Love, the antidote to fear - Tuesday Praise & Pray (for others) March 19, 2024

Many think the answer to fear is faith. The idea is that if someone's faith could be stronger, they wouldn't have any fear. While that may be true, please consider a slightly different hypothesis. What if another answer to fear is love? Specifically, God's love.

Look at 1 John 4:18 - 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.

When fear has become a dominating emotion in a person's life it is because they are unaware of the depths of God's love for them. The average person has been conditioned to expect heartbreak in their interactions with others. They've been let down by friends, businesses, political and religious leaders, to name a few. They don't believe that anyone can be consistent or truthful. They see everyone as a liar, a cheat, and a source of potential disappointment.

They view God through this perspective, ignoring that He is not a man that He would lie (Numbers 23:19). Plus, as many don't study their Bibles, they are unaware of the love letters it contains. They, therefore, know little of the Lord's commitment to them. They have no idea that they are the apple of God's eye or that He has promised to keep chasing them.

Most people don't realize the walls they've put up because of the heartbreak they've experienced. Those walls limit their ability to fully experience love, even the love God wants to shower them with. However, if they let God pull those walls down they'd be surprised what He will do.

Personally, it wasn't until I was in a true relationship with God - studying the Bible regularly, worshiping, and more - that I learned what love was. He kept showing up in the tough moments and I became convinced that He was head over heels in love with me.

As I became convicted of that knowledge, the fear satan had used as a weapon against me had less effect. I trusted that the lover of my soul would show up and show out on account of me no matter the situation. Over time, this allowed me to sit back and let Him do the heavy lifting rather than me constantly seeking out solutions to problems. And as time progressed, fear continued to disappear. Sure, I'd jump when a family member crept up behind me to play a prank. I'm still a work in progress, but the irrational concern that nothing would go well or that my prayers wouldn't be answered lost its impact.

Many of us need to open our hearts to receive God's love. We need to understand that He's not interested in hurting us. He desires to love us with an unimaginable intensity. We have to be willing to let go of the walls we've put up because as we experience more and more of God's love, the crippling fear sent by the devil will evaporate. That arrow of fear presents as anxiety, insecurity, self-doubt, and self-hatred. God's love for us is freedom from all of this and more. He wants each of us to be showered in love.

The Bible states repeatedly that His love endures forever, meaning, He doesn't love today only to ignore tomorrow. He plans to love you forever. So tell the Lord you want to experience His perfect love which chases all fear away.

To learn more, please consider:

1. GOD Loves You - Tuesday Praise & Pray (for others) March 30, 2021

2. Abounding in Love - Friday Praise & Pray (for others) October 15, 2021

3. Love One Another - Tuesday Praise & Pray (for others) October 19, 2021

4. Love (P&P 100) - Tuesday Praise & Pray (for others) November 9, 2021

5. Don't Forget God's Love - Friday Praise & Pray (for others) December 24, 2021

6. Fear of the Lord: Love & Generational Blessings - Praise & Pray (for others) Friday March 11, 2022

7. God's Love Trumps Fear - Tuesday Praise & Pray (for others) May 3, 2022

8. How do you love? - Praise & Pray (for others) October 4, 2022

Obedience Is Wise - Friday Praise & Pray (for others) March 15, 2024

Wisdom. It is a crucial element to the believers' walk with the Lord. We are told in Ecclesiastes 7:12 that wisdom can save a person's life.

Thus, it is no surprise that God wants His people to operate in wisdom. The Bible states in Proverbs 3:18 that those who have wisdom are blessed. In Proverbs 8:35, we are encouraged to seek out wisdom because those who have it will also obtain the favor of the Lord.

Keeping in mind that we are to be wise, let us then consider Matthew 7:24 - “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.

It is therefore a wise person who will apply the instructions of Christ in their life. Doing so ensures a solid foundation that will not be washed away by the floods of life or swept away by the stormy winds seeking to huff, puff, and tear down.

​Instead, the one who stands upon the solid Rock by observing Christ's instructions will be blessed, receiving the favor and success of God in all they do (Psalm 1:1-3).

And what has Christ called believers to do? The first directive is in Mark 12:30 - Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second directive calls the faithful to apply the Royal Law and thereby ‘Love your neighbor as yourself' (Mark 12:31).

Like everything Christians have been commanded to do, they need to cooperate with the Holy Spirit to live lives worthy of God. It is the Holy Spirit's job to remind believers of what Christ taught so they put those teachings into effect every day of their lives. And this is why it is so important to desire and receive the Holy Spirit, for Jesus promised to give every believer a deposit of God's Spirit. His job is to get the redeemed to heaven and as long as they submit to His guidance, they make it.

Finally, be aware of 2 Thessalonians 1:8 and its stern warning - those who do not know God and those who do not obey Jesus will be punished. Nobody wants to think about punishment but the reality is that a day of judgment is coming. Now is the time to know God and walk with His Spirit, obeying Jesus. Doing so as each day passes until when our eyes shut to this reality to open to eternal life with the Heavenly Father and the rest of His Holy family.

The Praise & Pray (for others) Series is here

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