Love Defeats Fear
Let’s look at what will defeat the epidemic of fear in our world today.
The knowledge of who God is – LOVE – and the living or dwelling in Him, brings about a perfection of our love toward God and others.
Furthermore, God’s love gives us boldness which means according to Strong’s Concordance, “all out spokenness, confidence.”
We see that the opposite of boldness is fear. If God’s love produces boldness, than what produces fear?
We see in Genesis 3:10 after Adam and Eve sinned in the garden, they were afraid. So we see that disobedience and sin produces fear. But we also see from the disciples on the storm-tossed sea in Matthew 8 that a human response to unpleasant circumstances is fear. Jesus said unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? This takes it a step further, because Jesus brought it out that they had little faith. Galatians 5:6 says, “faith which worketh by love.” So, faith is made active by dwelling in love.
Verse 18 of I John 4 is a very familiar verse to many. Where it says, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear:” There is no room for fear in a life full of God’s love.
The last part of the verse we started out with is a challenging statement, “As He is, so are we in this world.” I think of the saying, “You are the only Jesus some will ever see or the Bible some will ever read.” We need that holy boldness and confidence to be a bright and shining light to all those around us. This truth is convicting to me!
Oh, that we would be so full of God’s love in our minds and hearts that fear would find NO place in our lives and that we would influence others to live the same way.
