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.
—I John 4:18 (NLT)
You have no fear in your life when you know God loves you. The enemy can’t torment your mind with lies trying to convince you that God is mad at you and that you must do something to win His approval. God wants you to experience His intimate and perfect love. He's always reaching for you. But have lies of the enemy filled your mind instead of the Truth of God’s love? If you are afraid, you are scared that God is just waiting to punish you. And there is no punishment in God’s love for you.
"Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love" (I John 4:18, NLT). The perfect, unconditional love of God drives out fear. If you experience fear, you haven't experienced the depth and height and length and width of such a love. So many have only a limited understanding of the infinite and eternal love of God. Fear comes and goes like the ocean tide. But God wants us to experience all His love died to give us.
How do you cast out fear? You don't. The perfect love of God within you, expels all fear. Fear can't stand against the love of God who loved you so much that He gave His life for you. You have received His perfect love in your spirit, but it must transform your mind for you to believe it. When the Holy Spirit teaches you about God's love, you receive revelation knowledge of what His love means, especially for you. You don’t need a second-hand revelation from anyone else. You need your own revelation straight from His heart to yours. To receive from Him, you choose not to listen to any thought that disapproves of God's love—that says you can never please Him—that continually pushes you to the edge by telling you there is one more thing to do to win His love. His love is not yours to win. Jesus already won it for you. God holds out His arms and says, "Come here. I love you." Nothing in all of creation can separate you from God’s love. Nothing.
God gave you His power to fight, and it lives within you. But if you don't exercise the voice of authority that Jesus has given you, that power will not make any difference in your life. You will remain defeated and afraid. You choose to exercise God’s power and speak death to the enemy’s lies. You take every thought captive and choose God’s love. And as you choose God’s love over the enemy’s lies, you are renewed by God’s Truth in your mind. You receive a greater understanding of the perfect love that He has given you.
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you,” says the Lord, “thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11, NKJV). God does nothing contrary to His nature. God is love. He has good thoughts about you. He wants you to know His peace. There is nothing evil in His intentions toward you. He desires for you to have a future filled with hope.
The battle to defeat fear takes place in your mind. And it has already been won. When you finally believe that God loves you, you receive His perfect love flowing into the depths of your heart. It becomes more real to you than any lie that tries to destroy it.
There is no fear in God's perfect love. If you wish to defeat fear, then allow yourself to experience what He died to give you. You are made perfect in His love. Don’t you want to believe and receive it?
©2020 Lynn Lacher
www.lynnlacher.com/2020/10/made-perfect-in-his-love.html
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