Live Fearlessly and Peacefully

I was so blessed by a greek word study from the other day that I felt I NEEDED to share the highlights with you. We are so blessed to have the translated word of God readily at our fingertips; however, it's unfortunate that some of the meaning gets lost in translation. Thankfully there are people out there who take the time to look back at the Greek/Hebrew and dig up a the true heart and meaning behind a verse. I love Sparkling Gems from the Greek by Rick Renner, it's a book of word studies focusing on verses out of the new testament.

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Make Up Your Mind To Live Fearlessly And Peacefully in These Last Days!

That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.

-2 Thessalonians 2:2

 soon = "greek word tachus which means quickly, suddenly, or hastily"

shaken= "greek word saleuo which means to shake, to waver, to totter, or to be moved."

Renner says the tense Paul used here of these greek words foreshadow events that will be so horrific they could "result in shock or alarm," and they will be so devistating they could "throw the world into a state of  shock or distress."

mind = greek word nous which is "everything in the realm of the intellect, including one's will, emotions, and ability to think, reason, and decide."

Paul is telling us is to control our minds. We cannot allow ourselves to be controlled by fear or panic. What good would that do anyway?

troubled- greek word throeo which is "inward fright" that could result in a person being "devoured with worry, anxiety, or fear."

Paul prophesies these events will not be a one time occurrence, the tense he uses "points to an ongoing state of worry and inward anxiety resulting from these outward events."

Renner says it's obvious the day Paul was speaking of has arrived and that we need to be "deeply rooted in the confidence of God's promises!" He mentions the following verses:

And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

Colossians 3:15 & 16

rule: is the greek word brabeuo "which describes an umpire who calls all the shots and makes all the decisions."

When God's word dwells in us richly then His peace will be what is leading us and helping us make moment by moment decisions, not our emotions or events of the day.

richly: is the greek word plousios which "can be translated as lavishly."

I'm trying to get a picture of what letting God's word dwell in me richly would look like. I guess it means his word would come to mind quickly in a time of need because I've been in the word constantly and I'm always being refreshed. The decisions I make would reflect whether or not the word of Christ dwells in me richly. The words I speak, the way I behave, how I treat others, etc. Wow, come to think of it, I need to be in the word a whole lot more than I am. :-/

If we're rooted and grounded in God's word and we're letting the peace of Christ rule in our lives then we should never have to give into fear or panic which is something I often do even in my daily life {bad Mandy, BAD!}. Our minds should always be stable and fixed on the truth, God's word. Should we find ourselves giving our minds over to fear then we need to remember 2 Thessalonians 2:2 and Colossians 3:15 & 16.

I hope this blessed you as much as it blessed me! Do not fear!

Here are some more encouraging verses:

Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong.

-1 Corinthians 16:13

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body.

-2 Corinthians 4:7-11

For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.

-2 Timothy 1:7

For He Himself has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." So we may boldly say: "The LORD is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?"

-Hebrews 13:5-6

There are lots more...you'll just have to look for yourself. :)

God bless you.

-Mandy