Teardrops in the Fire

Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego replied to the king saying, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to answer you concerning this matter. If it is so, our God whom we serve is able to save us from the furnace of blazing fire and He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. Yet even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods, nor worship the golden image that you set up.” Daniel 3:16-18 TLV

Several weeks ago I received a word from God. “Fear is the only thing that can defeat you. Nothing else can touch you, only fear”. He was pretty adamant in declaring the “nothing else”. Dad wanted me to get the message that fear, and fear alone, is the only thing in all of creation that can beat me. Consider this for a moment, a Selah if you will.

Now, consider that fear only has whatever control over you that you allow it to have. It cannot force itself on you, cannot strike you, bruise you, cut you, or bleed you. It cannot break one bone, lacerate any appendage, break a nose, black a single eye. Yet we surrender to it every day.

Fear is sneaky, stealthy, and silent in it’s movement. You never hear it coming. For some, they never hear fear coming because it’s always there, it never leaves them. But good luck getting most to admit it. For others, fear has trained us well. We give in without even realizing that it was fear that just made a decision for us, caused us to sit back down, give up that dream, walk away from that soul mate, that family, that job, that potential ministry. Fear causes men every day to pull back from that hug, hold back that “I love you”, stop themselves from actually feeling and speaking and doing from their hearts. Fear is insidious; it is the most destructive force in all of creation.

And yet, for Him it is nothing. Jesus crushes fear without lifting a finger. Just His mere presence, just the thought of Him, one word or gesture…fear gone like spider silk blown on the wind. And yet, fear knows this too, and fights you to keep Him out.

I’ve been learning about a special kind of fear these last few weeks. It was only just recently that I even identified that it exists. Yet, now that I know of it’s existence, I can look back and see its destructive work all along the path of my life. I know that I learned it early, gave it a foothold when I was so young, but from what I cannot yet say…conversations that have yet to take place between Him and I; hints of future tears.

But I do see it now. My last encounter with it was just this morning, returning from the store. As I put the truck into park, I heard the chant in my head, started by that Wild Goose, the Spirit of the Lord:

“Who are you?”, He asks.

“Chainbreaker.”

“What are you?”

“Lion.”

“And you are to do what?”

“Stand my ground.”

See, a couple of days ago a brother sent me a text message. Said that the Holy Spirit had given him a word for me. This is a brother I trust with my life, cause we’ve seen the ugly in this world and stood on that line for each other and for others, so I trust this word: “Breakthrough is coming”. So, walking from the truck to our apartment, I keep hearing “Stand your ground” to every time I reflect on “Breakthrough is coming” and I feel the Holy Spirit breathe on me and the tears come:

“When is breakthrough coming?”, I ask.

“Stand your ground.”

“Where are You, and the vision I had of You the other day?”

“Stand your ground.”

“Please, come soon. I need You.”

“Stand your ground.”

And I realize it, right then. I’m being told to stand my ground in the midst of fear. A fear that I didn’t even realize was with me, trying to steal His promise, His word, His might, His strength, His purpose…trying to steal Him.

I didn’t even know it was there. Walking with me every day. Whispering in my ear every day. Trying to steal from me every day. Every day of my life that spirit of fear sucking and feeding and lying…a literal spirit of fear. Hounding me all the days of my life.

Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego blazed a trail. They were not afraid. They were completely submitted to whatever the will of God was; burn or not burn.

I bet every dollar I ever make that in that moment, with the appearance of Salvation right there in the furnace with them, they rejoiced with tears.

They had their teardrops in the fire from a place of joy and deliverance. I’ve had my teardrops in the fire, but they’ve come from a place of pain and fear, fear of not surviving, of God not coming through.

Let me follow in the footsteps of these three Hebrew warriors; I shall not bow to the idol of fear, nor worship its fruit. My God will do as He pleases with me.

When deliverance comes, may my tears fall in the fire, and make a pleasing scent of thanksgiving and worship for He who always comes through. Selah.



Be blessed, be strong…Jason.

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