Changed by His 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.
As we grow in the love of God, we cease to be fearful of what He will do. Of course there is a proper “fear of God,” but it is not the kind of fear that produces torment. “For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons, by which we cry out, ‘Abba! Father!’ ” (Rom. 8:15) “For God hath not given us a spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (2 Tim. 1:7).
Fear is actually the beginning of torment. We torment ourselves as we contemplate what lies ahead. But since a Christian has boldness in the day of judgment, he can have boldness as he faces life today, for there is no situation of life today that begins to compare with the terrible severity of the day of judgment. God wants His children to live in an atmosphere of love and confidence, not fear and torment. We need not fear life or death, for we are being perfected in the love of God. 1
Loving Him
Is fear leading your emotions down a road of high anxieties? That is what fear does. But faith in Jesus Christ and His promises will make an immediate change in your mind, heart, and emotions. Are you ready to surrender your fears to Him right now? If so, read Psalm 27 and ask God to remove those fears and to renew your strength in His faithfulness and in the promises of His Word.
For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38–39
Loving Others
He has promised His perfect love to overcome every fear in your life.
Make Me Like You
Lord, thank You for saving me from the penalty of sin and from the power of fear.
1. Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 522). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
