Article Display
Email  |  My Account  |  Donate
We need have no fear of someone who loves us perfectly; His perfect love for us eliminates all dread of what He might do to us. If we are afraid, it is for fear of what He might do to us, and shows that we are not fully convinced that He really loves us.
(1 John 4:18 Living New Testament)
Many people have experienced great emotional trauma in their lives (even those in the Body of Christ). You may say, “I am one of those and the pain is so great, that I just can’t love again!” What is it that makes a person feel this way? Emotional pain can be so deep that you become convinced that you will never trust again.

If I struggle with fear, anxiety and worry, it is because I do not have a clear understanding of God’s perfect love for me. That fear, anxiety and worry prevents me from enjoying the abundant life which Jesus came to give me. What we all need is a greater revelation of how perfect God’s love is toward us.

The Bible says, “Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” (1 John 4:11) Yet we see the Body of Christ in division—brother against brother—family against family and denomination against denomination. We know we are to be founded in love because God’s Word says in 1 John 4:7-8, “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.”

As a believer, you know that God’s love is in you. So you can know these three things for certain. One: “Love is of God”, two: “God is love”, and three: We should love one another. And yet because of all the hurt you’ve experienced, it seems impossible.

There can be fear in human love. But there is no fear in God’s perfect love, because His perfect love casts out fear… and it eliminates all the dread out of life. If you put your faith in human love, which is based upon human emotions, then you can be let down. But when you put your faith in how much God loves you, His “perfect love casts out fear” from your life.

Where did fear come from? In Genesis 3:10 Adam said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.” After Adam and Eve had sinned in the Garden of Eden, they hid themselves among the trees of the garden, as an attempt to hide from God. But the real problem is revealed in Adam’s statement saying, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid.”

1 John 4:18 tells us, “IF WE ARE AFRAID, it is for fear of what He (God) might do to us, and shows that we are not fully convinced that (God) really loves us.”  Adam and Eve had been clothed with the righteousness of God, but now realized they were naked and became afraid of God.

Today, believers are clothed with the righteousness of God Himself. Second Corinthians 5:21 says, “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”  Jesus voluntarily went to the cross and endured fear so that you don’t have to. He paid for your feelings of fear, which come from the enemy. “We need have no fear of someone who loves us perfectly.”

God did not design human beings for fear—He designed us for faith. Fear was foreign to mankind until Adam sinned against God. Today if we sin, we confess our sin to God and He faithfully forgives us (1 John 1:9) and cleanses us from all unrighteousness. All of God’s wrath toward sin was punished at the cross. No matter what your past experiences have been, today you can have confidence in God’s perfect love toward you; and that’s the starting place.

Based on Adam’s experience of being afraid of God; we know that many fears originate from the feeling of being cut off from God. Many things may cause you to feel alienated from God and believe that God has abandoned you or is mad at you. You may even believe that God is punishing you for something you’ve done wrong.

You must first realize that God is not mad at you, but He loves you perfectly. It is extremely important that you clearly understand who your confidence is in. It is only God’s perfect love toward you and for you that can and will eliminate all dread, terror, anxiety, fear, and horror that life could possibly bring.

Choose not to be addicted to fear. Even if at this point you feel afraid and can’t trust others, turn your focus toward God’s perfect love for you. Choose to forgive others, let God heal your wounds and start over again. Begin by trusting in God’s love.

If you can trust God, you can trust God with those who have hurt you, by keeping your trust in Jesus. We can choose to love because God is love and He is in us. The ability is there and the healing is there; all because God loves you perfectly. …Think about it!

Worship & Word Fellowship & Ministries, Inc.
All Rights Reserved. Used by Permission

Author Biography

Bill Hanshew
Web site: Bill Hanshew Ministries
 
Dr. Bill Hanshew started preaching at the age of 17, was a youth pastor at the age of 18 and was a senior pastor at the age of 20. Bill loves to preach, teach, write and lead worship.
Read more...

About Us

The online ministry of cfaith has been helping people discover faith, friends and freedom in the Word since 2000. Cfaith provides a unique and comprehensive collection of faith-building resources for the worldwide faith community.

At cfaith, you can strengthen your faith and deepen your understanding of the Word of God by digging into the vast collection of teaching articles, streaming audio and video messages, and daily devotionals. No other website offers such a unique and extensive collection of spiritual-growth resources aimed at helping you grow in your knowledge of the Word.

Read More...

 

 

Support Us

Why support cfaith?


(All contributions are 100% tax deductible)


SUPPORT CFAITH WITH ONE CLICK!

For every Internet search you make using
goodsearch, cfaith will receive one penny!

GS Logo 250x38

Contact Us

Business Hours:


Monday—Friday: 9 a.m.—5 p.m. CST
Saturday & Sunday: Closed

Phone:

(763) 488-7800 or (800) 748-8107

Mailing Address: 

CFAITH.com
9201 75th Avenue North
Brooklyn Park, MN 55428

 

Login Form

Please ignore the “Secret Key” field; it is not needed to log in to cfaith.

Login Change Article

Spring360x442
You need to enable user registration from User Manager/Options in the backend of Joomla before this module will activate.