Whom Shall I Fear?

“The Lord is my light and my salvation;

    whom shall I fear?

The Lord is the stronghold of my life;

    of whom shall I be afraid?

When evildoers assail me

    to eat up my flesh,

my adversaries and foes,

    it is they who stumble and fall.

Though an army encamp against me,

    my heart shall not fear;

though war arise against me,

    yet I will be confident.” (Psalms 27:1-3 ESV)

As followers of Jesus Christ we are in spiritual warfare against our enemy Satan and against all those who are serving his purposes by their actions and by the things they say and by how they treat the Lord and his servants and his teachings. And the weapons we wage war with are not physical, but they are spiritual. For they are truth, righteousness, the gospel of Christ, faith, salvation, the word of God, and prayer (Ephesians 6:10-20). 

So, when we have enemies coming against us to destroy us we are not to be afraid, for the Lord is our light (truth) and our salvation. He is the stronghold of our lives if our trust is truly in him, and if we are walking in his ways and in his truth and righteousness, and not in sin. Although temporarily it may appear, at times, that the enemy is being victorious, as though he is gaining ground, ultimately our Lord is still in control, and he can’t outsmart God.

Now, although this is spiritual warfare, in reality, our enemies may come against us physically, mentally, emotionally, and psychologically, any which way they can in order to take us out and to take us down and to put us out of commission. Many Christians throughout the world are being persecuted physically, many of them killed for their testimonies of faith in Jesus Christ. In America, so far, that has not been the experience of most of us.

That does not mean that Christians in America aren’t being persecuted. Some of us are, usually with words, and with lies spoken against us, and with false judgments and betrayal and mental and emotional abuse. And it is with rejections and the casting off of us because of our serious walks with the Lord and our stand on the truth of God’s word in a day and time when so many have compromised the truth of the Scriptures to win the world.

“Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud;

    be gracious to me and answer me!

You have said, ‘Seek my face.’

My heart says to you,

    ‘Your face, Lord, do I seek.’

     Hide not your face from me.

Turn not your servant away in anger,

    O you who have been my help.

Cast me not off; forsake me not,

    O God of my salvation!

For my father and my mother have forsaken me,

    but the Lord will take me in.” (Psalms 27:7-10 ESV)

Sometimes the rejection is so severe that it may even feel as though God has forsaken us. It may feel like he isn’t even there. And we call out to him and we do not hear him or even sense his presence, and that is absolutely the worst feeling ever! And this is why our faith cannot be based on feelings. We can’t depend on feelings to determine truth for us, for feelings fluctuate and they can’t always be trusted. 

But if our hearts are in the right place, and if we are following the Lord in full surrender, and not the flesh, and if we are in tune with the Spirit’s voice, we have to just trust that the Lord is there even when we can’t feel his presence. And we have to walk by faith and not by sight and not by emotions, but by the truth that we know and believe. And we have to know that our Lord will never forsake his faithful ones who love and obey him.

“Teach me your way, O Lord,

    and lead me on a level path

    because of my enemies.

Give me not up to the will of my adversaries;

    for false witnesses have risen against me,

    and they breathe out violence.

I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord

    in the land of the living!

Wait for the Lord;

    be strong, and let your heart take courage;

    wait for the Lord!” (Psalms 27:11-14 ESV)

So, who are these false witnesses? They can be anyone, really. In the USA many of them are our government heads, our news media, Hollywood, the pharmaceutical industry, people of influence and power, the industrial military complex, world leaders, heads of church denominations, pastors of “churches,” and friends, neighbors, and relatives, etc. They are people who tell lies as a matter of practice, and for the purpose to deceive.

The lies may be spoken to us for the purpose to deceive or they may be spoken against us, to us, or to other people. But however they are used, they are still against us in one way or another. And this is why we must be very discerning people whose trust and faith is fully established in the Lord and in the Scriptures. And this is why our dependency must be in the Lord and not in other humans who may fail us and even betray us.

So we need to be in the Scriptures daily, taking in the truths of God’s word into our hearts, learning what they teach, in context, and then applying to our lives what is intended for us who are followers of Jesus Christ. We must be those who are secure in our faith and who are not wavering, or we won’t survive the onslaught of the enemy against us. And we must be walking in holiness and in obedience to our Lord, and not in sin, if we are to survive.

So, whenever we are up against the enemy of our souls and his many hordes we must turn to the Lord for his help and guidance and then we must follow his instructions to us, and then we must trust him with our circumstances and not let the enemy get to us. For times on this earth are getting worse and worse by the day, and they are not going to get better until Jesus returns and he takes his faithful ones to be with him for eternity.

So, our trust has to be in God and God alone, for there are too many liars and deceivers amongst us who appear one way while they are really something different. We should not put our faith and hope in any human being or people group or nation or whatever to save us from what is coming, for they may be our enemies disguised as our friends. Anyone can be! But one day all will be made known and all liars will be exposed. And the truth will come out. So just keep putting your hope and trust in the Lord Jesus!

Just a Closer Walk with Thee  

Hymn lyrics by Anonymous/Unknown

Music by American Melody

“For indeed He was crucified because of weakness, yet He lives because of the power of God. For we also are weak in Him, yet we will live with Him because of the power of God directed toward you” (2 Co. 13:4 NASB).

I am weak, but Thou art strong;

Jesus, keep me from all wrong;

I’ll be satisfied as long

As I walk, let me walk close to Thee.

Through this world of toil and snares,

If I falter, Lord, who cares?

Who with me my burden shares?

None but Thee, dear Lord, none but Thee.

When my feeble life is o’er,

Time for me will be no more;

Guide me gently, safely o’er

To Thy kingdom shore, to Thy shore.

Just a closer walk with Thee,

Grant it, Jesus, is my plea,

Daily walking close to Thee,

Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6Ks49apflE 

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