Have you ever feared something or someone, the future, an outcome, sickness, authority, bullies, your peers, peoples opinions, heights, crowds, poverty, government, Satan, death, loneliness and so on. The list is endless there are so many things that we can fear. Someone said that fear is a great motivator, politicians manipulate fear in order to get people to vote for them, promising that they will be the hero that will make it all go away. Anyone that would like to have you under their control will use fear and even those things that have no intention in controlling you, will control you because you fear it. The Bible Specially Jesus Christ, repeated the words "Fear Not" just about 120 times, the issue of Fear springs up in the bible over 500 times. God is interested in setting you FREE from the power and the spirit of Fear. Fear is a debilitating spirit, it cripples you, it paralyzes you and it doesn't allow you to be yourself. You become a slave of Fear, Fear becomes your God and your Master. The first commandment says; "You shall have no other gods before Me", in order for anyone to please God concerning this particular commandment, that person must be set free from the spirit of Fear in order to be set free from the stronghold of the strongman (Satan) and serve the Lord your God.

You Serve That Which You Fear

The bible gives us many examples of Fear and the consequences of it. Let's give Fear another name, let's call it Goliath. Yes that's right, the story of David and Goliath which we have all heard in one way or another, specially in children's Sunday school class, is a good story to understand the crippling power of Fear. When the Philistines confronted the armies of Israel lead by King Saul, they brought their god with them, yes Goliath was their god. For 40 days the armies of Israel who served the only true God had fallen prey of Fear. The king was looking for one man among his army that would have the courage and trust in the God of Israel to go and fight the god of the Philistines. But no one was found. If you remember the story when David was to be anointed by the prophet Samuel, you would know that seven other brothers of David came before the prophet and for everyone that presented themselves before the prophet, the prophet wrongly judged them to be the chosen one of God. Repeatedly God told Samuel: "you judge by the outer appearance, but I judge the heart". And there they were all of David's brothers were part of the army and they were also stricken by Fear, paralyzed and serving the god of the Philistines. Yes! you serve that which you Fear. For 40 days the god of the Philistines was in control of the armies of the God of Israel. Goliath was boasting, laughing and just enjoying the moment as he bullied an entire army, that is totally paralyzed by the Fear of Him. It is in this scenario that David arrives. David is very young, he is not yet allowed to join the armies of Israel like his brothers, he is not trained in the art of war, and yet there was one thing that separated David from his brothers and the rest of the army, it wasn't just his youth or his lack of expertise, David had NO FEAR! David could not believe what he sees and hear, how can this mundane man bully the armies of God? It was totally incomprehensible to David.

Opposite to what many believe, during those days the army that owned the newest technology in weapons of war, were the Philistines, yes they had the swords and the armor. The armies of Israel did not have such fighting gear and weapons with the exception of the King. So when David gave notice that he was willing to face the giant god, the King called him to offer David his sword and armor. This proposition had a double purpose, first it was the only protective armor that the israelites had and it would be proper to protect David, but the second reason was more important to Saul after all and that was that to the unsuspecting eye, if David would have used the King's armor and sword, both armies would have thought that it was Saul that came out to face the giant. That was important to Saul as the King, because although he was stricken and paralyzed by Fear just like his army, he also wanted to look as the hero that saved the day in front his army and his people. Yet God had other plans. David wasn't looking for personal glory like Saul, David was looking to glorify God and make sure that the name of God and His name alone would be feared in the land. Yes, we ought to fear God and only God. You shall not have other gods before Me. Exodus 20;3

When David Met The Dwarf

To David Goliath was no giant at all, not in the sense of bigger and badder or someone that had to be feared of much less served. David was able to see what others couldn't see, David saw that the true giant was God and that in comparison, Goliath the god of the Philistines was very small and insignificant, a dwarf with a big ego. David studied the situation and realized that the very strength of Goliath was his weakness, his ego and his boasting was his weakness, his display of great strength was his weakness. David couldn't be restrained by an armor and a heavy sword if he was going to face Goliath. The Bible tells us what heavy equipment Goliath was carrying and it made him slow, which gave David and advantage over Goliath. David ran faster and by the Spirit of the Lord Of Hosts, he brought down the Giant with one stone and decapitated the Giant with his own sword. That day David killed two gigantic egos, Goliath and Saul. And exalted the only name that ought to be exalted, the name of the Lord.

FEAR, Satan's Preferred Weapon

With the example above and so many biblical examples as well as contemporary examples of valor where men and women of all ages would not allow fear to paralyzed and make them bow before other gods, you would think that Satan would give it up already. But No, he would not give up his weapon of preference, because it works. He even tried it with Jesus when he tempted him in the wilderness. He knew the fear that the Lord was going to confront, the fear of the wrath of God that He Jesus had to endure was so much that the Bible tells us that he was sweating drops of blood while praying in Gethsemane, for the wrath of God against all the sins of the world was going to be manifested in the life of Jesus the Lord, causing Him death. Satan knew this and knew that fear is a great motivator, so he offered Jesus a way out. He offered all the kingdom of this world to Jesus, yes Satan is the prince of this world and he owns the world and its system. The offer had a condition attached to it, Jesus had to bow and worship Satan. You serve that which you fear. Satan wanted to trick Jesus, spare him his fear of the wrath of God and bring Jesus to his side. But Jesus fear God and boldly told Satan, NO! I will only worship God.  

You Must Fear God. That's all.

As you read this you may be under the spell of a fear of some sort. That fear may as well represent your giant and if the fear that you are experiencing is not the fear of the Lord, then rest assured that it is the spirit of fear and Satan is directly involved. Satan's desire is to cripple and paralyze you completely so you will serve your fear and not the God that created the heavens and the earth. The scriptures says that God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.(2Timothy 1:7) God is not the source of your fear. There is a healthy fear and that is the Fear Of The Lord. The Fear Of The Lord is the beginning of Wisdom. God desires to set you free, to empower you and give you a sound mind. Fear God! that's all.

Be transformed by the renewing of your mind,

​Pastor Edwin 

 It was a cold and clear winter night, I was in the comfort of my home in New York City, it was about 3:15 in the morning. Why was I up at that time? You might ask, well I was actually pacing from one side of the living room to the other because the pain in my lower back area was unbearable. Due to an ailment not yet known to me at the time, I had developed a very high level of calcium in my body which had caused the formation of kidney stones, not just one or two but over one hundred of them. As I write, I have already passed 140 kidney stones and one of them was so large that it had to be removed by surgery and some other undesirable procedure. but that particular night I was going through a unique situation, I had 7 stones stuck between the right kidney and the bladder and I had a lot of liquid built up between the top of my right kidney and my stomach area, causing excruciating pain in my lower back. I was pacing back and forth, I was crying, I was praying and I was asking this question, Lord, where are you? I couldn't understand at the time What purpose would the Lord have to allow me to go through such a difficult experience, and in the midst of it, the pain, my feelings and the anguish that I was experiencing made me feel so lonely and forsaken by my God.
I had made a conscientious commitment to the Lord, that it didn't matter what I will go through due to my illness, I would never give Satan the glory, whether good or bad my circumstances belong to God and to God alone and that I would praise his name no matter what. But that night I needed God more than ever, and I felt like he wasn't there. I remained calling on him for a good part of the night, and in the middle of the night when I felt that all was lost, there it was like a faint voice, like a whisper in the depth of my soul and my spirit, the words as clear as the night, I AM HERE. ​

Jehova-Shammah (The Lord is Present)

The Lord began to show me and assured me that in the midst of my pain, anguish and suffering He was there with me, He was suffering it with me, He would never leave me or forsake me, my pain was His pain and my suffering was His suffering for He lives in me. He made me see like a movie how He never forsake King David. David felt exhausted and was panting like a deer pants through the currents of the waters at a moment when his enemies were asking him. Where is your God? (Psalm 42) And David began to cry out, I Am Thirsty! I thirst for God, for the living God. David knew that the Lord was present and would never forsake him, which is why he says in psalm 23 although I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil because you are with me. The Lord showed me how He was with Joseph the son of Jacob, through all his trials and unimaginable circumstances, God never left him or forsake him and the Lord kept His promise to see him through it all until He became the second in the Kingdom of Egypt.

Forsaken By God

Then the Lord showed me a different picture, He showed me how He was sweating drops of blood the night that He was to be apprehended in gethsemane, where He asked of the Father, let this cup pass from me. But He had to do it, yes, He was going to go through the most horrible suffering that any human being would ever go through and He had to do it alone. He was going to carry the sin of the world on him and confront the hate of all his enemies at once, no one was coming to His rescue, Satan himself was present with every member of his kingdom of darkness to make sure that no mercy was afforded to Jesus, and so the ordeal began with false testimonies and being sentenced to be lashed 40 times without stopping, breaking through His flesh to the very bone, they punched him and smacked him and spit on him and made him carry His own cross, they nailed His hands to the cross, they nailed His feet to the cross and there He hanged for hours until He died and a roman soldier pierced His side. But the most difficult time happened between noon and 3 o’clock, when darkness covered the earth, darkness is nothing else but the absence of light and God is the Father of lights, He dwells in inaccessible light and yet darkness was surrounding Jesus. So Jesus knew that He was alone and forsaken and He cried out for nothing hurt him more than to be forsaken by the Father, He said: “My God, my God, Why have you forsaken me?

At that moment I realized that my pain and suffering was so minimal in comparison and I had to ask the Lord, why Lord WHY? Why did you go through such pain and suffering alone and forsaken? With the deepest love I have ever felt He replied: I did it, so you don’t have to ever be alone or forsaken. I did it so I could keep my promise to you that I will be with and in you always. Suffering and feeling everything, you feel, I will never forsake you, I will never leave you alone. I know you will also experience better times and I will be there as well. As I promised I will rejoice when you rejoice and I will mourn when you mourn, I will be with you and in you always. 
That night I learned to say that if I live, I live for Christ and if I die, I die for Christ, whether I live or die I belong to the Lord. To me to live is Christ and to die is gain. Christ Lives in Me!

Note To The Reader:

If you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and savior, this promise is for you as well, the Lord will never leave you or forsake you, He knows your triumphs and your failures, your pain and your joy, the Lord is always there, He lives in you and you in Him. God is truth and there is no deception in Him, He will always keep His promises. His disciples also drank from the same cup and they confronted life, joy, suffering and death in Christ. The Lord never forsake them as He promised. The Lord said: In my father’s house there are many dwellings, I am going to prepare a place for you, so that where I am you shall also be.
Today as I write this note most of my suffering and pain is behind me, the Lord have guided my steps to find healing, fulfillment and joy. There are some challenges ahead of me, but I know the Lord is with me and in me, the life I live, I live in Christ.  He will never forsake me. Amen!
 
Yours In Christ,
​
Pastor Edwin

​Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but have the LIGHT of life.Jesus is the Son of God. The only begotten of the Father (John 1:14), The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father (John 1:18), John-the- Baptist testified that Jesus is the Son of God (John 1:34). God dwells in inaccessible light (1 Timothy 6:16) no one has access to God (inaccessible) only the Son has seen him and has declared Him (John 1:18). Jesus is in the bosom of the Father, Jesus is light because he is of the same substance as the Father, He is the brightness of the Glory of the Father and the express image of His person (Hebrews 1:3), the glory of the Father and the Glory of Jesus is one and the same, the Word became flesh (John 1:14), Jesus is the God-man, the deity of Jesus Christ is unquestionable 100% God and yet 100% man. Clearly this very fact explains the title, The Father Of Lights! But there remains the fact that the word lights is plural and begs the question. Who else are the sons of God and lights of the world?

​​The Bible says: John 1:12-13But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor ofthe will of man, but of God. John 3:5-7Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’Because of Jesus Christ “The Light of the World” many can come to the Lord, accept him and become children of God. Not everyone can be called a son or daughter of God. Everyone living in the world was born of the flesh, of blood, of the will of the flesh, of the will of man. But there is another birth, which is necessary in order to become children of God. It is a new birth, it is the birth of the Spirit, it is a birth that comes out of the will of God. Only those that are born again can see and enter the Kingdom of God. The King of this kingdom is Jesus Christ and the subjects, citizens of the Kingdom of God are those that are born again, born of the will of God, born of the Spirit. The citizens of the Kingdom that are born again, they live in Christ and they will die in Christ, they will be resurrected by Christ to live eternally with the Lord, the King of the Kingdom of God who offers eternal life. 2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.These that are born again, who are new creations in Christ, they/we are the children of God, those that will eventually hear the gospel, accept Jesus Christ as the only begotten Son of God and accepts his offer of eternal life, their eyes will be opened, they will enter the Kingdom of God and will become children of God.

Out Of This World

The King is not of this World, the Kingdom is not of this world and the citizens of the Kingdom, the children of God are not of this world. We are not of this world system. John 18:36 “My kingdom is not of this world,” said Jesus. “If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would fight, so that I wouldn’t be handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here. John 17:14-16 (Jesus speaking) I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.

The Light Of The World

Just as the King Jesus, the citizens of the Kingdom of God, those that entered the Kingdom through a new birth of the Spirit by the will of God, who have been sanctified and are no longer part of this world system, they are also called “The LIGHT of the World” Matthew 5:14-16 (Jesus speaking) “You are the light of the world. A town build on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.Those that are born again, of the Spirit, by the will of God, who are citizens of the Kingdom of God and do not belong to this world system are now called “The Light of the World” and they are to be visible and shine their light of their new creation, their good deeds, the fruit of the Spirit, the gifts of God, so that when people see it, those that are in darkness, they could glorify their Father in heaven.It is because of Jesus the Son of God and because of his children, those born again, of the Spirit and of the will of God, who are the light of the world, that God the Father is called, The Father of Lights.

Let There Be Light

In both occasions in which God creates, the first creation in Genesis when He created the Heavens and the earth and the second creation in Christ, when He creates the newly born in Christ, the Kingdom of God, we see the Spirit of the Lord hovering over the darkness of this world. In the beginning the Spirit is hovering over the face of the waters (Genesis 1:2) and in the New Testament we see the Spirit hovering over the person of Jesus Christ (John 1:32). In the first creation the first thing that God does to begin to change an empty and voided world in chaos is to say: “Let There Be Light” and there was light. In the creation in Christ, God brings himself in Jesus, the brightness of the glory of the Father, the express image of His person (Hebrews 1:3) (God is light and so is Jesus), to call out from the world those that he predestined in Christ to be the light of the world. So for the reader who is a Christian and is born again into the Kingdom of God, the moment God decided to create His Kingdom to save a world in darkness empty and voided of His presence, He once again said: “Let There Be Light” but what He really said was: “Let There Be You” yes you! You are the light of the world!

Fighting The Darkness In You

The first place in which the light of God must shine is in yourself. In the context of James 1:17 where the title the Father of Lights is introduced, James warns each and every one of us that the Father of Lights can never tempt you, because to do so would mean that there is a dark side to God and James emphasizes that God is the Father of Lights in whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. There is not the smallest shadow in God who dwells in inaccessible light. Furthermore, James explains that your temptations come as a result of your sinful nature, your members of your flesh. The Apostle Paul expands on this issue in Romans chapter 7, revealing that there is a law of sin that continuously works against the law of the Spirit. However, the law of the Spirit that has given you the new birth in Christ providing you with a new nature has also given you the power to kill and destroy the law of sin in you, a power possible. only in Christ! But you must remain in His truth, His light, His word and you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free from the slavery of sin (John 8:31).

You Must Decrease In The Flesh and Increase In The Spirit

Just as John the Baptist said, I must decrease and Jesus must increase. Every Kingdom citizen in Christ that has Jesus living in him/her and is one with Christ (1 Corinthians 6:17), they must decrease so Jesus can increase in them. I must do this, you must do this, we must do this in order to be The Light Of World.

The Clothing of the Kingdom Citizen
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Colossians 3:5-14 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its creator. Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all. Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
​
Final Thought
You must grow in the image of your creator, like Jesus, like the Father of Lights, you must be light, you must dress yourselves with your new garment and be the light of the world. In the words of Jesus, the commandment its clearly implied. GO SHINE!!!