PJP2 SEVEN - 17012324 - FEAR

SEVEN: Share/Seek; Encourage; Verily Verify the Victory; Evaluate NOW (Note On WORD)

FEAR: Faithfully Esteem, Adore, Respect (our Lord Jesus)

Isaiah 41:10 (ESV/emphasis added/jaj)...."Fear NOT not, For I AM With you; Be NOT dismayed, For I AM your God; I Will Strengthen you, I Will HELP you, I Will Uphold you With My Righteous Right Hand."....

Proverbs 1:7 (ESV/emphasis added/jaj)...."The FEAR Of The Lord IS The Beginning Of Knowledge; fools despise Wisdom And Instruction.".....

Joshua 1:9 (ESV/emphasis added/jaj)...."Have I Not Commanded you?  BE Strong And Courageous.  Do NOT be frightened, And Do NOT be dismayed, For The Lord your God IS With you wherever you go.”

I don't know about you, Team, BUT, right now, in our generation, the word 'fear' is getting a LOT of air-time.  It seems we, as a human-race, are fearful about a lot.  I will not deny, especially as Team Johnson continues down this recent transition to the Rank of AF/Retired, we have had our own set of anxiety and challenges to consider.

As we read through His WORD - there's multiple instances of fear/anxiety present.  I mean check-out this event with our Lord Jesus and His disciples....

Mark 4:37-41 (ESV)...."And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling.  But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion.  And they woke him and said to him, 'Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?'  And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, 'Peace! Be still!'  And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.  He said to them, 'Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?'  And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, 'Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?'”

BUT, again, God The Father's PROMISE is Repeated to us over 400 times.....

Isaiah 41:10 (ESV/emphasis added/jaj)...."Fear NOT not, For I AM With you; Be NOT dismayed, For I AM your God; I Will Strengthen you, I Will HELP you, I Will Uphold you With My Righteous Right Hand."....

Proverbs 1:7 (ESV/emphasis added/jaj)...."The FEAR Of The Lord IS The Beginning Of Knowledge; fools despise Wisdom And Instruction.".....

Joshua 1:9 (ESV/emphasis added/jaj)...."Have I Not Commanded you?  BE Strong And Courageous.  Do NOT be frightened, And Do NOT be dismayed, For The Lord your God IS With you wherever you go.”

And out Lord Jesus' Own Bottom-Line/Up-Front WORD.....John 16:33 (ESV/emphasis & paraphrase added/jaj)...."I Have Said These Things to you, That In ME you May Have PEACE.  In the world you will have tribulation. BUT Take Heart (Be of Good Cheer / Don't be afraid); I HAVE OVERCOME the world.”

So, Team, regardless of what circumstances, challenges, bumps-in-our-road we may be facing individually, collectively, even as a Nation and a Global Community - may we GRASP HOLD of HIS TRUTH.  May we Be Open to HIS Transforming GRACE, giving HIM our fear and Watch/Experience as HE Will CHANGE our fear into The FEAR {Faithfully Esteem, Adore, Respect (our Lord Jesus)} Of God.....And Then we will Sense His Beginning of Wisdom/Understanding Blossoming and Expanding across our barren fields of dismay and despair.

Come Lord Jesus.....Come!

In closing today - I would Offer up a Paraphrase of Prayer and Praise from His Holy Spirit's Inspired WORD as Recorded in Psalm 91:1-6, 9-10, 14-16 (ESV/emphasis & paraphrase added/jaj)....O Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit, Father God, Thank You and we Praise Your Holy Name.  May we Ever Dwells In The Shelter Of Your LOVE, Lord Jesus.  O Most High Father God, May we Abide In Your Shadow, The Shadow Of The Almighty.  Holy Spirit, we Will say To You, O Lord: "You Are our Refuge And our Fortress."  Lord Jesus, we Thank You, for You Are our God, in Whom we Fully Trust.  For Holy Spirit, we Know You Will Deliver us From the snare of the evil one.  Father God, Thank You, for In You and Your Protection, the deadly pestilence of our sin and selfishness will pass-us-by.  Lord Jesus, Like God's EAGLE, Your GRACE Covers us With Your Pinions, And Under Your Righteous "Wings", we Will Find Refuge.  Holy Spirit, Encourage us and Help us REMEMBER That Your Faithfulness IS our Shield And Buckler.  Father God, Because of Your Presence In, Around and Through us, we Will NOT fear the terror of the night, NOT the arrow that flies by day, NOT the pestilence that stalks in darkness, NOT the destruction that wastes at noonday.  BECAUSE, Lord Jesus, By Your Life, Sacrifice and Resurrection, You Have Made it possible for us To Dwell Forever In and With You!  O Father God, Holy Spirit, Lord Jesus, You Are The Most High!  It Is In You, O Lord, You, Who IS our Refuge!  Lord Jesus, Thank You, For You Ensure No evil Shall Be Allowed To befall us In You, NO plague can come near us as we Remain in Your Tent of Salvation.  O Father God, we Thank You as You Share with us Your Word and Say: “BECAUSE you Hold Fast To ME In LOVE, I Will Deliver you; I Will Protect you, BECAUSE you Know MY NAME."  Lord Jesus, Thank You for Your Assurance that When we Call to You, You Still Answer us.  Holy Spirit, Thank You that You Are Ever Faithful and True and Remain with us, even in our days of trouble.  Father God, Thank You that You Have and Still Rescue us.  Lord Jesus, we Honor and Praise You.  May we, in All of our Lives on this earth, and Your Next, Praise and Exult You.  Thank You Lord Jesus that You Satisfy us with Your GRACE, and Have Shown us Your Salvation.  We Raise our Prayers and Praise in Your Holy Name....Amen and Amen....jaj