Bible

The prophet Jeremiah lived in Jerusalem when King Nebuchadnezzar and his Babylonian armies besieged the city.  The year was about 600 BC and the people of the city were suffering horribly.  There wasn’t enough food or water.  The Babylonian army continually attacked the city with the weapons of that day.  Fear affected everyone and disaster appeared inevitable.

Jeremiah faced persecution from his own people.  The leaders tried killing him by confining him to a pit full of mud, but the Lord inspired an Ethiopian slave to rescue the prophet from certain death.  It went from bad to worse for Jeremiah but, in spite of all this, Jeremiah proclaimed that “You are my refuge in the day of disaster,” Jeremiah 17:17.   How could a persecuted Hebrew prophet make such an absurd statement that contradicted all appearances?  Jeremiah found mental and emotional shelter in his Lord and the word of God!  Consequently, in spite of his ups and downs Jeremiah remained hopeful in the day of disaster.

Toward the end of his life on earth Jesus predicted seemingly endless disasters as humanity practiced more and more rebellion against our Creator.  Here’s a partial list of Jesus’ predictions for planet earth during the last days before his second coming:

• Deception that turns people from Jesus, Matthew 24:5.
• Wars and rumors of wars, Matthew 24:6.
• Famines and earthquakes, Matthew 24:7.
• Persecution because of faith in Jesus, Matthew 24:9.
• False teachers and widespread deception, Matthew 24:11.
• The increase of wickedness destroys the love of many Christians for Jesus, Matthew 24:12.

There are many, many other predictions concerning the awful godlessness of the last days, but we boldly proclaim that God is our Refuge in the day of disaster!

The Undefeatable Spirit of Jesus

Obviously, we are human bodies with human minds and emotions.  But we are primarily human spirits.

Genesis 2:7 declares that God created Adam’s body but it was lifeless. Something was missing from this perfect and complete physical body.  Then God “breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and the man became a living being.”  The Spirit of God created the human spirit in Adam which gave life to the physical person.  Adam and God were both spirits and communed and communicated on the spiritual level.  Adam knew nothing of fear, worry, anxiety or any other unpleasant thought.  “Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of man and he brought her to the man,” Genesis 2:22.  Both Adam and Eve lived in a disaster free environment.

Jesus was truly human because he was body, soul and mind but his Spirit originated in Heavenly Father and was totally sinless.  Jesus was like Adam before Adam sinned.  Therefore, it was necessary for Jesus to experience temptation by Satan, attacks from the ungodly and inner battles with discouragement.  But Jesus’ earthly trials perfected his human spirit so his resurrected Spirit could indwell every child of God.  When Jesus’ Spirit moves into a born again human being, the human spirit comes to life!

When the undefeatable Spirit of Jesus moves into a person, that person becomes empowered to overcome every human weakness, every temptation to sin and every rebellious feeling toward God.  The undefeatable Spirit of Jesus becomes your refuge against which no enemy can succeed.

Jesus, a Refuge for Our Thoughts

When Jesus’ Spirit moved into our human spirits, our spirits became empowered with divine energy to resist fearful, discouraging thoughts of hopelessness.  God does not take us out of this world when we are born again—He equips us to overcome the world in which we dwell.

Obviously, bad news about disasters of every type permeate society.  Radio, television, computers, cell phones and every other kind of electronic communication device flood our thoughts with fear invoking news.  Nevertheless, with the mighty Spirit of Jesus in us we can control the effect this news exerts upon our thoughts.  Actually, we should refuse to soak our minds with bad news.  What’s the alternative?  The first two verses of the Book of Psalms tells us to control the thoughts we permit into our meditation.  “Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night.” 

God’s Spirit wants to serve as a refuge for your thoughts, your meditation!  Refuse to saturate your mind in the bad news of this world.  Don’t allow the things of this world that you did not cause and cannot prevent to occupy your meditation.  Control your thoughts by reading God’s word, listening to it taught and preached, and rejecting the temptation to allow the news of this world to fill your mind.  Remember God’s command to us in Isaiah 37:6. “Do not be afraid of what you have heard.”  End of issue!

God, the Refuge for Our Emotions

God created us creatures of feeling as well as creatures of thought.  We call these feelings emotion.  Emotion is a very important part of our being and our relationship with our heavenly Maker.  However, emotion can fight against us when not kept under control.  So, God wants to serve as a refuge for your emotions as well as your thoughts.

The Spirit of Jesus who indwells your human spirit empowers you to say No to ungodly and unhealthy emotions.  Through Jesus’ presence we can deny fear, hatred, sadness, anxiety and every other destructive emotion that attacks us.

Recall what Galatians 5:22 and 23 says about you.  The Holy Spirit who dwells in your spirit empowers you to accept God’s emotions when you don’t feel them.  You say No to destructive emotions and you say Yes to the beautiful emotions of God that indwells your human spirit.  Let the Holy Spirit be your refuge which shields you from emotions that tear you down instead of build you up.  Through the energy of the Jesus in you, you purposefully and deliberately choose the emotions that bless you and your walk with Jesus Christ!

Be greatly encouraged,

Pastor James Fields

Not too long before he returned to heaven, Jesus told his followers “Do not let your hearts be troubled.  You believe in God; believe also in me,” John 14:1.

The English words “Do not let” mean “to refuse to allow or to permit something to happen.”  So, God gives us the power to reject a troubled heart.  Yes, the Holy Spirit in you equips you to reject a troubled heart even though you live in a troubled world!  We can reject the trouble we brought on ourselves or that others brought on us.  In fact, Jesus told us that God “will wipe every tear from their eyes.  There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away,” Revelation 21:4.

As believers in Jesus we firmly stand against a troubled mind and a disturbed heart.  God is our Victory!

Another wonderful verse is found in Proverbs 12:28: “In the way of righteousness there is life; along that path is immortality.”

Resting in Jesus

Jesus is our life!  He isn’t merely our pathway to life—he is our very life!  So, we rest in him even when we live in a world of chaos and feel fear in our hearts.  We say “no” to fear of every kind and surrender ourselves to heavenly Father, Christ Jesus and Holy Spirit.  They are our guardian and our provider.  Even if our enemies kill us, we do not fear, but rest in the Lord who called us into eternal immortality.  There is nothing to fear because heavenly Father, Christ Jesus and Holy Spirit commit their infinite power to bestowing eternal life on us.  We are more than conquerors through him who loved us!  Remember the verse we quoted above?  “In the way of righteousness there is life; along that path is immortality,” Proverbs 12:28.  Yes, walking with Jesus guarantees immortality to his followers.  Even if we are executed by our enemies, we do not fear because God designed us for eternal life!

When we die, our spirit steps out of our bodies and lives eternally with Father, Son and Holy Spirit!  We cannot lose for winning!  Our God called us to eternal life so that’s where we are headed!

Overcoming Fear of Death

Death is a frightening experience that nobody wants to go through.  However, death happens to every human since Adam and Eve.  So, we overcome fear of death even though we cannot escape death.

We refuse to allow our hearts to be frightened of death because we belong to the Author of Life.  Jesus came to earth as a mortal and experienced execution on a cross.  However, Jesus volunteered to die and, thereby, became eligible for eternal life.  True, his death was very unpleasant.  His torture, crucifixion, spitting, screaming and beating was anything but pleasant.  Nevertheless, Jesus experienced this for our sake so that by uniting with him we could overcome the fear of death just like he overcame it.

Jesus was buried in a tomb hollowed out of rock.  They laid his body in this tomb and rolled a large stone across the door into the tomb.  However, in three days Jesus’ Spirit entered his lifeless body and brought it back to eternal life.  He walked out of the tomb and appeared to many of his followers before ascending to his father’s right hand.  Consequently, we face the experience called death without being terrified by it.  We know that beyond death lies eternal life for everyone who loves the Lord!  Eternal life awaits all of Jesus’ followers who love him and want to please him.  God gives us the power to reject a troubled heart even though we must go through physical death.  We are seeking immortality even though immortality requires us to experience death.  We are more than conquerors through him who loved us and gave himself up for us, so we do not fear death.  We refuse to let our hearts be troubled by the prospect of these bodies ceasing to exist.  Eternal life awaits all of Jesus’ followers because he died to bring us into everlasting life!  Our union with Jesus guarantees our union with him in eternal life!

Joyfully Anticipating Eternal Life

“Do not let your hearts be troubled.  You believe in God; believe also in me,” John 14:1.   We choose to not be troubled by placing our faith in the God who called us to eternal life!  All of us face a resurrection which brings us into eternal life in a resurrected body.  Truly, we cannot lose for winning!  Our God called us to eternal life without fear of harm, injury or death.  We refuse to be troubled by fear, anxiety or hopelessness.  We rest in our God who watches over us and will help us escape eternal death by raising us from the dead and placing us in an eternally resurrected body.  We choose to not be troubled because we believe in our eternal God who loves us with all his heart.  We are headed for an eternal life without any fear, pain, sorrow, regrets or suffering.

Remember, brother and sister, what Proverbs 12:28 promises you: “In the way of righteousness there is life; along that path is immortality.” 

Be greatly encouraged,

James Fields

God can’t get you off his mind. His infinite love fixes you in his thoughts.  Before creating the universe, God filled his mind with wonderful plans for your life on earth and awesome ideas for your eternity.

We small mortals can scarcely believe that an infinite Creator thinks so often and so highly about us.  David asked, “What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him,” Psalm 8:4. “Mindful” means that God’s mind is full of living thoughts about his loved ones.  We can’t explain how God simultaneously thinks about all his children, but he does!

Jesus described his heavenly Father like this: “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.  Are you not much more valuable than they,” Matthew 6:26.  Jesus was trying to help the human imagination grasp the outer fringes of God’s love for us.  If he is mindful of birds, how much more does he think about meeting human needs?

A verse from Job summarizes God’s feelings for his children.  “He never takes his eyes off the righteous,” Job 36:7.  He thinks about us all the time.

What happens in God when he thinks about you?

You rejoice his heart and place a song on his lips.  “He rejoices over you with singing,” Zephaniah 3:17.  You are the source of his song because you are the object of his love.  The measureless One who made all things experiences a thrill every time his children come to his mind–and we fill his mind always.

You delight his heart.  “He takes great delight in you,” Zephaniah 3:17. “Delight” exceeds joy.  Although our actions and behavior don’t always bring joy to God, he continually delights in our person.  Our imperfections, failures and weaknesses grieve his heart but do not lessen his delight in us.  He remains committed to perfecting us when we act very imperfectly.  His delight in us never waivers even when it is necessary to correct us, to rebuke us, or reprimand us.  “Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline,” Revelation 3:19.

What happens to you when God thinks about you?

You wear a crown of blessing.  “Blessings crown the head of the righteous,” Proverbs 10:6. The new birth removed the crown of thorns you wore and placed a crown of God’s blessing upon your head.  The crown God placed on you represents the position he gave you.  You became an offspring of the King of the universe.  Like your Father King you wear a crown as a sign of your royal position.  You are his child.  Human frailties do not tear you out of his family.  Doubts about your God or yourself never decrease his determination to live in you by his Spirit.

Wearing God’s crown of blessing doesn’t exempt you from unpleasant seasons, difficulties or trials.  The crown simply indicates that whatever life throws at you, you will triumph; you will win; you will move out of unpleasantness into pleasantness.  “He rescued me because he delighted in me,” (Psalm 18:19) applies to you no matter how you feel or what’s going on around you.  You will eternally be God’s delight.

What happens to your spiritual foes when God thinks about you?

They cringe in fear of the One who thinks about you.  Devils flee from the One who fills His mind with you.  Wild panic grips their thoughts and feelings.  They flee from you as the One who thinks of you commands his angels to encamp around you.  Dear Christian friend, please notice the full quotation of Job 36:7. “He does not take his eyes off the righteous; he enthrones them with kings and exalts them forever.”  Let’s skip to verses 15 and 16 of the same chapter.  “But those who suffer, he delivers in their suffering; he speaks to them in their affliction.  He is wooing you from the jaws of distress to a spacious place free from restriction, to the comfort of your table laden with choice food.”  Please don’t let life’s disappointments or hardships fool you into believing that God isn’t thinking about you.  He is “wooing you from the jaws of distress.”  He cannot lose sight of your best; your welfare fills the thoughts of the One who can’t quit lovingly thinking about you!

Be greatly encouraged,

Pastor James Fields

Hilarious glee filled the hearts of Jesus’ enemies.  They had succeeded in crucifying and burying this man who claimed to be the Son of God.  All who resisted the will of God rejoiced at their victory over the man they considered a great deceiver.

But one thing troubled Jesus’ foes.  They recalled that he predicted his resurrection.

The chief priests and Pharisees approached Pilate, the Roman governor over Israel.  “Sir…we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again,’” Matthew 27:63.

They requested Pilate to station an armed guard at Jesus’ tomb so that his disciples would not steal the body and claim that He rose from the dead.  In addition to the guard, the religious leaders sealed the huge stone that lay over the tomb.  This seal was probably a cement-like substance spread over the edge of the stone that glued it to the tomb.  The weight of the stone plus the seal created a strong barrier to anyone who wished to remove Jesus’ body.

Everyone who resisted God’s plan for Jesus’ resurrection felt confident that they had thwarted his prediction.  The tomb was securely sealed, and soldiers guarded against intruders.

God always prevails over human resistance to his plan.  God never loses; sinners never win.  “An angel of the Lord came down from heaven and…rolled back the stone and sat on it,” Matthew 28:2.  The mighty soldiers fainted.  The seal that attached the stone to the tomb completely shattered as the angel touched it with a little finger.  Then the angel sat on the stone that was intended to prevent Jesus’ resurrection.

Dealing with Terrible Times

Through the apostle Paul, the Holy Spirit predicted terrible times in the last days preceding Jesus’ second coming.  Why terrible times?  Because humanity’s rejection of God exposes us to Satan’s hateful violence against all that God loves.

Although we live in terrible times, we can remain confident in the One who overcame all human resistance to Jesus’ resurrection.  The God who raised Jesus from the dead is the God whose Spirit lives in our hearts.  Don’t focus your attention on the terrible times; keep your attention on the heavenly Father who sent his angel to demolish human resistance to divine purposes.

Christians die in wars and natural disasters and are sometimes victims of crime.  However, death is like the stone that covered Jesus’ tomb.  It means nothing.  Physical death propels us into eternal life and eventual resurrection of our bodies.  Satan only wins hollow victories.

We can live without fear during the terrible times.  “You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed,” Matthew 24:6.  Jesus predicted terrible times, but he also commanded us to reject panic, fear, and feelings of uncertainty.  Since God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but of power, we choose to reject the fear, the panic, and the uncertainty that attempt to dominate our thoughts and feelings (2 Timothy 1:7).

What kind of people will God make us during terrible times?  People filled with divine energy to remain calm, “though briars and thorns are all around” us and we “live among scorpions” (Ezekiel 2:6).

Assured Indestructibility

Satanic creatures and human sinners sought Jesus’ destruction.  What’s new?  Sinners of both the spirit world and the natural world harbor intense resentment against God’s will and plan, but they can never win!

God enfolds his plans and purposes in assured indestructibility.  He mocked mankind’s effort to thwart divine purposes.  He sent an angel to sit on the stone sinners trusted to keep Jesus in the tomb.

You are God’s will.  His will brought you into existence and sustains your every breath, your every heartbeat, and your future.  God’s Spirit wraps you in assured indestructibility.  Get on with your life; pursue your plans.  Seek more intimate fellowship with the Spirit of Jesus.  Don’t worry about anything.  Don’t panic when things around you crumble.  God purposefully sees to it that his indestructible will for your life is fulfilled.  Often quote Job 42:2, “I know that you can do all things and that no plan of yours can be thwarted.”

If a mere angel can defeat Satan, how much more can our Almighty God crush him!

Be greatly encouraged,

Pastor James Fields

The Bible serves as an inexhaustible source of comfort and encouragement.  But no one can constantly keep the Bible before their eyes.

Kind-hearted, loving people often speak words that wonderfully comfort and encourage us.  However, they cannot remain with us twenty-four hours a day. …

The Ever-Present Comforter and EncouragerRead More »