How to Use "The Lust Dare"
Day #17: Perfect Love
“There is no fear in
love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment.” -1 John
4:18
A couple of days ago I talked
about how God does not give us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of courage, love,
and a sound mind. I then went on to expostulate on courage. Today I want to
address the second part of that equation: love. As John said in one of his
books, perfect love casts out fear. The fear of temptation, of the devil, of
the battle, of falling into lust; all of this fear can be very prevalent in our
fight against the lusts of the flesh.
I have had so many fears in my
own battle. Fears that I would never conquer it, fears that others wouldn’t
understand, fears that my impurity would be a blot that would never wash out,
and that I would be rejected or unloved because of it. Fear wanted to rule my
life so bad. But Timothy tells us that God goes not give us a spirit of fear,
but of love. And John tells us that perfect love casts out fear. In fact,
almost the entire chapter of 1 John 4 is talking about love.
No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.
Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. 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. We love Him because He first loved us.” -1 John 4:7-19
Fear is not of God, love is. It says over and over and over again in this passage that God is love, and love is of God. And then my favorite part; it talks so consistently of God and His love abiding in us. Love of God was manifested toward us…that we might live through Him…God abides in us…His love has been perfected in us…we abide in Him, and He in us…God abides in him, and he in God…he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him…love has been perfected among us.
We get to live in God’s love, and let it live through us! This is so exciting, and so clear in this passage, and it casts out all fear. My hope and my prayer for all of us is that we do not let fear rule our lives, but instead live in the perfect love that Jesus made available to us, casting out all fear in our wake that we may have boldness in the day of judgment!
“Love bears all
things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”
-1 Corinthians 13:7
Today’s Dare
Read the entire chapter of 1 John 4. Take to heart the
truth of God’s perfect and all encompassing love. Let it rule your life, and
take to memory that God does not give us a spirit of fear, but of love. And His
perfect love casts out all fear. Any fear that you face is not from Him and can
be cast away.
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