Living Fearless

"There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love."   (1 John 4:18)

For years, I yearned for deliverance from my fears, but I wanted something more than the Lord’s simple instructions to keep my eyes on him. Instead, I prayed fervently for him to remove my fears. “Why won’t you just take this fear from me?” I demanded.  God, in his tender mercy, sent me back to his Word. There I read that perfect love casts out fear. I realized that fear will not get us through danger. But love can. God’s love resides in us, but we’re not always confident of that because we can’t see it. We do see the dangers, being too high off the ground, perhaps, or staring into the cold face of an enemy. So we doubt, we question, and we let fear take over.  God knew that we would be afraid, that we would doubt. That’s why he tells us again and again in the Bible, “Fear not.” Three hundred and fifty times he tells us. Fear not. Fear not. Fear not. Fear not. When angels appeared to characters in the Bible, the first words they spoke were usually, “Fear not.”  It’s like a mother instinctively reaching for her child who is crying in the storm, wrapping her arms around the trembling heart, and soothing over and over, “It’s okay. I’m here with you. Don’t be afraid.”  God works in us to help us confront our fears and take a risk. He’s there with us, before, during, and after.

=>   He promises to be our light in the darkness and our strength (Psalm 21:1).

=>   He reminds us not to be dismayed, because he will help us and hold us (Isaiah 41:10).

=>   He tells us to be of good courage because he will never leave nor forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:6).

=>   He exhorts us to be strong and courageous (Joshua 1:6).

=>   He delivers us from our troubles and doubts and fears so that we may taste and see his goodness (Psalm 34).

So that we might taste and see. God’s power is not invisible. It’s real. It’s an undeniable force, and it lives in us. As we fix our eyes on him, we see his love, we taste his power, and it feeds us. It helps us grow stronger, so strong, in fact, that we find every bit of strength we need to soar above and beyond any fear holding us back.  Hallelujah, God bless