There’s No Fear In Love | AS BOLD AS LIONS DEVOTIONAL | August 18, 2023

There’s No Fear In Love | AS BOLD AS LIONS DEVOTIONAL | August 18, 2023

There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. 1 John 4:18

A worship song that has become a favorite of mine over the years is called No Longer Slaves. In this song, the chorus states “I’m no longer a slave to fear, I am a child of God.” I’m realizing more and more that living in fear and loving God are two things that cannot coexist within the believer in Christ. It seems simple enough. But the past few years have shown me just how easy it is to be afraid of my surroundings and to trust God less. The fear I display is really a denial of Christ’s power and authority. It is also a place where I am not in right relationship with Him.

Of course this all gets back to identity. When I do not understand my identity in Christ, I begin to seek my purpose in other things. Inevitably my plans come to ruin or at least stall out. When I step out understanding that I am His and have complete faith, I step out in obedience and assurance. Sometimes we may fall. Some things may not go exactly how we planned them. But God is not using those moments to hold us back. No, He uses them to draw us out into deeper waters, to continue putting our fears aside and loving Him more. Because His plans are for good and not harm! There’s no fear in love and our identity must be founded upon the love of our Savior.

Question for today: What’s one faith step I’ve been unwilling to take because fear has held me back?

Pray: Lord my simple prayer today is to love you more and to fear less. Your perfect love casts out fear.

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