Perfect Love Casts out Fear

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There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. 1 John 4:18

 

I love this verse. 

For years I held onto it with all that was in me.

I wrote it on scripture cards, taped it to my mirrors and meditated on it multiple times a day.

It wasn’t long before I could quote it by heart.

That’s where this verse was stored. 

It was one of the first scriptures God gave me when I was battling fear.

I was suffering with postpartum depression and my father had just been killed in a car accident.

I needed something to cling to.

Although I knew that the Lord specifically and intentionally gave me this verse, it was a year or so later before I actually understood what it meant.

Where would I find a love that would cast out fear?

I think deep down I thought it was my love for Him that would make it go away. If I could just love Him more, serve Him harder… perhaps He would rid me of my fears.

This performance based mentality left me thinking that I could earn His love.

Yet the more I sought Him, the more I began to know Him.

In getting to know Him, I discovered His love was free!

Unlike most human love I had experienced, I didn’t need to earn it.

It was unconditional. Mine for the taking.

Would I face fear again?

Of course! In fact, there are still areas of my life that I want to see victory in. But I’ve learned several things about God’s love that help me to face those fears.

His love comforts me in the midst of my fears

For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs. Zephaniah 3:17

Not only does God love me, but He delights in me with gladness and calms me with His love. There’s a rest that comes over my soul knowing that God delights in me. For many years I had a wrong view of God. I thought He was a task master that delighted in punishing me if I did something wrong. Isn’t that just like the enemy? He uses fear, intimidation and lies to make us believe that God is mad at us. What I realized as I studied God’s character is that fear is the real taskmaster. It seeks to tell us what we can and can’t do and produces worst case scenarios for us to meditate on. Yet the more we clothe ourselves in God’s Word, the more we see the truth about fear. Fear is simply False Evidence Appearing Real.

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It convinces me that He’s already overcome and therefore, I have too.

But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:57

God loved us so much that He sent His Son to die for us. He died not only so that we would be reconciled to the Father, but also so that we would be set free. The love that brought Him to the cross, is the same love that sets us free from the bondage of fear. My overcoming is wrapped up in my knowledge of Him. The more I know Him, the more freedom I have.

It reminds that He is in control and that He can be trusted to take care of me.

“For I know the plans I have for you”, declares the Lord, “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11

God is in control. He holds the entire world together, surely He can manage my life. And yours too! But He doesn’t just watch over us, but He actually has plans for us–to prosper us, give us a future and a hope in Him. When fear seeks to tell me what could happen, I remember that God has already been to my future. He knows the end from the beginning. He knows what is best for me and takes care of my needs. I can trust Him. We can trust Him.

It’s His perfect love that casts out fear.

Our fears are overshadowed by a perfect love received from Him and a complete trust in Him.

God can be trusted with every area of our lives. The more we get to know Him, the more we understand His love for us.

This month we will be focusing on Battling Fear. We’re going to dig into scriptures and reveal the truth about fear. I invite you to join me for an Intentional Bible Reading Plan on Battling Fear.

As you spend time with Him, He will fill you with His unfailing love, casting out every fear.

**You can check out the rest of the Battling Fear Series HERE.**

 

 

 

 

Want to learn more about God’s love for you? Join us for a 10 Day Challenge as we do a in-depth study of John 3:16. We’ll learn more about His character, His promises and gain a deeper understanding of His love.

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