-im-nah'-o} and it means, "to be anxious, to be troubled with cares." So in essence, Paul is telling us that we shouldn't have anxiety about anything. But, we are to (in thanksgiving) make our prayers and supplications known to Yahweh. Do you see something dreadful coming down the road at you? Just know that Yahweh sees it too and He knows what He is going to do about it. I think that instead of seeing something coming, and then dictating to Yahweh what we think He should do; we should acknowledge the event to Yahweh and pray that HIS will be done in the situation. Let go and Let Yahweh!!

And instead of worrying about things, we should be thinking about all wonders that Yahweh has accomplished in the past. We should be thinking about His goodness and holiness and His awesome power. There was once a man who had a Christian tee shirt that conveyed a wonderful message. It was a very colorful shirt and the letters of the message were very large. There was however one defect to the shirt that only the man knew about. During the silk-screening of the shirt the ink of one of the letters had run ever so slightly. To most it made the artwork of the shirt even more intriguing, but to the man it was a defect and he detested it. Every time he wore the shirt people would think about Yeshua and some came to faith through the message. The man however was embarrassed by the defect and refused to wear the shirt. Later that year, one of the people who had seen the message on the shirt and had come to faith in Yeshua because of it approached the man. He asked him why he didn't wear the shirt anymore. The man explained about the defect and how it embarrassed him to wear the shirt. The saved man replied to him that what really impressed him was that although he did see the defect, the fact that the man still wore the shirt that bore the message had really impressed him. He told the man that the defect was just a surface blemish, but the message went to his very soul and touched him.

Yeshua used an analogy when he talked to the Pharisees one day. As usual, they were trying to trip Yeshua up by playing word games, but Yeshua was wise and saw through their escapade. His answer was thus:

Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel. Matthew 23:24

Things like conspiracy theories are like straining at gnats. I'm a fisherman and it is always the case that when I am out early in the morning or toward dusk, gnats will start to fly around my head. Numerous are the times that I've spent a great deal of effort to swat at the little annoyances but it never works. Even if you manage to catch one or two it seems like fifty replace them. In essence, it is impossible. And when I'm swatting at the gnats what do I ignore? I ignore trying to catch fish and I become unproductive, not accomplishing my purpose. I have noticed though that when I keep my focus on the fishing, the gnats, although still there, become somehow out of focus and I am able to do what I set out to do.

So the message is this. Don't sweat the little things and don't judge by what you see on the surface. Yahweh can and will use everything for His glory; yes, even the concentration camps and shackled railroad cars if they exist and should He choose. We're going to live forever and ever and Yahweh is on His Throne, and will remain there for eternity, no matter what Satan or his minions will do to us; if that be Yahweh's will, then let it be so. With that in mind, let's concentrate on the message of the shirt, and not the defect. Gnats have a very short life expectancy and when you compare the conspiracy theories that are coming against us, either in thought or in deed, they have a short life expectancy compared to our lives eternal.

We used to sing a hymn at church back in the 1980's and even today when I sing it I find comfort within my soul. The words of the hymn are thus:

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.

With that in mind, look at the following scriptures, and know that as long as you keep your eyes on Yeshua, you're in the winner's camp!

These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. John 16:33

And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. We love him, because he first loved us. 1 John 4:14-19

Put On The Garment of Praise:

The Hebrew word for "praise" in the following scripture is t'hillah {teh-hil-law'} and it means adoration or thanksgiving. So what happens when a believer gives Yahweh praise during a time of trouble. Well first, it confirms a covenant with Yahweh, telling Him that you trust Him to take care of the situation. Second, it thanks Him in advance for the resolution of the dilemma. And just as important, it proclaims to the enemy two things. First it shouts to the enemy that you trust in Yahweh's power to defeat him more than you trust the enemy to defeat you in the problem. Second, it pounds the gavel on Yahweh's court bench yet one more time; proclaiming your innocence forever before Yahweh and Satan's guilt forever before Yahweh. Now you know why the enemy would have you stay bogged down in a mire when you're going through trials. So let's defeat him by praising Yahweh in all things.

To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified. Isaiah 61:3

I'll end this article with a little story and then a hymn. I am constantly encouraged by the walk our sister Glori has with Yeshua. One day we were on a ministry errand, driving in her van with several kids. Something had been heavy on her heart, I cannot remember what it was. All of a sudden Glori started to sing "His Eye Is On The Sparrow," and during and after that a great peace settled not only on her, but upon the whole van. That is how we are supposed to act my brothers and sisters. Be blessed in Yeshua our Messiah.

His Eye Is On The Sparrow

Words: Civilla D. Martin, 1905.