"Fear Not" Isn't a Meaningless Phrase

It's blown me away how faithful the Lord is. Of course, I knew it; I always know it, but for some reason, each time I see examples of His faithfulness, He is wonderful all over again.

This time, I am reveling in His faithfulness in response to my nervousness about releasing a prophetic word on December 20th last month. The prophetic gifting has been coming clear and more strongly over the course of the last two years when the Lord began showing me visions of things He wanted me to intercede for, to speak out about, or to share with a specific person. Romans 12:6 became a challenge for me: "If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith."

Well, shoot, how much faith do I have? Let's push the borders and see. 

And with every push at the borders, my faith expanded by leaps and bounds. 

So, when I released the prophetic word in December, it was truly difficult for me to take that full step into the prophetic gifting. I've seen other people who have dared to step forward in this gift skewered at the ends of verbal pitchforks -- by people in the church, most often -- and had no desire to partake of that particular fruit.  

But again, the Holy Spirit's word burned in my heart like a fire (Jeremiah 20:9), and I had to speak. What I want to make super-duper clear is this: MY word is not the same as THE Word. The Word is the inspired and inerrant Word of God. But the Word is clear that the Holy Spirit gives prophetic giftings, and it's long past time for us to stop being nervous about making use of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. As Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 5:19: "Do not put out the Spirit's fire; do not treat prophecies with contempt. Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil."

Test everything. 

The Spirit spoke to my heart, and the message I gave came out in Tamara's words. The message was from the Spirit, but the words were Tamara's, and as such, were faulty. Perhaps word choice was flawed, perhaps it was spot on, but that doesn't matter. What does matter is that the message was from the Spirit. Like the Lord did for Samuel, He did not let any of his words fall to the ground. He will not let His message fall to the ground as long as I truly surrender myself to Him.

So I nervously released the word that war is coming, that it will involve east to west, and a reminder that we are not to have spirits of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind, and to look forward to the Lord's coming with joyous anticipation and zealous working.

Over the last weeks, and even days, the Holy Spirit has faithfully confirmed parts of the visions that I saw: A news article that discussed a division among nations regarding their opinions on Russian aggression (in the vision, I saw a rift or a division across the land, which I said I believed was not geographical, but metaphorical). Also, in the vision, there was a clear sense of conflict between east and west. A news article covering Kazakhstan's burning and rioting came to my attention. A direct quote from the article was this: "Kazakhstan also viewed itself as a bridge between East and West." As we've seen, that bridge is burning.

With each of these smaller confirmations that are truly meaningful to me, the Lord reminds me: Am I not God? Can I not do exactly as I've planned to do?

Right now, the word I hear Him saying is this: Don't be afraid. Remember those joyous people in the original vision, the ones that lifted up their heads when the Lord's Spirit came over the earth, and who began shouting in praise and excitement? Y'all, if we know Him, that's us!

"Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth give way, and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, and the mountains quake with their surging" (Psalm 42:2-3).

The fact of the matter is, there will be fearsome things that happen as we draw closer to the Lord's return. The Word promises it. It's right there in Scripture, and I am appalled at the number of Christians I have heard who promise that a walk with the Lord means that He promises our personal safety. 

No. He promises peace in the storm, and storms there will be, especially as we near His return (Matthew 24, Luke 21, pretty much all of Revelation, parts of Daniel and Ezekiel, and others). 

But, His path leads through the sea, His way through the mighty waters, though His footprints are not seen (Psalm 77:19). Because we're on this side of eternity, our faith is not yet sight, but we can know He is right there in the sea with us, right next to us on the water, walking between the mighty waves.

Don't fear. Don't be afraid. Fear not. "Lift up your heads, for your redemption draws near" (Luke 21:28). How exciting! How joyful!