We are all well acquainted with the emotion that bears a choke hold. It's ruthless. It's torment. It's an enemy to faith, a thief that robs you of life - imprisons you to a false reality.
Anxiety, depression, doubt, worry, hurt, anger, sadness, low self-esteem, unworthiness, hatred, prejudice. It comes disguised underneath many different emotions, but it all comes down to one thing:
FEAR.
The paralysis for some is the dread of what could happen years down the road, anxiety associated with an unpredictable economy, and for many it is the torment of what today, the next hour, the next minute will bring.
"...fear has torment." 1 John 4:18a
Fear is not only an emotion, but a spiritual force. It is very similar to faith in that both have an unshakable belief in an unseen future. Fear trusts circumstances, natural predictions, the enemy's lies, and self. Faith trusts God and what His Word says. Fear is negative faith.
Fear is an enemy of God. It in essence rips Him of His lordship in our lives. We become self focused and not God focused. We put our trust in the wisdom of man rather than in the power of God (1 Cor. 2:5). We no longer see Him for Who He is and who He desires to be in our lives... He solely becomes a gateway to Heaven, but in our day to day living He is diminished to a dusty figure placed on a shelf.
God is love, and the Bible says that Perfect Love casts out fear. God is THAT perfect love.
"There is no fear in love (dread does not exist), but perfect love turns fears out of doors and expels every trace of terror! For fear brings with it the thought of punishment. He who is afraid has not fully experienced His perfect love." 1 John 4:18
Father, we want to know Your love... Your love is our freedom. Your love removes shackles. Your love delivers us from all fear. You are not what our circumstances look like. You are not what the latest trends define You as. We commit to growing in the knowledge of who You truly are as defined in Your Word, and through that knowledge - growing in intimacy with You... We know that in experiencing that intimate love - fear has no more room in our lives. Thank You for Your love and the hope and peace it brings.
"I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears." Psalm 34:4
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