overcoming Fear

Overcoming Fear

1 John 4:18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

1 John 4:18 (AMP) There is no fear in love [dread does not exist], but full-grown (complete, perfect) love turns fear out of doors and expels every trace of terror! For fear brings with it the thought of punishment, and [so] he who is afraid has not reached the full maturity of love [is not yet grown into love’s complete perfection].

Introduction: I salute everyone in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ who has kept us to see another week.

The Lord will keep us by His Power day by day come what may in Jesus name.

I wish to share with you as I received during family devotion under the topic “Perfect Love . You can also contribute and share your experience for us to learn as “People learn from one another, just as iron sharpens iron”.Proverbs 27:17 (GNS).

Holy Spirit will grant us understanding as we prayerfully and diligently study together today.

How do we overcome fear? If Perfect Love deals with Fear, and entertaining Fear which is the opposite of Faith is sinful; .. And anything that is not based on faith is sin. Romans 14:23b (GNS). Can Christian Overcome Fear once and for all? These and any other arising questions are what we depend on Holy Spirit to enlighten us today.

Hear the Amplified version of our text;

Keynote from our text:

1️⃣. There is No Fear in Love

2️⃣. Perfect Love turns and expels Fear

3️⃣. Fear brings punishment

4️⃣. Whoever that is afraid is immature in Love

There are two major viewpoints to Love

🅰️. Love of God to mankind

John 3:16 (AMP) For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten (unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life.

🅱️. Love of Mankind to God.

This Love is what God requires among the five requirements; (FLOPS) expected from the Chosen ones who believes in His only begotten Son.

Deut.10:12-13 “And now, Israel, what does the lord your God require of you? He requires only that you Fear the lord your God, and live in a way that Pleases him, and Love him and Serve him with all your heart and soul And you must always Obey the lord’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good.

We shall talk about Love of God to mankind which directly relates to Faith that casts out or expels Fear.

🛑 Having revelational knowledge of God’s Love to mankind is very key to Christian journey in this world where Satan dwells.

God’s Love is attached to His promises of Protection, Provisions and Preservation, which can ONLY be found in His written word, the Bible.

Devil knows that revelational knowledge of God’s word will disable him to perform his functions to kill, steal and destroy therefore he does everything possible to make studying God’s word uninteresting to Christians.

🛑 God’s Love revealed by His words can only be understood through Holy Spirit by those who are consistently intentional in studying the Scriptures and making it a priority over every other things in this life.

Job 23:11-12 (AMP) My foot has held fast to His steps; His ways have I kept and not turned aside. I have not gone back from the commandment of His lips; I have esteemed and treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food.

God’s Love revealed in His written words is by Faith, and Faith overcomes worldly Fear that brings torment or punishment.

1 John 5:4 ( GNS) Because every child of God is able to defeat the world. And we win the victory over the world by means of our faith.

Do you know how we grow in Faith that deals with Fear? It is through regular fellowship with God and brethren that God has given gifts including you, for perfecting of Saints until we are fully grown into Maturity of Christ.

Ephesians 4:11-13 (NLT) He is the one who gave these gifts to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ, until we come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature and full grown in the Lord, measuring up to the full stature of Christ.

🛑 These gifts from the Holy Spirit is to mature the body of Christ as we expect the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is NOT for business venture as we see in Church ministries with competition today.

Who can boast that he/she has fully grown into the full stature of Christ? Nobody

Hear what Apostle Paul said despite his abundance revelational knowledge of God’s word

Philippians 3:10 (AMP) [For my determined purpose is] that I may know Him [that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly], and that I may in that same way come to know the power outflowing from His resurrection [which it exerts over believers], and that I may so share His sufferings as to be continually transformed [in spirit into His likeness even] to His death, [in the hope]

Therefore our growth in Faith or knowledge of God’s Love by His words is continous until Jesus comes or we leave this world.

Who are in your fellowship? Who do you yoke yourself with? Who are your friends? What gives you pleasures? Worldly living or Godly living?

I have come to realization that worldly pleasures are noticeable by men and No man can notice Godly pleasures except the one who experiences Godly pleasures through His abiding presence.

Psalms 16:11(GNS) You will show me the path that leads to life; your presence fills me with joy and brings me pleasure forever.

Only Believers of Christ are entitled to gifts of the Holy Spirit under the Fivefold ministry of the apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers that help in perfecting of Saints or grows Christians into Maturity.

Therefore, we can boldly say any Christian living in Fear is immature in the knowledge of God’s Love, such Christian will surely experience torment or punishment from the Enemy. This is due to worldly association and lackadaisical attitude towards God’s word that increases Faith.

Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Jesus Christ delivers us to serve God in holiness without fear all the days of our lives.

Luke 1:74-75 That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear, In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life.

Christians are delivered from spirit of bondage to fear in exchange of Spirit of adoption to become children of God to inherit His promises.

Romans 8:15 (AMP) For [the Spirit which] you have now received [is] not a spirit of slavery to put you once more in bondage to fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption [the Spirit producing sonship] in [the bliss of] which we cry, Abba (Father)! Father!

Every child of God is expected to have sound mind Irrespective of situations and circumstances of life.

2 Timothy 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

🛑 Believing in God is NOT enough but also dwelling in God by His words which daily increases Faith to overcome Fear and the wicked one.

James 2:19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.

We do not have control over darts that Satan, the Flesh and the world throw at our hearts but we have choice to make use of Faith as shield, the spiritual weapon against thoughts that generate fear as we live by God’s words and divine promises.

Ephesians 6:16 (NLT) In every battle you will need faith as your shield to stop the fiery arrows aimed at you by Satan.

Remember only the righteous lives by Faith and God has NO pleasure in anyone living in Fear. It is impossible to Please God without Faith.

Hebrews 10:38 (AMP) But the just shall live by faith [My righteous servant shall live by his conviction respecting man’s relationship to God and divine things, and holy fervor born of faith and conjoined with it]; and if he draws back and shrinks in fear, My soul has no delight or pleasure in him.

🛑 Any true child of God with absolute Faith in God will not be afraid of any prophecy whether from God or not. A word of prophecy came to Apostle Paul in the place of prayer among brethren that suffering awaited him in Jerusalem and Brethren started crying and pleaded with Paul not to go. Hear Apostle Paul’s response;

Acts 21:13 Then Paul answered, What mean ye to weep and to break mine heart? for I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.

Do we still have this level of Faith in the body of Christ? Devil is using treasures and pleasures of this world to put many Christians in bondage of fear and losing consciousness of power given by Christ over Satan.

Luke 10:19 Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

Finally brethren, living in Fear is an indication of immaturity as Believers and torment or punishment with hurts from the adversary is inevitable. We must expel fear by acquiring Faith through studying and meditating His words daily to escape bondage.

Hebrews 2:15 And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

✋ Maranatha