Vision and Mission 2019
This weekend I spoke about the Vision of our church. My church’s vision and my personal vision are very similar. While I’m part of Forward Church, serving my community through that role, I also have a personal vision for my ministry beyond my role as pastor of Forward Church.
The big picture is to change the way people see God. I do that by bringing people to wholeness through God’s love and help them establish their hearts in grace.
I want people to change the way they see God by putting their views and opinions of God through a new covenant lens and looking to Jesus for understanding about God’s attitude toward mankind. Too many people think it’s a good thing to be afraid of God, that believers still have a sin nature, that God will judge you for your sin, that God won’t put more on you than you can bare and that their righteousness is related to their behavior. I want to help people detox from those legalistic and unscriptural beliefs.
This weekend I spoke about the Vision of our church. My church’s vision and my personal vision for ministry are very similar. While I’m part of Forward Church, serving my community through that role, I also have a personal vision for my ministry beyond my role as pastor of Forward Church.
The big picture is to change the way people see God. I do that by bringing people to wholeness through God’s love and helping them establish their hearts in grace.
I want people to change the way they see God by helping them put their views and opinions about God through a new covenant lens. We must first look to Jesus to understand God’s heart toward mankind. Too many people still think it’s a good thing to be afraid of God, that believers still have a sin nature, that God will judge you for your sin, that God won’t put more on you than you can bare and that their righteousness is related to their behavior. I want to help people detox from those legalistic and unscriptural beliefs. Most of my teachings cover these topics, I hope you are taking advantage of all the free messages I’ve posted.
Watch my full Vision Sunday 2019 message…
Forward Church
Because of this vision, Forward Church is growing. People are hungry for the Gospel. Every church preaches the Gospel in some form with some degree of regularity, we just choose to focus on it. We truly just want to know Jesus and him crucified and camp out on the power of the message of the cross.
We have almost outgrown our current facility. We’ll be switching to 2 Sunday morning gatherings soon but we can’t squeeze much more out of our current facility. We are actively looking at property and buildings so we’re ready once the finances are in place. Everything we’ve done until now has been debt free, we prefer to stay debt free.
We feel the wisest step is to create a building fund and invest into it for all of 2019. At the end of 2019 we’ll evaluate the response and weigh out options. I pray that you participate this year as we put our hearts out there in expectation of increase.
Partner with us today! Follow the link and set up a recurring donation to our Building Project.
We are also very active in Kenya. Our pastor in Kenya has just planted his second Forward Church! We now have locations in Rongai and Rangwe! Pastors George and Leah Odero are rooted deeply in the finished work of Jesus. Pastor George has recently connected with our work in the East Pokot region where there are thousands of Pokot villagers who have not heard the Gospel.
We send monthly support to Forward Church Kenya. We also regularly fund projects such as church building maintenance, pastoral training meetings, missions to Pokot regions and more. If you have a passion to see unreached people come to the saving knowledge of Jesus, trust me, this work is doing exactly that.
SPLAGCHNIZOMAI
SPLAGCHNIZOMAI is Greek for “moved with compassion.” Jesus was SPLAGCHNIZOMAI and healed people. Jesus was “moved with compassion” to teach people. When you look at all the usages of this word you see that Jesus was moved with compassion in just about every aspect of life he walked in. You can be too.
Being moved or led by God is not as difficult or mystical as it sounds, it can actually be done consistently. There doesn’t have to be guess work in hearing and following God. The guess work only comes in when we’re unsure of our identity or we’ve allowed our hearts to be distracted by life’s circumstances.
The key is understanding that you have a new heart. Unfortunately when discussing the heart, many Christians think of this verse…
SPLAGCHNIZOMAI is Greek for “moved with compassion.” Jesus was SPLAGCHNIZOMAI and healed people. Jesus was “moved with compassion” to teach people. When you look at all the usages of this word you see that Jesus was moved with compassion in just about every aspect of life he walked in. You can be too.
Being moved or led by God is not as difficult or mystical as it sounds, it can actually be done consistently. There doesn’t have to be guess work in hearing and following God. The guess work only comes in when you’re unsure of your identity or you’ve allowed your heart to be distracted by life’s circumstances.
The key is understanding that you have a new heart, because you follow God from the heart.
Unfortunately when discussing the heart, many Christians think of this verse…
The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? Jeremiah 17:9
That was true of everyone before the resurrection of Christ, and it is currently true of those who are not born again, but it is no longer true of a child of God. It’s no longer true of someone who trusts in Jesus as their righteousness. The person that has placed their trust in Jesus for eternal life has a new heart. That’s one of the backbone promises of the New Covenant.
I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. Ezekiel 36:26-27
This new heart is the kind of heart King David heart prayed for, a clean heart. This new heart, this new core, this new nature is after God’s nature, which is truly holy and righteous. Surely we become new creatures.
The New Heart
Living from this new heart is important because that’s where God interacts with you. As Ezekiel stated, God will give you a new heart and MOVE YOU to follow his decrees and keep his laws.
What laws? I can promise you that on this side of the cross, God is not moving you to take the proper offering to the high priest to sacrifice it, sling its blood on the altar and burn its intestines.
God’s spirit is moving you to keep the laws Jesus identified as the “whole of the law”; love the Lord your God with all your heart, strength, sound and mind AND love others as you want to be loved.
To put it simply, God will pour out his love for you in your heart and move you to love others.
Your new heart is not evil and wicked like your old one, it’s clean and encoded with God’s righteousness, it knows how to follow him. Your mind may not always be aware of God’s influence but your heart is. God renews your heart but you must renew your mind. You have a part to play in following God. That’s not an obligation, that’s actually freedom.
BECAUSE YOU HAVE A NEW HEART, GOD CAN TRUST YOUR DECISION MAKING PROCESS BECAUSE HIS WISDOM IS ENCODED WITHIN YOU.
That doesn’t mean that every decision you make is exactly what God wants, but when you’re moved by love and compassion, you are more likely to do what God is leading you to do and say.
You’re free to choose what you want to do with your life.
Get The Process In The Right Order
You must align your thinking with his wisdom and instruction as you make choices, set goals, make new habits and break bad habits. When you do so, you’ll know exactly what to do.
Have you ever tried to move forward and become overwhelmed or things went wrong? You may have gotten the process out of order.
You may have identified an area in your life where you’d like to follow God, set a goal and failed to reach that goal. It may have been ministry related but it can also be in business, relationships, health…any area of life really.
Most of us start with the externals when we seek to improve areas of our life or move forward in our calling. The proper is to start inwardly.
Try this process, it can be applied in any area of life. Here’s an example of how to apply it in the area of personal relationships.
PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS
#1 God created me to be his child, my very existence, my purpose is to be in relationship with God.
#2 God says he’ll never leave me or forsake me.
#3 Because I’m in a loving relationship with God, and because he’s always with me, I can venture out into other relationships. I will not enter into toxic relationships because my relationship with God is healthy. I will look to how God treats me as an example of how to treat others and how to let others treat me. I will open up, communicate more and begin to enjoy healthy relationships.
#4 When I step out and get around people or attempt to strengthen a specific relationship, I will catch myself if I begin feeling insecure and remind myself that my most important relationship is safe. From that place of security I will set safe boundaries and let go of my fear and insecurity in this specific relationship. If this relationship is toxic, I will let this person go, just as God lets people go who do not want to experience his love for them in a healthy way.
Putting The New Heart and Goal Setting Togehter
You have a choice regarding what you’ll do with your life. You are not locked into a single demand from God that you must complete in order to fulfill your purpose. You are free!!
However, once you do make a mature, wise and godly decision or you choose an area of life you look forward to, you can trust that your heart will hear God…especially if your mind is full of God’s thoughts about that area of life. And even more so if you move forward in that area in compassion for others.
You may be a business owner with no formal ministry, you may be a nurse, you may be a teacher, you might be a preacher, you might be a convenient store clerk…it doesn’t matter. Whatever you do, trust that God can and will move with compassion through you toward people. Your single job is this, daily, allow God to love you and be willing to serve others in whatever arena of life you are in. It’s pretty simple, know God’s love and let that cultivate compassion toward others.
If you have a specific area you’d like to do that through, apply the 4 step process I defined earlier and move forward, in compassion…be SPLAGCHNIZOMAI!!!
You Need A Loving Church Community
It can be hard to find a good church, have you noticed? When I say church, I don’t necessarily mean the classic definition, I mean a body of believers that support and encourage one another. Depending on where you are in the world your options may be limited. Depending on what city you’re in in the USA, you may not have a church preaching the Gospel near you.
It can be hard to find a good church, have you noticed? When I say church, I don’t necessarily mean the classic definition, I mean a body of believers that support and encourage one another. Depending on where you are in the world your options may be limited. Depending on what city you’re in in the USA, you may not have a church preaching the Gospel near you.
Given whatever limiting factors you may face, I still want to encourage you to make every effort to plug into a body of believers that put love for one another before the accomplishment of a vision. Having a vision is good, especially when it’s pursued by a community of believers that are united in their love for one another.
I write about and speak on this subject a lot, it’s a big deal to me. Jesus said the world would know we follow him by our love for one another (John 13:35) and they would believe that God sent Jesus to save them if believers were unified in that love (John 17:23). One of the best ways to cultivate and nurture that unity is in community.
Whether it’s 5 or 5000, regularly gathering with a group of believers to worship, pray, hear the word, be encouraged and support one another is what binds hearts together. We all know “churches” aren’t perfect, we all know they can be places where self-serving and controlling folks misuse their positions of “leadership” and hurt people, maybe you’ve been hurt in an environment like that.
That doesn’t mean we forsake assembling with one another, it just means we need to do better. Believers need to transcend the hurt and control and unite in love. Stop going to the abusive churches because your kids like it or they have miracles and find a loving community.
You’re going to need it one day, trust me. If you don’t need it, someone within your community will need you.
We’ve had a tough few months here at Forward Church. A dear sister in our community passed in mid-January. We are heart-broken for her wonderful family. Cheryl was a pillar in our church, she and Donald loved well. While our heart breaks for Donald, we know he’ll continue on and fulfill his call to see the power of God work through him on the behalf of others.
But their family needed us in the process. Cheryl was sick for months and the amount of love that was poured out in the process was inspiring. It was a sad outcome but our unity, support and love for one another has touched our community. One night in the hospital, the night before she passed, there were over 20 people there from our church. I looked around the waiting room and just called everyone into a circle to pray. We prayed, worshiped, wept, and hugged. Apparently, our hearts for Cheryl and one another touched the folks in that hospital.
The staff and other folks that were nearby shared the story all over the hospital, it even spilled into the community. I say this not to brag on our church, I say this as an illustration for how encouraging a loving community can be for you and your family.
The funeral was another opportunity to be the hands and feet of Jesus. While it was a heart-breaking reason, some of our worship team ministered at Cheryl’s funeral and blessed the folks in attendance. People said things like; “I’ve never left a funeral feeling encouraged,” and “that felt like a revival, not a funeral.” I was proud that we were able to be a blessing to a grieving community through cooperation of the Brandenburg family.
While our friend, family member, mom and wife is no longer with us, we have each another. We have a hope of uniting again with her in eternity in Christ. And until that day, we get to be the hands and feet of Jesus for one another as that connection spills onto others around us.
I pray you have this. I pray you are able to connect in a support system, a community of believers, a family…because you need them and they need you.
This is my sermon the day after Cheryl’s funeral, I pray it’s a blessing to you.
Your Calling Is To Love People
Do you know why you exist, why God created you? Was it to do a job for him? No! It was to be his child. You can know someone’s intent by their endgame, the ultimate result of why they’re doing what they’re doing. God’s ultimate explanation of his intention toward mankind point to an eternal family that lives with him in perfection as he reveals his grace to us forever!!
Do you know why you exist, why God created you? Was it to do a job for him? No! It was to be his child. You can know someone’s intent by their endgame, the ultimate result of why they’re doing what they’re doing. God’s ultimate explanation of his intention toward mankind points to an eternal family that lives with him in perfection as he reveals his grace to us forever!!
Ephesians 2:4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
So that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus
This is God’s heart toward you, out of his mercy and love for you he saved you so he could be kind to you FOREVER!!
When you launch into a journey of personal discovery, question why you’re here, take a “strength finders” profile or do anything related to finding your purpose, you must begin with the simple idea that God gave birth to you because he wanted a child. He adopted you through Christ to get you back into his family so he could be merciful to you and establish his grace in you forever!!
Live From Purpose Not For Purpose
Now that you know you’re a child and God is well pleased with you because you’re in Christ, there is work to do. The work we do is not to earn anything from God and it’s not to maintain our salvation, it’s to announce the victory of Christ and spread the good news of the Gospel of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ. You may find a unique and fulfilling way to do so, but the cal is to LOVE, as this passage reflects.
I John 4:7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.
Who Do You Love?
So the question is not “what does God want me to do,” it’s “who does God want me to love?” Jesus commands us to love one another and from that unifying love within his body, we turn that love toward the world. In this love and unity, the world will believe God sent Jesus for them too (John 17).
Your identity and purpose on this earth are fulfilled once you place your faith in Christ but your calling is fulfilled as you take that same saving love to others around you. God might give you a specific plan but you have a voice in your path forward, you get to choose who and how you will love. Be creative, have fun with it, write, travel, walk next door, paint, preach, write poetry, develop courses, feed people, clothe people…whatever it may be, be creative and love folks out of your own identity as a child of God in Christ.
Who do you love? Is it your family? Show them. Is it women in Africa who have to hike miles for clean water? Show them. Is it drug addicts on the streets? Show them. Is it heart-broken pastors who have slipped into immorality? Show them. Whomever it may be, fulfill your call and love those people who make your heart beat a little faster.
Think of who that may be for you. Take one small step toward that people group. Arrange your schedule to make time and room for them. Sow into them financially. Create a plan that enables you to continually and consistently move toward those people. In the end, you will see that God is not interested in you doing a job, he didn’t create you to work for him, he created you to love you and sow seeds of grace into you that would grow into love for others.
Take that step, write that book, change that job, plan the mission trip, walk next door, get to bed a little earlier to be available…whatever it takes, GET BUSY LOVING!!
How to Access Grace in Weakness - Understanding Paul’s Thorn in the Flesh
When the Apostle Paul asked God to take away his “thorn in the flesh,” God answered by saying, “my grace is what you need.” Was that a “no?” No! That was a solution. God’s grace is an inner power that causes us to overcome any and every situation we may face. God didn’t tell Paul, no, not right now, I need you to suffer a little while, he said Paul, if you’ll access my power within you you’ll have victory in this area. This is true for us as well, check out this message and article to discover how to access grace!
Did God say NO to Paul when he asked God to remove his thorn in the flesh?
When the Apostle Paul begged God to take away his “thorn in the flesh,” God answered by saying, “my grace is what you need, my power works best in weakness.” Was that a “no?” No! That was a solution.
2 Corinthians 12:8 Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. 9 Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. 10 That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
God speaks directly to Paul and associates GRACE with POWER. Grace is an inner power that causes us to overcome any and every situation we may face. GRACE is God’s divine influence in our hearts that causes us to be strong, patient, loving, joyful, wise, and so on.
God didn’t say, “no, not right now, I need you to suffer a little while.” He said, “Paul, if you’ll access my power within you, you’ll have victory in this area.”
That’s not a NO, that’s a SOLUTION!!! This is true for us as well!
LIVING IN THE POWER OF GRACE
By God’s definition, GRACE = POWER. How does that help us practically?
Let’s say you want to make more money. First and foremost, find out what God says about about money, He says, I give you the power to get wealth (Deuteronomy 8:19). He says he makes one rich, and he adds no trouble with it (Proverbs 10:22). He defines himself as our Provider. And finally, Jesus associates God’s willingness to meet our needs with his value for us (Matthew 6). If he’s willing to die for us, I think he’s willing to meet our financial needs.
This doesn’t mean God owes you a Bugatti and a mansion, and it doesn’t mean you can be irresponsible with money, and God will bail you out with a check in the mail. It means God is faithful to His Word, and you allow Him to empower you (grace), you will experience His promises.
If you follow God’s instructions about money, in that you stay out of debt, you’re generous, and you don’t put it before Him, your heart will be sensitive to His influence (grace) regarding money and you will follow His leading.
This is true of any area of life. If you’ll renew your mind according to His Word, and believe it in your heart, you will follow His leading and experience His perspective of that area.
How Do I Access Grace?
Like Paul, you don’t need to beg God to show up and fix your problem, you need GRACE. you need to be sensitive to God’s influence in your heart to follow Him through life.
Romans 5:1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God.
Start by acknowledging that you are at peace with God, you are His righteous child, and you make yourself impressionable to be inspired by God to act on His supply of GRACE.
Practical Application
If you have an anger problem you’d like to work on, be honest with yourself about it, affirm that you are not the anger problem itself and that God’s grace can help you overcome it.
Take a moment to visualize yourself in a situation in which you get angry and see yourself handling it differently. Then, the next time you feel yourself getting angry, remove yourself, relax your body, acknowledge that God’s GRACE is in you, then LET IT EMPOWER YOU!!
How do you let it empower you? Try it, and you’ll find out.
I PROMISE you, if you turn to God in the heat of the moment, He will be present, and He will supply you with GRACE, but it’s your choice to yield to it and act accordingly.
This is applicable in all temptation, whether it be bad financial practices, anger, eating habits, pornography, laziness, lying, drugs, the list goes on.
TRY IT!! God’s GRACE is all you need, His power in you is the strength you need in your weakness!!
What Does “Willful Sin” mean in Hebrews?
To understand a letter or a book, it’s best to read the whole thing, especially when it comes to the Bible. It’s important to know how an author defines certain words and who he is speaking to. Take this verse for example…
For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. Hebrews 10:26-27
Do you know what he means by “if we go on sinning deliberately?” Most folks will say “it’s obvious, he’s talking about adultery, drunkenness, immorality and sexual sin.” Except he isn’t. Let me explain.
To understand a letter or a book, it’s best to read the whole thing, especially when it comes to the Bible. It’s important to know how an author defines certain words and who he is speaking to. Take this verse for example…
For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. Hebrews 10:26-27
Do you know what he means by “if we go on sinning deliberately?” Most folks will say “it’s obvious, he’s talking about adultery, drunkenness, immorality and sexual sin.” Except he isn’t. Let me explain.
Click to watch the whole series on YouTube
AUDIENCE
The author of Hebrews is speaking to a group of Christians who know the Mosaic Covenant and have placed their faith in Jesus as the Messiah. We know this because…
He references the Levitical priesthood and its details regarding atonement as if they understand what he’s talking about.
He repeatedly quotes the Psalms and the Prophets in areas regarding the history of the Hebrews as if they know them.
He frames his entire point around the nation of Israel’s experience in the wilderness as if it's their own history.
We're left with the conclusion that he's writing to Hebrew Christians.
THE CASE FOR JESUS
The author gives an overview of the importance of the law, the covenant with Israel and its sacrifices for his Hebrew listeners, to show that he knows what he’s talking about. He goes to great extent to explain that scripture points to Jesus as the prophesied one, the son of God through which salvation comes.
It seems he's seeking to remind them that there is no salvation other than faith in Christ and how even the former covenant testified of a new covenant put in place by the Messiah.
DEFINING SIN
Fortunately, the author is very clear about his definition of sin, here's his progression or his exegesis…
He makes it clear from Hebrew writings that Jesus is God.
He makes it clear that Jesus is their sacrifice for sin and the only way to receive righteousness.
He warns against falling away from faith in Jesus.
He compares the Hebrew’s disobedience in the wilderness to falling away from faith in Jesus.
He defines this disobedience as an unbelieving heart.
He again warns against an unbelieving heart toward Jesus.
I encourage you to read through Hebrews, noticing this progression.
In that day and age, Christians were being brutally tortured and killed for their faith. There was great persecution against Hebrews that left the sacrificial system and placed their trust in the Christ. For some, it was easier to live like a Jew rather than a Christian. It was easier to go back to the old way and abandon the new. The author is reminding them that there is no other way but Christ, hold fast, keep the faith.
Hebrews 3:12 Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. 13 But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end.
For the author of Hebrews, SIN = UNBELIEF, plain and simple. This is important when you get to this passage...
Hebrews 10:26 For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries.
In context, he’s warning against disobedience/sin and defines it as drawing away from Jesus, back to animal sacrifices as their righteousness. He warns them to not set aside trust in Christ for their righteousness and likens it to setting aside the Law when they were under it.
This is not a warning to Christians about losing their salvation through willful sinful actions, this is a warning to Christians who are willingly rejecting Jesus as their righteousness and are returning to animal sacrifices as their righteousness.
Look at it this way, imagine walking up to God with a dead goat and saying, "this is my righteousness." He would kindly remind you that he gave you Jesus, which is a much better sacrifice, able to cleanse you eternally in a way that no animal sacrifice could. And you say, "I don't want him anymore, I reject his blood and want you to accept me based on this goats blood." Do you see how offensive that would be to God? That's profaning the blood of Christ, that's drawing away, that's an evil heart of unbelief, and THAT is the willful sin the author of Hebrews is talking about.
Because we don’t have a temple nearby and we don’t have hundreds of years of offering animal sacrifices for atonement in our culture, we miss the gravity of rejecting Jesus and returning to the blood of goats and bulls for atonement. An honest read on Hebrews leaves you with one conclusion, don’t reject Jesus, to do so is willful sin and there’s nothing left but judgment for you if you do so.
Browse my slides from this sermon
CONCLUSION
So, should we continue in sin since we can't lose our salvation through sinful actions? Nope, that's not a good idea. Don't sin!!! But if you do, remember that Jesus is your sacrifice for sin, turn your heart toward God in that area, allow his forgiveness to cleanse your soul from those evil desires and keep the faith!!
The Eternal Royal Grant New Covenant
When the Old Covenant prophets prophesied the New Covenant, they were declarations from God regarding what he would do for his people. He announces promises and blessings for those in this New Covenant. There is no curse outlined for breaking the New Covenant, only the possibility of missing out on the promises if they didn’t follow his instructions.
This article and sermon is #2 in God and Sinners Reconciled, read/watch #1 Understanding the Different Types of Covenants.
The Eternal Royal Grant Covenant
#2 in God and Sinners Reconciled
I asked last week if you knew there were different types of covenants; Kinship, Suzerain-Vassal and Royal Grant. This week I want to show you how the New Covenant can only be defined as a Royal Grant Covenant. The New Covenant is a promise to all who believe, and the promise is eternal life by faith alone. Here’s how we know.
When the Old Covenant prophets prophesied the New Covenant, they were declarations from God regarding what he would do for his people. He announces promises and blessings for those in this New Covenant. There is no curse outlined for breaking the New Covenant, only the possibility of missing out on the promises if they didn’t follow his instructions. It’s pretty simple but those points make it absolutely clear that the New Covenant, secured in Jesus’ blood, is a promise from God rather than a set of stipulations for qualification.
What did the Old Covenant say about the New Covenant?
I’m going to let the Bible speak for itself for most of this article. It’s very important to notice how the New Covenant is introduced. Keep in mind under a RGC there is no requirement or stipulations to receive the promises made by the sovereign/royal/king, it is a kingly grant. Here are the things to notice that validate the New Covenant as being a Royal Grant Covenant.
God makes claims about his authority and ability (as all kings do who enter into treaties/covenants)
God reminds his covenant partners what he has done for them
God makes promises he’ll keep under this covenant
Notice how many times he says “I will,” yet adds no “you shall’s”
Isaiah 54:7 For a brief moment I deserted you, but with great compassion I will gather you. 8 In overflowing anger for a moment I hid my face from you, but with everlasting love I will have compassion on you,” says the LORD, your Redeemer. 9 “This is like the days of Noah to me: as I swore that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth, so I have sworn that I will not be angry with you, and will not rebuke you. 10 For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,” says the LORD, who has compassion on you.
God identifies himself, he reminds them of what he’s done, he gives examples of his power, he gives an illustration of how sure his promise is, AND he lays out no stipulations.
Jeremiah 31:31 “Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, 32 not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the LORD. 33 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”
All promises with no curses. And that part about not holding their sins against them…WOW!! To an Israelite, this must have been confusing and exhilarating. Their entire lives revolved around sin management. They had to wash themselves properly, eat certain things, live purely or face being stoned to death and bring the right kinds of offerings to the priests if they did slip up and sin.
Life for them was a constant awareness and safe guard against sin, now God was promising to not hold their sins against them? Surely this is indeed a covenant not like the one with their fathers! He does warn there can be destructive consequences from sinful actions but he will no longer punish them for their sins like under the former covenant.
Ezekiel 36:24 I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land. 25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. 26 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.a 28 You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be my people, and I will be your God.
God takes his promises to another level through Ezekiel. Not only are there no curses, there are the usual promises like having their own land, but he adds something they had not heard before, he addresses their hearts.
Until now the God’s covenants offered promises like land, blessed families, children to carry on their families, protection from other nations and the blessing of the whole world through them. But now he’s talking about new hearts, being washed with pure water and his spirit living within them.
Hold the shepherd staff, what kind of promises are these? They had seen what God’s spirit does to people, it killed them, now he’s talking about placing his spirit WITHIN them? And washing them with water? In the Mosaic covenant they had to wash themselves, purify themselves, sanctify themselves…now God is going to do that for them?
YES!!!!!!!! It’s a Royal Grant, a promise that cannot be earned. This is another determining factor for classifying the New Covenant as a Royal Grant Covenant.
Under this New Covenant, God would wash them with water, what water is he talking about? We know now on this side of the cross that he’s talking about the washing of the water of the living word (Jesus) and the baptism of the Holy Spirit. You see, when you place your trust in Jesus as your righteousness, God cleans you thoroughly and completely, in a way like you never could for yourself. You cannot sanctify yourself enough to gain eternal spiritual life, despite what the learned theologian tells you. Sanctification, by God, is part of his promise to YOU!
God cleans you in such a way that it washes the very core of sin away and prepares you to receive a new, clean heart. God did for us what David prayed for, he gave us a clean heart. The “heart” in Hebrew understanding was the seat of man’s being, your true identity, the deepest place within you that defined your level of righteousness and holiness. God was promising to wash them, you, to such a degree that his very own spirit could dwell in them/you.
God can only dwell where it is holy. The original hearer of this prophecy would have understood that they were going to be made pure and holy to be a proper vessel for God’s spirit. This promise has come true for you, if you have said yes to Jesus.
The Announcement of the New Covenant
John 1:29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
This is a reference to the promise that God would no longer hold their sins against them.
Luke 2:20 In the same way, after supper He took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is poured out for you.
Of course there are many more passages announcing the arrival of the Messiah and his promised covenant, we’ll leave it at these two and move on.
The Upholding of the New Covenant
Every covenant has a canon. The canon of the covenant is essentially documentation. Here’s what’s included in the canon of a covenant.
How the covenant partners came into relationship
The promises and curses of each covenant partner
The records of how the covenant unfolded
A record of the breaking of the covenant if applicable
You can think of Genesis 1-11 as the canon for Noah’s covenant, Genesis 12-50 is the Abrahamic covenant canon and the rest of the Torah is the canon of the Mosaic covenant. The New Testament is the canon of the New Covenant.
Here’s what the New Testament says about the unfolding and upholding of the New Covenant. Again, notice how the covenant is upheld, by Christ, not by the covenant partner keeping rules and stipulations.
The main promise of the New Covenant is clear, eternal life.
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Justification or qualification to be a covenant partner in the New Covenant is by faith alone.
Galatians 2:15 We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; 16 yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.
The Apostle reframes those who inherit this covenant as people of faith. Paul went to war and insisted that the New Covenant was not just for Jews but also for Gentiles, and all who would believe.
Galatians 3:7 Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. 8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” 9 So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.
Paul affirms again how one is qualified to be a covenant partner. The promised spirit he mentions is a reference to Ezekiel’s prophecy about this New Covenant. Paul is careful to explain that people inherit access into this new covenant through Jesus and not through law keeping.
Galatians 3:13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”— 14 so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith.
Jesus himself is our peace. Peace in this context means wholeness of relationship as a covenant partner. Jesus himself maintains our “side” of the covenant to keep us qualified for the covenant promises.
Ephesians 2:13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility 15 by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, 16 and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility.
This next one is a reference to God’s promise of not holding our sins against us, Jesus took care of that for us too.
Romans 8:3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
The promise of the new covenant is eternal life. The way you “stay qualified” is you keep believing.
1 John 2:23 No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also. 24 Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father. 25 And this is the promise that he made to use—eternal life.
We see in the next passage that we are saved or given eternal life not by our own works but through mercy, a gift from God. The reason I’m showing you all these passages is to reinforce the idea that the New Covenant that you are under is absolutely a Royal Grant covenant. It’s all promises and no curses. It’s an unconditional gift. If you trust the sovereign and his path of inheritance, faith in Christ, you receive the promise, eternal life.
Titus 3:4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. 8 The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people.
And finally…
Hebrews 9:11 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) 12 he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.
God himself, through Jesus Christ, promised, initiated, enacted and upholds the better, eternal covenant of peace that offers the promise of eternal life for all who believe.
Your salvation is secure in Jesus. You are an heir of a promise from God that is received one way and one way only, through faith. Rest in this powerful, life giving truth and never again question your salvation, for it is a promise to be freely received, not a reward to be earned.
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Understand the Different Kinds of Covenants
God makes covenants. They’re important to him. You probably knew that. But did you know there are different kinds of covenants? Understanding the different kinds and knowing which kind of covenant you’re now in is liberating and possibly life changing for you.
God makes covenants. They’re important to him. You probably knew that. But did you know there are different kinds of covenants? Understanding the different kinds and knowing which kind of covenant you’re now in is liberating and possibly life changing for you.
A covenant is a binding agreement between two or more parties. There are 3 kinds of covenants.
Kinship
Suzerain-Vassal
Royal Grant
Kinship: An agreement between two equal parties with a few stipulations or requirements. Marriage, selling property, business agreement...
Suzerain-Vassal: A king would make a promise to his subjects, or a treaty between kings would be that depended on obedience to specific terms. You can think of this covenant as a conditional promise.
Royal Grant: Unlike the Suzerain-Vassal agreements, a Royal Grant requires no action on the part of the beneficiary. It is an unconditional promise given from one party to another. The only down side to a Grant covenant is missing out on promises.
Who had what?
Noah, Abraham and Jesus have Royal Grant Covenants from God. Moses and the nation of Israel were in a Suzerain-Vassal Covenant.
God’s Covenant with All Mankind
The first covenant God made that isn’t mentioned much was the covenant he made with Adam and subsequently all mankind. He gave mankind dominion over the planet for a period of time. This covenant is the reason the world is in its current condition. God could fix everything with the snap of his fingers, but he would be breaking his covenant for mankind to rule over the earth.
Noah’s Covenant
We see Noah’s covenant with God in Genesis 9:11
“I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth” ~ God
There is no requirement in a Grant Covenant, just a promise from God. All Noah had to do was believe God and follow instructions. Noah could take it to the bank that the earth would never agin be flooded by God. It may have taken him a while to become confident with that promise, given that one time it rained for 40 days and 40 nights, but God held true to his word, no more flooding the earth.
Abraham’s Covenant
We see Abraham’s Royal Grant Covenant decreed by God in Genesis 12:1-3.
“Now the Lord had said to Abram: ‘Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’”
There are no requirements, just promises from God that Abraham had to believe. Believing also meant following instructions, but if you’ll recall, there were no curses outlined if Abraham didn’t follow God’s leading. He would have missed out on blessings had he not trusted God, but no curses were decreed.
God asked him to leave Ur, leave his nephew Lot and promised him a son. What did Abraham do? Waited 10 years to leave, took Lot with him, then gave his wife away to a foreign king. You can’t miss it much more than that, he did the exact opposite of God’s instructions.
Yet what did God do to Abraham? Continued to stay faithful to him. Did he curse or punish him? No! In fact, he protected him from his mistakes by afflicting Pharaoh. God protects and defends his covenant partners regardless of the kind of covenant.
Despite his failures, Abraham continued to trust that God would follow through with his promises. This is what allowed him to receive the blessing of God’s Royal Grant Covenant…faith. He trusted in God’s character, even though he tried to do things his own way a few times. I don’t know about you but that’s encouraging to me.
Right about now you have to be seeing similarities between Abraham’s covenant and the New Covenant, more on that in a bit.
What about Isaac?
This is a rabbit trail but let me address Isaac for a moment since you’re probably thinking about the incident on the mountain top. God had already promised to bless Abraham and the nations of the earth through his lineage. He already protected him several times. God gave Abraham a son from his own wife. Promises kept in spite of Abraham’s lack of obedience. Which leads us to God’s request to sacrifice Isaac.
God did not ask Abraham to kill his son so Abraham would be qualified for the promises of the covenant.
Actually, we don’t really know why God asked him to do that. The only reason we can gather is in Genesis 22 when an angel says, “now we know you fear God.” That’s it. After Abraham is willing to sacrifice Isaac, God merely promises to do what he’s already doing, bless him, his family and all the nations of the earth through him. He was already doing that. The moral is not that God will bless you if you pass the test, the moral is, keep trusting God.
Personally, I think God did that as a heart check for Abraham, to make sure he was trusting in God more than his own efforts. I also think it was done to give us insight into God’s heart for mankind, what he would follow through with one day for the whole world in Jesus.
Mosaic / Nation of Israel Covenant
This is a Suzeriav-Vassal Covenant. This is the covenant we refer to as the Old Covenant, the one that the Apostle Paul said was obsolete. This is the covenant that the Jewish Christians wanted to impose on Gentile believers and caused so much division and confusion for the early church.
This covenant demanded obedience to receive blessings and detailed curses for lack of obedience. The Law, which began with the 10 Commandments, is part of the Mosaic Covenant. Jesus fulfilled every single requirement of that covenant and he reaped the penalty/curse for the breaking of it. He himself didn’t break any aspect of the covenant but he took the curse as a sacrificial lamb for all mankind. His accomplishment broke the hold of that covenant over any and everyone.
The Better Covenant
In Jesus, a New Covenant is offered for all who will believe in Christ. Abraham had to believe in God’s promise of a child, we have to believe in the promise of Christ.
The prophets Jeremiah and Ezekiel both announced the coming of a new covenant. It was announced as a Royal Grant Covenant that only had promises. The promises were very unique, they were not just promises for this life but also for the life to come, an eternal life.
The Royal Grant decree included these initial promises:
I will no longer hold your sins against you
I will give you a new heart
My laws will not be written in stone but in this new heart
I will place my spirit within you
To a Jew, these were extremely profound. The Mosaic Covenant was all about holding their sins against them. There was a priesthood set up specifically for the atonement of sins. They managed their finances to afford the proper kinds of sacrifices related to their sins. The knew their ancestors that were delivered from Egypt wandered in the desert longer that necessary because of the sin of not trusting God form the heart.
Living in the time we do, it’s hard to understand what it was like to live under that kind of covenant. Let me give you an example…
If Abraham had been under a Suzerian-Vassal covenant, he may have wandered in the desert on his way to Canaan as well. We know the Israelites didn’t enter in because of their unbelief, what if Abraham was kept from inheriting his promises all those times he displayed unbelief or disobedience; taking Lot with him, giving his wife away, having a child with another woman…
Fast forward to the New Covenant and apply the same logic. If it were up to us to uphold our end of a covenant that carried the promise of eternal life through perfect living, we all would fail. All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, which is required for eternal life. In no way, shape or form could anyone expect to keep a covenant full of laws and rules to live forever.
The New Covenant is a Royal Grant Covenant. There are no curses associated, only the loss of promises if you don’t believe.
Jesus backs up the fact that the New Covenant is a Grant through the parable of the sower. He explains in detail how the condition of the heart of the hearer determines the degree of the realm of promise (Heaven) they will experience in this life. By placing his spirit within us as a down payment for the eternal blessing we will receive one day, he gives us rights to that eternal life now.
We all know that once you make a down payment on a house, you get to move in. Our down payment has been paid to be able to move into Heaven. One day we’ll own it fully but we currently have full access to the home itself. Why? Because that’s how God set it up, it’s a Grant Covenant, with all blessings and no curses.
I pray that you don’t miss out on the opportunity to experience the blessings of God’s gracious decree in Christ in this life or in the life to come.
Final Thought
Since the better covenant is partly spiritual in nature, promising eternal life, a spiritual man must uphold the covenant. No mere human is capable of such a feat, so God himself became a human. God limited himself in every way to become human. As a human he kept all the requirements for every covenant God ever decreed. He bore the curse for mankind breaking any and all covenants. And he overcame the strongest penalty of the curse, which is death. Now, Jesus himself upholds this eternal, spiritual covenant for all who will place their trust in him. The news gets even better, we can enjoy many great and precious promises of this New Royal Grant Covenant here and now, so that we will be partakers of God’s eternally glorious and divine nature, in Christ!!!
Discussion Ideas
How does it change your thinking to know you’re in a Royal Grant Covenant?
What does it mean to be “in Christ?”
What promises do you know of that are available in the New Covenant?
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Give it to God then Guard Your Heart
When you talk to God, do you ask him to move Heaven and Earth to meet your need or do you ask for wisdom to be led to your solution? Faith is more internal than external, it’s about trusting God to shape you rather than shaping the world. Faith doesn’t necessarily move God, it’s your response to his love and influence in your heart. Faith, is our response to what God has accomplished in Jesus.
When you talk to God, do you ask him to move Heaven and Earth to meet your need or do you ask for wisdom to be led to your solution? Faith is more internal than external, it’s about trusting God to shape you rather than shaping the world. Faith doesn’t necessarily move God, it’s your response to his love and influence in your heart. Faith is our response to what God has accomplished in Jesus.
God has made you great and precious promises so you would be a partaker of his divine nature What do you do if you aren’t seeing those promises in your life? Especially in the area where you’ve asked God for help?
Is God not responding? Or are you not hearing? (I preached a series called GOD IS NEVER SILENT, it may be helpful to listen to that series.)
I personally don’t look for explanations from God in life’s circumstances. God is not manipulating the world around me to teach me lessons. Jesus simply doesn’t present a version of God that is placing stumbling blocks in our way, hoping we’ll trip and stumble in his direction. God is more mature than that, he communicates with us in a healthy and consistent way. A way in which we can hear and apply for transformation.
Jesus has a few things to say about how God interacts with us…
John 14:17: Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it sees Him not, neither knows Him: but you know Him; for He dwells with you, and shall be in you
God lives in you.
John 14:26: But the Comforter, who is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in My name, He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you
He speaks to you. He’s a comforter that teaches you and helps you remember those teachings when you need them.
John 16:13 However when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide (show you the way) you into all truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak. 14 He shall glorify Me: for He shall take what is mine, and shall show it unto you. 15 All things that the Father has are mine: therefore said I, that He shall take of mine, and shall show it unto you.
God, who lives in you and is helping you remember what he’s taught you, will show you how to apply those teachings in a way that’s consistent with your identity in Christ.
The word GUIDE means SHOW YOU THE WAY. God is a way maker!! We typically ask God to bring things to us but he’s trying to show you how to get to those things. Things like new jobs, ministry opportunities, the right spouse, a new church, the perfect pair of shoes, the widow that needs help, the right car, a way to fulfill your calling, etc…
God’s spirit in you will glorify Jesus. You know how gangster movies glorify violence, they make it attractive? God will make the way of Jesus attractive in your life. He’ll show you a godly way to meet your needs because Jesus has left you an inheritance and everything you need is in him.
God’s spirit will make the application of Jesus in your life appealing AND practical. The Holy Spirit will show you a way to live out the teachings of Jesus in a way that brings fulfillment for you and makes him look good through you.
BREAD NOT STONES
To make sure we understand how God will lead us, Jesus gives us insight into the kind of God our Father really is…
Matthew 7:7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 9 “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! 12 So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.
God will lead you in a way consistent with his nature and character, that of a kind father that wants good things for his kids. So you don’t have to worry about God leading you into destruction and pain for some obscure purpose.
Persecution and suffering may come from the world as you stand up for your faith, but God will not give you cancer if you ask for healing, he will not take away your job if you ask for more money, he won’t take away your marriage if you ask for peace, he won’t give you a stone if you ask for bread.
GIVE IT TO GOD THEN GUARD YOUR HEART
Because God lives in you and he’s showing you how to live successfully by guiding you into truth, as a good father…you can engage in this process.
When the world gives you pain, failure, sickness and disappointment, give it to God THEN guard your heart. Because God isn’t giving you stones and snakes and he’ll lead you into truth, you can rest assured the pain, failure, sickness and disappointment isn’t from him. You can take what the world gives you and turn right around and give it to God.
You could take on the weight of that thing and tuck it away in your heart, or you can guard your heart by choosing NOT to let it define you or rob your peace. You’re going to need your peace to be able to follow God out of the thing the world just handed you.
What does it look like to be led into God’s truth? Great question!!! It looks like righteousness, peace and joy.
When “it” comes, you can rejoice that you are in right standing with God and allow peace to arise from his presence within you. In this peace GOD WILL SHOW YOU THE WAY!! ALWAYS!! GOD WILL ALWAYS SHOW YOU THE WAY!!
MEDITATE
If you need wisdom, ask, he’ll give it to you. In the environment of peace, aware of your identity in him, you WILL hear from him. It might seem like a simple idea, it may seem like your own thought, it may be a booming voice from Heaven (probably not), but he WILL speak.
Your job is to apply that wisdom and take action, no matter how small the prompting, take one step at a time. MOVE!! Go forward!
GIVE IT TO GOD THEN GUARD YOUR HEART
You Can End Fear In 2 Minutes
Fear is a human emotion that is triggered by a perceived threat. It is a basic survival mechanism that signals our bodies to respond to danger with a fight or flight response. Essentially, fear is an attempt to keep ourselves safe.
If you find yourself afraid of a situation, whether real or imagined, you can position yourself before God to be empowered and conquer the fear. He designed your body to respond to your focus. Choose one of his promises in Christ, remember that Jesus conquered death for you and allow your body to change its chemistry and serve you better.
FEAR IS NOT FROM GOD!!
In no way, shape or form does God want you to be afraid of him or anything in life. Fear is a killer and he knows it. The message of Heaven is, FEAR NOT!! We see it from angels over and over, we see it from Jesus and we see that message from the Apostle Paul.
“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”
WHAT IS FEAR?
Fear is a human emotion that is triggered by a perceived threat. It is a basic survival mechanism that signals our bodies to respond to danger with a fight or flight response. Essentially, fear is an attempt to keep ourselves safe.
If you think about it, most of what you’re afraid of…NEVER HAPPENS. Let that sink in a moment…
You spend a significant amount of time imagining what you’ll do in response to a perceived threat or negative situation. But here’s the kicker, that thing doesn’t even happen most of the time, so all that time spent afraid is wasted.
Fear is actually damaging your health. If you live in constant fear, whether from physical dangers in your environment or a threat you perceive, you can become incapacitated and stuck in an unhealthy and destructive cycle.
Fear is only useful when it prepares you to react to actual danger. Once you sense a potential danger, your body releases hormones that:
Slow or shut down functions not needed for survival (such as our digestive system)
Sharpen functions that might help us survive (such as eyesight). Our heart rate increases, and blood flows to muscles so we can run faster.
Your body also increases the flow of hormones to an area of the brain known as the amygdala to help you focus on the presenting danger and store it in our memory. This can be good and bad. If the perceived threat is warranted, you want to be alert to avoid it. But if the threat is the result of worry or your imagination, that intense focus can be damaging. Sustained focus on a fearful situation trains your body to remember the fear. Eventually you will shut down.
We’re not just talking about being chased by a lion in the jungle, we’re talking about real life situations. Here are some common fears:
Fear of the future
Fear of losing your job
Fear of sickness and disease
Fear of your children being harmed
Fear of death
Fear of not fulfilling your call
Fear of losing your salvation
Do any of those strike a chord with you? What would you say is your biggest fear?
How long you’re afraid of something has more to do with how you react to the situation that the situation itself.
THE PHYSICAL IMPACT OF SUSTAINED FEAR
Living under constant threat has serious health consequences.
Physical health. Fear weakens our immune system and can cause cardiovascular damage, gastrointestinal problems such as ulcers and irritable bowel syndrome, and decreased fertility. It can lead to accelerated aging and even premature death.
Memory. Fear can impair formation of long-term memories and cause damage to certain parts of the brain, such as the hippocampus. This can make it even more difficult to regulate fear and can leave a person anxious most of the time. To someone in chronic fear, the world looks scary and their memories confirm that.
Brain processing and reactivity. Fear can interrupt processes in our brains that allow us to regulate emotions, read non-verbal cues and other information presented to us, reflect before acting, and act ethically. This impacts our thinking and decision-making in negative ways, leaving us susceptible to intense emotions and impulsive reactions. All of these effects can leave us unable to act appropriately.
Mental health. Other consequences of long-term fear include fatigue, clinical depression, and PSTD.
WATCH TO MY MESSAGE ON THIS TOPIC. AUDIO VERSION HERE.
THE GOOD NEWS
It’s pretty clear, fear is not just a negative emotion, it has an effect on your body that can make you physically sick and cause long-term emotional damage. The key is to choose a different response than fear to scary situations. How you react to any given situation is your choice. Yes, something may legitimately be a threat, but you don’t have to react in fear.
Emotions usually run their course in your body’s chemistry in about 2 minutes. The reason they stick around is you keep thinking in patterns that cause the same hormones and chemicals to be released. If you can focus on something else, you will actually begin to feel different in about 2 minutes. I recommend focusing on a promise from God, or try to remember that Christ in your is greater than anything you might face.
Even if you don’t reach the desired result, you still have life forever in Christ because he’s conquered death. That might seem like an extreme place to go with most of your fears, but going there tends to disarm whatever it is you’re facing.
You tend to make better choices when you’re not afraid. You tend to make great choices when you’re aware of God’s love for you and you feel empowered by His spirit.
STUDY ON FEAR AND HORMONES
I’ll use this as an example of how you can change your focus which will change your emotions which will determine what kind of choices you make. This interesting study that verifies your body chemistry follows your focus. This makes me think of something Paul said, we’re transformed by the renewing of our minds. There is now science that verifies that statement.
Have you ever heard of a Power Pose? Imagine Wonder Woman or Superman.
Here’s the study…
Amy Cuddy, a researcher at Harvard University, studies body language and its impact on hormones. Cuddy and her team have classified different body positions as “high power” or “low power” poses. In general, the high power poses are open and relaxed while the low power poses are closed and guarded.
Cuddy and her research team studied the impact of high power and low power poses by conducting a research study on 42 students. (Original article available here.)
Here's how the study went down…
First, a saliva sample was taken from each subject and their testosterone and cortisol levels were measured.
Second, the subject was asked to sit in either a high power pose or a low power pose for two minutes.
Third, a second sample of saliva was taken from each subject and their testosterone and cortisol levels were measured again.
When the researchers looked at the results, they were stunned by the impact that body language had on the hormones within the body. High power poses increased testosterone by 20 percent and decreased cortisol levels by 25 percent.
Testosterone is a hormone that causes you to feel empowered and confident. Cortisol is released in your body during times of stress and anxiety.
The numbers and science don’t lie, how you use your body changes its chemistry which has an effect on the kinds of choices you make.
HOW TO APPLY THIS TO REAL LIFE
Whether you strike a power pose or not, the point is you can change how you’re feeling in about 2 minutes. When you change how you feel, the kinds of choices you make will change as well.
Think about it, what kinds of choices do you make when you’re afraid? What kinds of choices do you make when you’re aware of God’s love for you and are empowered by his spirit in you.
You can choose to position yourself to be influenced by God’s power in you!!
GOD DOESN’T WANT YOU TO BE AFRAID OF ANYTHING
Why am I talking about choices and fear? Because Paul joins them together when he’s encouraging Timothy to not be afraid to proclaim the Gospel. Here are a couple more translations of this passage…
“For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.”
“ God didn’t give us a cowardly spirit but a spirit of power, love, and good judgment.”
“Sound mind” is translated as “self-discipline” and “good judgment.” The idea is this, fear is not from God, because he loves you he empowers you to make good decisions. In this article I wanted to give you a deeper understanding of what happens in your physical body around your capacity to make choices. We tend to read scripture without the personal responsibility lens and miss the power of scripture. Don’t just read it, do it!
FINAL POINT
If you find yourself afraid of a situation, whether real or imagined, you can position yourself before God to be empowered and conquer the fear. He designed your body to respond to your focus. Choose one of his promises in Christ, remember that Jesus conquered death for you and allow your body to change its chemistry and serve you better.
You don’t have top be a victim of your feelings and body chemistry, you can change it!
Try this, every morning for the next 7 days, after you shower and before you head out the door, stand for 2 minutes in a power pose and think about God’s spirit in you. Breathe smoothly and deeply, don’t force your breath, and see what happens.
And try this too. When you feel overwhelmed or afraid, strike a power pose, breathe smoothly and deeply, become aware of God’s spirit in you and the fact that his spirit is leading you into life and blessing, give it 2 minutes, then make the decision you’re facing.
I’d love to hear how this works for you in the comments below.