These are all negative 'forces' aimed at crippling us and preventing us from walking in the fullness of God's blessings in our lives. How do I know? 1 John 4:18 says, '...because fear involves torment'. The word 'torment', according to the Oxford Dictionary, means 'severe physical or mental suffering'. That is to say if fear isn't cast out from our lives, it will grow and cause more (and more) distress, agony, affliction, misery, wretchedness, and eventually death. It works very much like cancer cells. The devil's aim has always been to steal, kill, and destroy our lives (John 10:10). And one of his modus operandi is to cast fear in us!
But praise God and thanks be to God! Because God has given us an 'antidote' against fear. It is called the perfect love of God. And it is a powerful one. In fact, nothing in this world is greater than this perfect love of God (1 Corinthians 13:13). Just as when light comes, darkness has to flee, the same it is with the perfect love of God, and fear has no choice but to flee too!
Let's go to the Scriptures now. 1 John 4:18 says, 'There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear...' The word 'casts' here is 'ballo' in Greek, and it can mean 'to throw away, to dung, to dump (like dumping rubbish)'. Notice this verse says, 'perfect love casts out fear'. It doesn't say 'you cast out fear'. In other words, not you trying to 'sweat it out' against fear, and not you having to struggle to get fear out of the way! But it's the perfect love that casts out fear! What you need to do is simply to receive this perfect love and be filled with it!
What (or who) then is this 'perfect love'? God Himself! 1 John 4:7-8 says, '...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'. You see, God is not just loving. God is love! The word 'love' here is 'agape' in Greek, and it speaks of 'the love, affection, benevolence (i.e. goodness, kindness, generosity) of God'. 1 John 4:12 says as children of God, this perfect love lives in you! And 1 John 4:4 says, 'You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world'.
Therefore, beloved of God, there's really nothing to fear and no reason to fear, no matter what the devil has been throwing at you. Because you know who you are in Christ. Because you know you are born of God and you belong to God. Because you know God lives in you and God's perfect love (that casts out fear) lives in you. And even when everything else fails in this world, you know His perfect love for you never fails (1 Corinthians 13:8). Rest in this assurance, and be filled with the fullness of His unfailing love today. Amen.
Therefore, beloved of God, there's really nothing to fear and no reason to fear, no matter what the devil has been throwing at you. Because you know who you are in Christ. Because you know you are born of God and you belong to God. Because you know God lives in you and God's perfect love (that casts out fear) lives in you. And even when everything else fails in this world, you know His perfect love for you never fails (1 Corinthians 13:8). Rest in this assurance, and be filled with the fullness of His unfailing love today. Amen.
