“God did not give us a spirit that makes us afraid; He gave us a spirit of power and love and self-control.” 2 Timothy 1:7

If you think about it, fear serves only to tear you down, destroy relationships, prevent you from going after opportunities or trying new things.  Fear does not build anything.  Interesting that this bears such a resemblance to what we know about Satan, is it not?  (“The thief comes only to steal and destroy…” -John 10:10)  So if we are letting fear rule any area in our life, nothing good is going to come of it.

The Bible says that perfect love casts out fear.  If it is in the Bible it must be true, but what human have you ever met that loves perfectly?  What does that even look like?

I believe it looks like God.  It looks like Jesus.  It is the kind of love we are called to display to everyone we meet, not as a “try really hard even though you won’t get there” type of goal, but as a realistic commandment from our Father who has promised to give us the strength to do ALL things through Him.  This is the kind of love we ALREADY have from God.

I know we all “know” on some level that God loves us.  We learn this as children, we sing about it, we thank God for it.  But do we really allow it to sink in and affect our lives?

If we are living in fear, I believe the answer is “no.”

God gives a beautiful example of how much He loves us in Matthew 10:31.  He describes how well He cares for the sparrows, and then says how much more He loves us – His children! – than these lovely, simple birds of His creation.  You have probably read this passage before.  What did it mean for you?  If God loves you more than you can ever imagine, surely this makes some difference in your life, right?

God’s love means trust, and peace.  Not fear!  God’s perfect love means you do not have to fear rejection from other people, or wonder how you are going to afford another mouth to feed.  God’s love means accepting His promises; He will never leave you or forsake you!  He will never tempt you (or your husband) beyond what you can bear!  You do not have to fear what might happen to you, your husband or another family member during deployment – God has plans to prosper you and not to harm you – plans to give you hope and a future!

What would it look like in your life if you prayed to God to take away your fear, and replace it with faith and trust in Him?

For me, trusting God and praying that He will conquer my fear has meant a couple of things.  One, that I recognize Satan would like to use fear to paralyze me and keep me from doing anything.  Recognizing this fact and praying to God for the strength and faith to conquer fear really has worked!  The peace God gives my heart is amazing, and I know it is not coming from me.

Two, trusting God has given me a better sense of how to love the way God loves.  God’s love frees me from fear or insecurities in dealing with others, which in turn gives me courage to love boldly and without fear.  My husband, family and friends all benefit from this!  God is helping me to love my husband and other important people in my life unequivocally; my loving them does not depend on how they have treated me lately or how they might respond or what kind of mood they are in.  I have seen the effects most clearly with my husband, who is always thanking me for the love and encouragement I am trying to convey in our communication.  God is improving our marriage despite the distance.  All because I am trusting Him more.  It is exciting!

If you are letting fear rule any part of your life right now, I want to encourage you to look in God’s word for His promises to you.  Once you find and read one or a few of these, take some time to think about it, and PRAY about it.  Pray that God will help you to trust His promises and overcome that fear that’s taken root in your head.  Pray that God will give you peace and faith in His power to work things out for the best in your life.

Trust the Lord.  Perfect love – HIS love – casts out fear and our lives are so much better for it!

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Nikki is married to an amazing man in the Navy.  She works in international affairs and adores warm weather.

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