Perfect LOVE drives out fear

A week ago I took a very precious friend to a nearby hospital to have her monthly eye injections following all the guidelines for being a volunteer driver. Having dropped her off I wait in the car park for a couple of hours. I needed a comfort break so walked into the hospital where staff check your temperature and you say your business. I felt as if I was hit by a wall of fear, it was tangible in people's mannerisms and their eyes when we can't see smiles. Even when in the Eastern Block in the Cold War I didn't feel this. I wanted to stop and talk to people about God's amazing love and I felt so sad and more determined than ever to talk about the amazing LOVE we all have poured into our hearts when we choose Jesus as number one.

Fear causes us to say things like 'I could never....... do that,..... go there,..... speak to them..... be any good at......' and the rest! Think about what you declare with your mouth, is it a truth or a lie?

It is hard to talk about LOVE and focus on 'fear' and yet that is the very powerful force that limits love working in our lives and is often at the root of many problems we have.

1 John 4:18-19 'There is no fear in LOVE (dread does not exist). But perfect (complete, full grown) LOVE drives out fear, because fear involves (the expectation of Divine) punishment, so the one who is afraid (of God's Judgement) is not perfected in LOVE (has not grown into a sufficient understanding of God's LOVE). We love, because He first Loved us.'

Fear can be so deep rooted that we respond to situations and don't even know why we react like that. Of course there is the fight or flight automatic reaction which saves us from many dangers. Recently I was about to fall over and the first word out of my mouth was 'Jesus' (not as a swear word) and as I landed on the concrete slabs nothing at all was damaged much to the surprise of all around me. So let us have His Name forefront in our talk.

Fear is a very massive response in most situations today as the TV News is full of horror stories, as is the multimedia. We are in danger of our mind picking up these stories if we do not protect ourselves by speaking His Word out of our mouth as a weapon in this war for our spirit.

FEAR is False Evidence Appearing Real. So when we get symptoms in our body which we often accept, not recognising them as false evidence from the enemy, then we have a battle on our hands.

But let us focus on His LOVE as the Word says that this is what deals with 'fear'. This LOVE is not a happy feeling it is GOD Himself. Our love is very varied. We use the same word for our children and chocolate. There is no comparison but I believe this verse is not calling for a head response, a knowledge that we have lots of verses to back up that Father loves us. It is not an intellectual relationship, using our brains to prove the point. It is receiving His heart into our heart and allowing Him to give us a new heart and put a new spirit within us. He takes away our heart of stone and we let Him give us a new heart of flesh, that is responsive to His touch. Ezekiel 11:19.

Without a doubt this has been the biggest change in my life this last year. The light bulb moment of recognising that lots of good things I have said about God's love has now dropped from my head to my heart. I no longer need to be driven by activity for acceptance and approval. I can just rest in my LOVE relationship with Him alone and KNOW that just the way I am is just right for HIM and this overwhelms me. All the wasted years striving and manipulating to be loved when I am totally unconditionally loved from the beginning of time. I love the Word far more, I want to spend more time just enjoying Jesus and obey His leading as this is the most exciting life.

The Father's Love Letter says it all. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZsBhvSMQUk4

If you want to study further look at 'Real Love' in Joy for Life Bible studies looking at the book of 1 John