Be afraid, be very afraid. This is the grave message that has pummeled us for the last twelve weeks or so. The Corona Virus is out to get you and the only responsible thing to do is to cower in terror in your house. No matter what you think of the situation most of the world finds itself in being motivated by fear, This is a dangerous place to be. Exercising caution is a reasonable and prudent thing to do. However, the motivating message we have heard on the news, from our politicians and a number of medical experts is that of fear. Fear you will be infected and die or fear that you will infect someone else and their death is your fault alone. If you do not obey the message of fear you are selfish, hateful and rebellious. None of those qualities are Godly so just go home and try to sedate your fear with some entertaining distraction.
I have witnessed an almost irrational fear in some folks at grocery stores. Even within the body of Christ there are those who live in fear. God has given us another avenue to follow. In Deuteronomy 31:6 God gives this message to Moses, “Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you.” Paul gives Timothy a similar message, "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind" (1 Timothy 1:7). It is not difficult to find Scriptures telling us not to fear. The only fear we are to have is a reverential fear of the Lord. 1 Samuel 12:24, "Only fear the LORD, and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things He has done for you." Being cautious is a responsible way to respond to a crisis, any crisis, be it health, military, or terrorist threat. However, responding in fear rather than trust in the God of creation is one step away from forsaking the God who delivers you.
Responses to life's issues always have consequences. Responding in fear is no different. John warns us that fear negates love. 1 John 4:18, "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love." Loving God also means trusting Him. The God Who did not withhold His only Son for our salvation is One we can love and trust in return. We need not live in fear. Notice the danger of fear. "Fear has or holds torment". The Greek word is only used one other time in Scripture, “And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life" found in Matthew 25:46. John uses the same word for everlasting torment or punishment for one who succumbs to the trap of fear. Fear robs us of life and love.
When I was in eighth grade my American history teacher approached our history with a blend of sociology, history, cultural anthropology, and philosophy. History was based in a culture and influenced by one's philosophical approach to life. America had a blending of cultures and its founding drew from the works of John Locke, Thomas Aquinas, and even Plato. The one principle I somehow hung onto was this statement. "Fear destroys freedom." If Columbus had been ruled by fear there would have been no new world. If the pilgrims or Sir Walter Raleigh had lived in fear there would be no Massachusetts or North Carolina. Fear would have kept the colonies under the tyranny of Great Britain. The settlers would not have moved west and much of what we enjoy would never have come to be. Remove fear and we learn to fly, and explore outer space, and find cures to disease. Fear keeps us from sharing the Gospel, being missionaries to foreign lands, teaching a Bible class or even listening to a sick child. Fear is far more destructive than we may realize.
Being aware of the dangers and responding accordingly is a sign of wisdom. God is aware of contagious disease. He instituted regulations for those who were ill or contagious. Leviticus 13 gives the regulations for those with skin ailments, including quarantine, to protect those who were healthy. (Just a note, God does not quarantine healthy people on the basis of fear.) Keeping those infected at a distance from those who are not is a Biblical principle to protect the community. Leprosy was a horrible, contagious, and sometimes deadly disease. The community needed to be protected. Sometimes, just to be safe, people were isolated until a rash or infection could be verified as contagious or not. It was the best thing to do so that the infection would not spread. Prudent action to help prevent or limit the spread of a disease was part of God's instruction to His people. However, the instructions were not intended to bring fear into the lives of His people. The intent was to bring protection and security.
I do not know your circumstances. I do not know how this current virus has threatened you or your family. However, I do know that the Lord does not want your life filled with anxiety and fear. Perhaps we just need to remember the words of the writer to the Hebrews tells us, "So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?” Or any pandemic, or government, or whatever the world wants to throw at us. The Lord is always there. I will not be afraid.
Showing posts with label 1 John 4:18. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 1 John 4:18. Show all posts
Monday, May 11, 2020
Sunday, January 14, 2018
Do You Live In a Castle of Fear?
Have you ever felt a bit intimidated, concerned, even afraid due to events or people that you encounter in life? Have you considered what this does to your existence or to your goals and desires? Does it interfere with what you feel you were called to do? As believers we are told that we have nothing to fear. We should live anxious free lives overshadowed by the Lord's grace. However, I have found that life does not always feel that way. The Apostle John gives us a means of dealing with these feelings of inadequacy and apprehension. He also warns us of the consequences if we try to ignore the fear issue. We find this instruction in 1 John 4:18, "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love." According to John all we need is perfect love to conquer fear, and if we don't, there is torment and we stand imperfect before God. So it looks like the fear thing is a pretty big deal, from God's point of view. Love should have freed me from such feelings. Great, now I have added guilt to my sense of apprehension.
Now before we all join in the guilt train ride to torment it would be well to take a closer look at what John is saying. There are a few things to remember. John is a Jewish Rabbi. Though the letter is general, John writes from a Jewish context and often deals with Jewish issues including the challenges of accepting Gentiles into the believing community. John's use of the terms fear, love and torment will come from an Hebraic mindset, even if they are Greek words. In the context of 1 John 4:18, the Apostle is dealing with the problem of unity or the lack thereof. John has written, "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God" (1 John 4:7). Love is the binding force that draws us to God and to one another. It is the very evidence that we know God. That is why John follows with verse 8, "He who does not love does not know God, for God is love." If there is no communion in love then God is not known and no one will easily find Him. For, "No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us" (1 John 4:12). This is a very Jewish thought. Greeks and Romans encountered their gods often. Legend held that the gods even cohabited with humans producing demigods, like Hercules. However, for Yahweh to be known His followers must reflect His love. What is this love of God?
John uses the Greek word, agape, the highest Greek word for love. It is a sacrificial love that seeks the best for another. John is likely thinking of the Hebrew word hesed or chesed. Often translated "lovingkindness" in the Old Testament. It is a difficult word to translate as it involves both God's unconditional covenant love and the response of His people to that love. It is deeply intimate and speaks of the profound connection between the Lord and His chosen ones. It is an active relationship of passionate obedience and tender mercy shared by those who know God, both personally and as a community. The love John speaks of demands community connection. Which is why John sums things up in 1 John 4:20, " If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?" The love that binds one to the Lord must also bind us to one another or we do not know God or the Love of God.
John tells us that this kind of love between God and us results in love perfected. Remember 1 John 4:12 told us that, " If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us." Perfect in Greek may mean that something cannot be improved or advanced. You have arrived and can get no better. It can also carry the idea of completion or a finished result. The Hebrew idea also includes the concept of always making the right choice. God is perfect, however it does not mean He does not interact with His creation. His response is not always the same and is not always predictable. However, it is always the correct and best response. It is in our love for one another that God's love is completed. Not meaning that it cannot grow, but that it places an accurate visualization of Who He is, the unseen God, on display for the world to see. John's conclusion is this. "And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God love his brother also" (1 John 4:21). There is no option but to have the same deep and passionate love for one another that we are to have for God. If that is not true then we are not His disciples.
Nestled in this powerful message of unity and devoted love is verse 18, "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love." The Greek word phobos, from where we get phobia, is used here. It is a broad term that covers everything from concern to terror. Those who have this fear issue have not been perfected, completed, do not make the right choices that would reflect the person and nature of the unseen God. In the context, why and what kind of fear could be such a concern for John as he writes to these believers? When we consider the culture of the time the issue is easier to understand. The community of believers John writes to is diverse. There are Jews, Messianic Jews, God fearing Gentiles, proselyte Gentiles (Gentiles who have become fully Jewish), believing or Messianic Gentiles, and a diversity of cultures. They are most likely meeting together at the synagogues to hear the Word of God, as it is the only place where the Word is available and taught. Now the command is for all those who believe in and love Messiah to be one unified community.
However, a Gentile establishing a deep connection with a Jew while forsaking everything that made him a Gentile could add a great deal of pressure to their life. They would be forsaking their pagan practices and life styles. They would appear to be becoming more Jewish. There would be great social pressure to keep the Jewish brothers at a distance. For the Jews it could be worse. Time with a Gentile could make them culturally and ceremonially unclean. Eating with, and caring for a Gentile, might cost you friendships and business within the greater Jewish community. Some may question your access to the temple and the Jewish feasts and celebrations. In reality there was a lot to be concerned about, to fear, in trying to be obedient to this command. To be devoted to those who have been suspect if not outright enemies for generations was no easy task. However, when we reflect upon the love of God Who gave His Son so that death would be defeated and we could have life eternal, loving one another is not so much to ask. In fact, there is no fear in love. Love that focuses on others and has its goal to make the right choices has a way of crushing fear and apprehension. If we choose not to love there are consequences. This kind of love offers a complete picture of the love of God, it reveals the unseen God.
John says, "Fear has torment." Meaning, a sort of self inflicted punishment. It is the result of a continuing action that we submit to. We allow the fear and apprehension to control us rather than the Spirit of God. If fear controls you, you invite anxiety, loneliness, isolation, and paranoia to be your constant companions. You welcome the physical side effects of sleep deprivation, ulcers, head aches, and a compromised immune system. You have not been made complete in God's love. You are also not portraying the image of God that the world desperately needs to see. We have a choice in this matter. We can be made complete in God's love.
Most of us do not struggle with the thought of being ceremonial unclean by hanging out with a Gentile, unless you happen to be a Hasidic Jew. Still most of us have people or groups we feel a bit apprehensive being around. In truth we just do not have time for agape or hesed love. It is too demanding and takes too much of a commitment. We are afraid of vulnerability and saturated with a lack of trust after years of being taken advantage of or betrayed. We have been lied to and lied about and deserted when we needed a friend to defend us. So we live in fear. We are content to just taste the edges of what it is to be a part of a committed community. We do the church thing, the Bible study thing, the Christian thing, however the cost of agape is just too much. Fear protects us. It lets us hide behind the walls of our insecurities and and feel okay in our torment. And the world around us misses the opportunity to see the unseen God revealed in the love shared among His people. We can choose to take steps to be connected to others and to the community of believers we fellowship with. We can start with one person we trust and build from there. A cup of coffee, a shared prayer request, a note of encouragement, a text or phone call that tells them you care. Love is an action and it can deliver us from choosing to be victims, tormented by our own fears.
Has the love of God completed you in such a way that your devotion to other believers allows you to be truly tenderhearted and vulnerable? God gave, and it was the cost of His Son. What price are we willing to pay to honestly love one another? Or is it just easier, safer, to live inside our castles of fear.
Now before we all join in the guilt train ride to torment it would be well to take a closer look at what John is saying. There are a few things to remember. John is a Jewish Rabbi. Though the letter is general, John writes from a Jewish context and often deals with Jewish issues including the challenges of accepting Gentiles into the believing community. John's use of the terms fear, love and torment will come from an Hebraic mindset, even if they are Greek words. In the context of 1 John 4:18, the Apostle is dealing with the problem of unity or the lack thereof. John has written, "Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God" (1 John 4:7). Love is the binding force that draws us to God and to one another. It is the very evidence that we know God. That is why John follows with verse 8, "He who does not love does not know God, for God is love." If there is no communion in love then God is not known and no one will easily find Him. For, "No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us" (1 John 4:12). This is a very Jewish thought. Greeks and Romans encountered their gods often. Legend held that the gods even cohabited with humans producing demigods, like Hercules. However, for Yahweh to be known His followers must reflect His love. What is this love of God?
John uses the Greek word, agape, the highest Greek word for love. It is a sacrificial love that seeks the best for another. John is likely thinking of the Hebrew word hesed or chesed. Often translated "lovingkindness" in the Old Testament. It is a difficult word to translate as it involves both God's unconditional covenant love and the response of His people to that love. It is deeply intimate and speaks of the profound connection between the Lord and His chosen ones. It is an active relationship of passionate obedience and tender mercy shared by those who know God, both personally and as a community. The love John speaks of demands community connection. Which is why John sums things up in 1 John 4:20, " If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?" The love that binds one to the Lord must also bind us to one another or we do not know God or the Love of God.
John tells us that this kind of love between God and us results in love perfected. Remember 1 John 4:12 told us that, " If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us." Perfect in Greek may mean that something cannot be improved or advanced. You have arrived and can get no better. It can also carry the idea of completion or a finished result. The Hebrew idea also includes the concept of always making the right choice. God is perfect, however it does not mean He does not interact with His creation. His response is not always the same and is not always predictable. However, it is always the correct and best response. It is in our love for one another that God's love is completed. Not meaning that it cannot grow, but that it places an accurate visualization of Who He is, the unseen God, on display for the world to see. John's conclusion is this. "And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God love his brother also" (1 John 4:21). There is no option but to have the same deep and passionate love for one another that we are to have for God. If that is not true then we are not His disciples.
Nestled in this powerful message of unity and devoted love is verse 18, "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love." The Greek word phobos, from where we get phobia, is used here. It is a broad term that covers everything from concern to terror. Those who have this fear issue have not been perfected, completed, do not make the right choices that would reflect the person and nature of the unseen God. In the context, why and what kind of fear could be such a concern for John as he writes to these believers? When we consider the culture of the time the issue is easier to understand. The community of believers John writes to is diverse. There are Jews, Messianic Jews, God fearing Gentiles, proselyte Gentiles (Gentiles who have become fully Jewish), believing or Messianic Gentiles, and a diversity of cultures. They are most likely meeting together at the synagogues to hear the Word of God, as it is the only place where the Word is available and taught. Now the command is for all those who believe in and love Messiah to be one unified community.
However, a Gentile establishing a deep connection with a Jew while forsaking everything that made him a Gentile could add a great deal of pressure to their life. They would be forsaking their pagan practices and life styles. They would appear to be becoming more Jewish. There would be great social pressure to keep the Jewish brothers at a distance. For the Jews it could be worse. Time with a Gentile could make them culturally and ceremonially unclean. Eating with, and caring for a Gentile, might cost you friendships and business within the greater Jewish community. Some may question your access to the temple and the Jewish feasts and celebrations. In reality there was a lot to be concerned about, to fear, in trying to be obedient to this command. To be devoted to those who have been suspect if not outright enemies for generations was no easy task. However, when we reflect upon the love of God Who gave His Son so that death would be defeated and we could have life eternal, loving one another is not so much to ask. In fact, there is no fear in love. Love that focuses on others and has its goal to make the right choices has a way of crushing fear and apprehension. If we choose not to love there are consequences. This kind of love offers a complete picture of the love of God, it reveals the unseen God.
John says, "Fear has torment." Meaning, a sort of self inflicted punishment. It is the result of a continuing action that we submit to. We allow the fear and apprehension to control us rather than the Spirit of God. If fear controls you, you invite anxiety, loneliness, isolation, and paranoia to be your constant companions. You welcome the physical side effects of sleep deprivation, ulcers, head aches, and a compromised immune system. You have not been made complete in God's love. You are also not portraying the image of God that the world desperately needs to see. We have a choice in this matter. We can be made complete in God's love.
Most of us do not struggle with the thought of being ceremonial unclean by hanging out with a Gentile, unless you happen to be a Hasidic Jew. Still most of us have people or groups we feel a bit apprehensive being around. In truth we just do not have time for agape or hesed love. It is too demanding and takes too much of a commitment. We are afraid of vulnerability and saturated with a lack of trust after years of being taken advantage of or betrayed. We have been lied to and lied about and deserted when we needed a friend to defend us. So we live in fear. We are content to just taste the edges of what it is to be a part of a committed community. We do the church thing, the Bible study thing, the Christian thing, however the cost of agape is just too much. Fear protects us. It lets us hide behind the walls of our insecurities and and feel okay in our torment. And the world around us misses the opportunity to see the unseen God revealed in the love shared among His people. We can choose to take steps to be connected to others and to the community of believers we fellowship with. We can start with one person we trust and build from there. A cup of coffee, a shared prayer request, a note of encouragement, a text or phone call that tells them you care. Love is an action and it can deliver us from choosing to be victims, tormented by our own fears.
Has the love of God completed you in such a way that your devotion to other believers allows you to be truly tenderhearted and vulnerable? God gave, and it was the cost of His Son. What price are we willing to pay to honestly love one another? Or is it just easier, safer, to live inside our castles of fear.
Thursday, June 23, 2016
Don't Be a Fraidy-Cat
Fear. It is a reality that touches pretty much all that are breathing. No one likes to be afraid. Most are aware of some of the multitude of phobias that we can use to categorize label our discomfort. A few are well known, like hydrophobia - fear of water, acrophobia - fear of heights or claustrophobia - fear of confined spaces. Some fears are less familiar such as xerophobia - fear of dryness, or one of my favorites, sesquipedalophobia - the fear of long words. Which is almost an oxymoron when you think about it. Unless you are afraid of oxymorons, then you wouldn't want to think about it at all. The point is we all have a variety of fears that can plague our psyches. Depending on your level of concern, fear can be an inconvenience or something debilitating. Fear has been around for a very long time. We are not meant to live with such a cloud hanging over us. One of the truths about fear is its ability to imprison us, or at least prohibit us from achieving what we could have accomplished if we had not succumbed to its tentacles.
When we look to the Word of God we find that we are not alone when it comes to fear. "Fear not", is the common greeting of the Lord to the Patriarchs (see Genesis 15:1, 21:17, 46:3). It is also true with angelic visitors (See Matthew 1:20, Luke 1:13 & 30). The events recorded in Exodus 3 demonstrate that Moses was less than excited about being called to rescue God's people from Egypt and Pharaoh. One is tempted to chuckle when the Lord visits Gideon, "And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valor" (Judges 6:12). The context reminds us that Gideon is threshing wheat by the wine press to hide it from the Midianites. Gideon is given instructions by the Lord to tear down an alter to Baal, "Then Gideon took ten men of his servants, and did as the LORD had said unto him: and so it was, because he feared his father's household, and the men of the city, that he could not do it by day, that he did it by night" (Judges 6:27). Not the glowing example of a "mighty man" that most of us would appreciate. However, even though Gideon is afraid, he obeys anyway, even if it is a sort of covert obedience.
Perhaps one of the most glaring illustrations of the fear that can touch a follower of the Lord is that of Peter. The bold disciple cowers at the question of a servant girl (Luke 22:57). Peter is, very simply, afraid. The really good news is that God was not done with Peter. Peter will not remain a fearful failure. He will be restored and be the champion God intended him to be. John Mark has the same experience of restoration. After deserting Paul and Barnabas in Pamphylia (Acts 13), Paul later says Mark is useful to him for service (2 Timothy 4:11). Perhaps Timothy is not the only one on Paul's heart when he writes to Timothy, "God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind" (2 Timothy 1:7). If Timothy and others were not given to issues of fear, these words would have never been penned.
When we think of the fearful we could also include Esther, Saul, Elijah, the nine disciples who ran from the garden, just to name a few. It is not unusual for the people of God to be apprehensive or even outright afraid. The question is, what will we do with the fear? Will it control us or will we, by the power of God, overcome the fear. Beyond this, when we fail, how will we rebound? I have been walking with the Lord for a good number of years and must admit that there is a bit of turmoil in my being when I am confronted about my faith. I really do not like confrontation. I usually take a breath and the Spirit comes to my rescue more often than not. Fear, when we let it run it's course, can imprison us. It can keep us from the things we could experience and the mission God has for us.
Fear often destroys the freedom to do things we could enjoy. It can keep us from the simple joys like amusement park rides, climbing a mountain, taking a cruise, or riding a bike. It can prohibit us from teaching a class, leading a Bible study, questioning a teaching, or taking a mission trip. Fear can be an insidious thief robbing us from ministries and service God has called us to experience. Fear can draw us into disobedience and even a quiet rebellion with a lack of trust in the God who delivered us. I am not suggesting that fear of heights, or water, or darkness, is sin. Some of those deep seated phobias may never be fully conquered. However, the Apostle John reminds us that, "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love" (1 John 4:18). Punishment or torment is the byproduct of fear. It needs to be conquered as we move forward with Messiah.
We need to encourage one another to overcome and conquer fear. We can take a cue from the Apostle Paul as he encouraged Timothy. We can follow the example of the Lord and His people as they encouraged Joshua in Joshua chapter one. As we travel down the roads that God directs us to take, we need to remember that we are to be strong and courageous. By God's grace we need to move past fear into trust and obedience. The result will be joy in the Lord for the victory He gives. The alternative may leave us imprisoned and tormented. Perhaps you need some Godly counsel or a trusted friend to help deal with your fears. What I do know is that fear is not the abundant life Messiah promised those who follow Him. Is it time to face your fears?
When we look to the Word of God we find that we are not alone when it comes to fear. "Fear not", is the common greeting of the Lord to the Patriarchs (see Genesis 15:1, 21:17, 46:3). It is also true with angelic visitors (See Matthew 1:20, Luke 1:13 & 30). The events recorded in Exodus 3 demonstrate that Moses was less than excited about being called to rescue God's people from Egypt and Pharaoh. One is tempted to chuckle when the Lord visits Gideon, "And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valor" (Judges 6:12). The context reminds us that Gideon is threshing wheat by the wine press to hide it from the Midianites. Gideon is given instructions by the Lord to tear down an alter to Baal, "Then Gideon took ten men of his servants, and did as the LORD had said unto him: and so it was, because he feared his father's household, and the men of the city, that he could not do it by day, that he did it by night" (Judges 6:27). Not the glowing example of a "mighty man" that most of us would appreciate. However, even though Gideon is afraid, he obeys anyway, even if it is a sort of covert obedience.
Perhaps one of the most glaring illustrations of the fear that can touch a follower of the Lord is that of Peter. The bold disciple cowers at the question of a servant girl (Luke 22:57). Peter is, very simply, afraid. The really good news is that God was not done with Peter. Peter will not remain a fearful failure. He will be restored and be the champion God intended him to be. John Mark has the same experience of restoration. After deserting Paul and Barnabas in Pamphylia (Acts 13), Paul later says Mark is useful to him for service (2 Timothy 4:11). Perhaps Timothy is not the only one on Paul's heart when he writes to Timothy, "God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind" (2 Timothy 1:7). If Timothy and others were not given to issues of fear, these words would have never been penned.
When we think of the fearful we could also include Esther, Saul, Elijah, the nine disciples who ran from the garden, just to name a few. It is not unusual for the people of God to be apprehensive or even outright afraid. The question is, what will we do with the fear? Will it control us or will we, by the power of God, overcome the fear. Beyond this, when we fail, how will we rebound? I have been walking with the Lord for a good number of years and must admit that there is a bit of turmoil in my being when I am confronted about my faith. I really do not like confrontation. I usually take a breath and the Spirit comes to my rescue more often than not. Fear, when we let it run it's course, can imprison us. It can keep us from the things we could experience and the mission God has for us.
Fear often destroys the freedom to do things we could enjoy. It can keep us from the simple joys like amusement park rides, climbing a mountain, taking a cruise, or riding a bike. It can prohibit us from teaching a class, leading a Bible study, questioning a teaching, or taking a mission trip. Fear can be an insidious thief robbing us from ministries and service God has called us to experience. Fear can draw us into disobedience and even a quiet rebellion with a lack of trust in the God who delivered us. I am not suggesting that fear of heights, or water, or darkness, is sin. Some of those deep seated phobias may never be fully conquered. However, the Apostle John reminds us that, "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love" (1 John 4:18). Punishment or torment is the byproduct of fear. It needs to be conquered as we move forward with Messiah.
We need to encourage one another to overcome and conquer fear. We can take a cue from the Apostle Paul as he encouraged Timothy. We can follow the example of the Lord and His people as they encouraged Joshua in Joshua chapter one. As we travel down the roads that God directs us to take, we need to remember that we are to be strong and courageous. By God's grace we need to move past fear into trust and obedience. The result will be joy in the Lord for the victory He gives. The alternative may leave us imprisoned and tormented. Perhaps you need some Godly counsel or a trusted friend to help deal with your fears. What I do know is that fear is not the abundant life Messiah promised those who follow Him. Is it time to face your fears?
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