Love vs Fear

“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.” (1 John 4:18)  

Scripture contrasts love and fear with love being the victor. How do you assess your personal pursuit of love in the presence of this world filled with fear? I will be the first to admit that I have lived in more fear than love. Still, I am not the judge of my own soul’s worth, as all judgment has been given to Yeshua, Messiah. I know the Lord. I believe that Love is supreme and sourced from the Father and fully demonstrated by Yeshua. (John 16:27) 

Fear still finds place in my thoughts and rationalization. Worry was illustrated to me as a child and my parents and ancestors evidenced a firm attraction to fear. I don’t blame them, nor consider my perspective of them to be accurate or complete. There are human fragilities and weakness passed down through Adam and Eve. Yeshua came to change all that, set us free, break the curse of sin, impart the life source of the Holy Spirit, provide forgiveness, reunite us with Father God, defeat the enemy, destroy his works and save all who believe upon Him. 

You and I face this life in a vision of light and darkness, truth and lies, and love and fear. The victory is with Yeshua and through the faith He imparts. We are utterly weak, but the Lord stated it emphatically, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:9-10) I know this may not be the answer we want, but everything is in the Lord’s hands. As we are dethroned, we see more clearly His sovereignty.

God put me in a position that required considerable faith in Him alone. He gave me faith to believe it was His leading. I walked in that faith and He never failed me. Today, fear and worry presses around me and I resist it, but the answer is not the past, experience, nor rationalization, but love and faith. My prayer for you and I and all Believers world-wide is that God’s love will drive out all fear, in the almighty name of Yeshua, Messiah.