1 John 4:18 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.
Isaiah 60:1-2 Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.
Ever since the Garden of Eden where the story began and our first parents sinned, fear has permeated humankind. The fracturing of relationships, God to man, man to man, man to woman, engendered a universal pandemic of fear and alienation. Fear supplied the Adversary, Satan ("satan" means adversary in Hebrew) with a powerful means for control, manipulation, and deception of fallen humanity, with nearly infinite varieties of expression.
In this light, 1 John 4:18 is perhaps one of the most significant and profound statements in all of scripture, and one which we do well to memorize, meditate upon, and pray into. "There is no fear in love..." In a sense we could say that fear is the greatest enemy of love. If love is our goal, if God is love and we seek to be like Him, then fear must be acknowledged and banished from our motivations. This may not be easy, but is a worthy and entirely possible approach.
Whatever causes fear in us will be a test; it will bring out our best...or worst response. The emotional or even physical reaction of "fight" or "flight" will threaten to overwhelm my connection with God's Spirit within. If I allow fear to manipulate or control me and drive me into a reactive mode rather than a responsive Spirit-controlled one, love will evaporate. This reaction to fear might simply be expressed by another F-E-A-R acronym, Forget Everything And Run....or Fight Everything And Ram.
But how about Face Everything And Rise!!! Those who do will reveal the growing perfection in love which is our inheritance in Messiah Yeshua. Where love is made perfect fear is cast out! With fear conquered we are equipped to be light in the darkness because the Holy Spirit in us will not be quenched from revealing the glory of God through us.
Can you imagine a more perfect time in these days of growing darkness to take this word to heart? Can you begin to fathom the opportunity to rise above your fears and to reveal the glory of God? How to do it? Cast anxieties on Him;
[1 Peter 5:7]; pray and supplicate with thanksgiving; [Philippians 4:6]; if you lack wisdom, ask with faith; [James 1:5-6]; let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; [Colossians 3:16];" fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul;[Matthew 10:28]". Face and rise above your fear now, today. The glory of the LORD will arise upon you.
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[worthy_plugins_devotion_single_body]As we enter a New Year, remember the one constant true for everyone, rich or poor, male or female: each of us is given 8,760 hours in a Gregorian calendar year. That is, 1,440 minutes a day, or 525,600 minutes a year. Sounds like a lot, yet have you noticed how time flies these days?
Persecution and serious trials were regular fare for the early followers of Messiah. Apostle Paul who was stoned and left for dead [Acts 14:19] was not exaggerating when he affirmed, "Through much tribulation we must enter the kingdom of God."
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Throughout the history of the modern state of Israel, there have been accounts of angelic interventions protecting Israeli soldiers in the midst of intense warfare. One instance recounted by an Israeli military historian after the 1973 Yom Kippur war, describes an Israeli soldier in the Sinai taking captive an entire Egyptian column and leading them to where the Israeli troops were. The Egyptian commander was asked why he and his men gave themselves up to the lone Israeli soldier. He responded with surprise, ”One soldier? There were thousands of them.”
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