1 John 4:18 - Love and Fear Do Not Mix!
1 John 4:18 (ESV) 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 (NCV) Where Gods love is,
there is no fear, because Gods perfect love
drives out fear. It is punishment that makes a
person fear, so love is not made perfect in the
person who fears.
1 John 4:18 (CWR) Fear and love just dont
go together. Love dispels fear because fear
focuses on punishment and wont let love mature.
The one who is afraid of God does not understand
Gods love.
1 John 4:18 (MSG) There is no room in love
for fear. Well-formed love banishes fear. Since
fear is crippling, a fearful life - fear of
death, fear of judgment - is one not yet fully
formed in love.
INTRODUCTION
This is an important statement; for there
are many who desire to love and serve God, and
yet when afflictions comes upon them, they do
not discern the love of God in it, but the hand
of the enemy. They mourn and murmur and
complain; but this is not the fruit of love to God in
the soul. If we have perfect love, we shall know
that God is not seeking to injure us, but that in
the midst of trials, and griefs, and pains, He
is seeking to make us perfect, and to test the
quality of our faith. When we cease to worry about
the future, and begin to believe that God loves
us, and means to do us good, we shall trust Him
as a child trusts a loving parent. Then our
troubles and torments will disappear, and our will
will be swallowed up in the will of God. SD193
COMMENTARY PEARL
A lot of people think the opposite of
fear is faith. Its not! The opposite of fear
is love.
Love moves against fear. When love comes
in the front door of your heart, fear goes out
the back door. You can't be afraid and loving at
the same time - not with real love. When you
have real love - Gods love - then you don't
have to fear.
People dont run into a burning
building to rescue children because of faith. They do
it because of love. Parents will put their
lives at risk to protect their families because
they love their babies.
If love is the motivation of everything
you do, then fear is going to disappear.
Wherever God's love is, there is no
fear, because Gods perfect love drives out
fear (1 John 4:18 NCV).
When you start feeling fear rise up in
you - maybe something you have to do is making
you nervous - you need to pause at that moment.
Then focus on how much God loves you. You may
need to remind yourself out loud: God, you
really love me! You're on my side. You want me to
succeed in this. I'm going to do it in your strength
and with your love.
God doesn't want you to fail. He wants
you to succeed at what you're doing in life and
fulfill your purpose. When you focus on his love,
you wont be afraid. Perfect love casts out
all fear!
When I speak in front of thousands of
people every weekend, I'm not afraid. Why? Because
I do two things: I focus on Gods love for
me, and then I focus on my love for my church
family. They are not an audience to be feared. They
are a family to be loved. My love for them and
for Jesus overcomes any fear I might have when I
preach.
When you're fearful, you're focusing
totally on yourself. That's not love! When you're
loving, you're focused not on yourself but on what
other people need.
The more loving you are, the less fearful
you are. So, if you make love your motivation
for what you do, you're not going to be afraid
to do it.
Make love your motivation, and move
against your fear. [Daily Devotional by Rick Warren:
https://pastorrick.com/devotional/]
COMMENTARY
When people experience conflict in
relationships, its often a sign that somebodys trying
to control somebody else. Whats beneath that
control? Its fear. Insecurity causes us to try to
control others or resist the control of others. When
youre so insecure that all you think about is what
others think of you, it destroys your relationships
and disables your life.
Its an amazing dilemma we have as
human beings: We long to be close, but we also
fear being close. We long to have intimacy with
others, but were also scared to death of it.
Insecurity prevents intimacy and destroys
your relationships. You cant get close to
somebody if theres fear in the relationship. If
insecurity destroys relationships, then what builds
them? Love! Love builds relationships.
The Bible says in 1 John 4:18, Love
has no fear, because perfect love expels all
fear. If we are afraid, it shows that we have
not fully experienced his perfect love (NLT).
How does that work? How does love expel all
fear?
Love takes the focus off of you and puts
the focus on others. People ask me a lot of
times, Do you ever get nervous when youre
talking to a lot of people at Saddleback? The
answer is, Of course! But you know what makes
the difference? I get the focus off of me and
focus on the people in front of me instead. If I
stood there thinking about what they thought of my
hairstyle, I would have something to be afraid of,
right? But the minute I start thinking about how
much I love my church family and how we serve God
together, all of a sudden, the fear is gone.
Its the same in any relationship.
Focusing on the other person gives you the power to
throw fear out of your life.
So how do you find that power to focus on
other people? You realize how much God loves you.
The moment you begin to understand how much God
loves you, you dont have to prove yourself any
more. You dont have to spend your life trying
to impress other people, because you already
know that God loves you.
Do you know how freeing and enjoyable it
is to live life that way? Your identity and
self-worth are not caught up in what others might think
of you. When youre secure in your
relationship with Christ, youre no longer pressured by
everybody elses expectations. Gods love frees
you to love others fearlessly. [Daily Devotional
by Rick Warren:
https://pastorrick.com/devotional/]
PRACTICAL APPLICATION
Two Ways to Tackle Fear
Everyone has fears. Your problem isnt
that youre afraid. Its what you do with the
fear that really matters.
Jesus tells us in John 8:32, You will
know the truth, and the truth will set you
free (NIV).
I could share at least a dozen biblical
ways to get over fear, but here are two ideas you
can start with right now.
(1) Practice the presence of Jesus. Learn
the habit of reminding yourself every single
moment of the day, God is with me. Practice
talking to him all the time - when youre walking
down the street, getting in your car, or even
taking a bath. When you do that, you will realize
hes always with you. You dont have to
spend some time with God. All your time can be
God time. When you become aware of Gods
presence in your life, fear will go away.
When God is near, you lose your fear.
Why? Because God is love, and the Bible says:
There is no fear in love. But perfect love casts
out all fear (1 John 4:18 NIV). The more you
feel loved by God, the less youll fear.
(2) Move against the fear. You cant go
around, over, or under fear. You must go straight
through it. You need to do what you fear the most.
Thats called faith. You need to open the door of
the closet and see for yourself that the
bogeyman isnt as big as you thought he was.
Fear is always worse than reality. The
fear of failure is worse than failure. Failure is
no big deal. You just get up and start over.
The fear of rejection is worse than rejection.
The fear of embarrassment is worse than
embarrassment. Why? Because the fear goes on for hours and
days and years. Fear is False Evidence
Appearing Real. Fear is a fake.
These solutions wont just help you
deal with fear. You can use them to help others,
too. You likely know lots of people dealing with
fear in some area of their lives. Pass these
principles on to them. [Daily Devotional by Rick
Warren: https://pastorrick.com/devotional/]
ILLUSTRATIONS
I've noticed that many of the things I'm
initially afraid of aren't as scary up close. For
example, the first time I went snorkeling I was
terrified. My husband, Stone, and I were in Egypt in
this tiny village on the Red Sea. I wanted to
snorkel there because it had a reputation of being
one of the best places for snorkeling in the
world. But what if a shark ate me? Or I got stung
by some deadly coral? What if I drowned? What
if I got lost and no one ever found me and my
parents never knew what happened?
"Honey. You need to do this. We can hold
hands. Seriously, I promise you will love it." This
from a husband who grew up in Hawaii and had no
fear of snorkeling. "Fish are our friends," he
said.
So I tried it. And it was one of the best
experiences of my life. I was transported into a new
world. It was amazing.
I've had similar experiences in other
places, and with people I first thought were scary.
My piano teacher's dog was as big as a horse,
but all he wanted was to be loved. The meanest
professor in law school turned out to be a big teddy
bear when I got to know him. It's a recurring
theme.
We see this dynamic with Jesus as He
walks through life. He reaches out to people who
others - and especially religious people - fear.
The woman at the well. Lepers. Foreigners. Tax
collectors. Prostitutes. Even the thief on the Cross.
When He brings them into proximity, the fear
fades. Perhaps we should follow His example. by
Gwen Ford Faulkenberry
Faith Step: Is there a person or group
you most fear? Find a way to connect with them.
Give love a chance to work its magic. [Mornings
With Jesus 2018 Devotional by Guideposts and
Zondervan]
I have been struggling with learning how
to walk on crutches. It has been scary since I
have problems with balance. I have a distinct
lack of upper-arm strength. I find myself caught
up in this ocean of uncertainty, casting about
for a safe place to land, both literally and
figuratively. I am scared of falling, of losing control
and not being able to navigate life in the way I
am used to.
The other morning I broke down in front
of our boys. I was trying to clean up the
house, on crutches, before my mother-in-law
arrived. My middle son, Will, asked me, "Mom, why are
you so mad?" In a very loud, high-pitched voice,
I said, "I am mad because there are so many
things that I can't do that I want to do!" Then I
began to cry. And Will said, "But Mom, can't we
help you?" There it was. Love. This is what Jesus
is trying to show me. I have been trying to
figure out how I can possibly "do" life. And He is
saying, "How about being loved? Loved by Me. Loved
by your family. Loved by your friends." Love.
Love. Love.
In the middle of being afraid, He offers
His Love. Perfect love casts out fear. Love is
our safe place to land when life is crazy.
Recognizing that we need help. Understanding that we
can't control outcomes. Resting in the truth that
Jesus has us exactly where He wants us. And
breathing in the truth that my friend, Laurie, speaks
out, "God is good and I am loved." by Susanne
Foth Aughtmon
Faith Step: Trusting Jesus can be
difficult when life seems out of control. What is an
area of your life where you remind yourself that
"God is good and you are loved"? [Mornings With
Jesus 2018 Devotional by Guideposts and
Zondervan]
LINK FOR FURTHER STUDY ON THIS PASSAGE
1 John 4:18 - Love and Fear Dont Mix!
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2018/20180622-1000.html
YOUR COMMENTS
If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in
hearing from you. Thanks in advance and let's keep
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred
Gibbs
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
Most Important Decision in Life:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/WGnEuGwvXqU?rel=0
A Man without Equal by Bill Bright:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiVa7UoruIo
Seeking God Made Real:
http://vimeo.com/31489782
Prayer Made Real:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc8VdMV26VE
Importance of Choice:
http://creationhealth.com/CREATION-Health/Choice [click on video]
Medical Seminar on Healthful Living by David
DeRose, MD, MPH:
https://www.smartlifestyletv.com/lifestart
LINKS FOR BIBLE STUDIES
Lifting Up Jesus Bible Studies:
http://www.liftingupjesus.net/
Amazing Facts Bible Studies:
http://www.amazingfacts.org/bible-study/bible-study-guides.aspx
Hope Awakens Bible Study Guides:
https://www.hopeawakens.study/lesson-header;id=2
Glow Tract Video Bible Studies:
http://www.bibleresearch.info/
LINKS FOR BIBLE PROPHECY SEMINARS
Revelation Now by Pastor Doug Batchelor
(recent): https://www.revelationnow.com/
Unlocking Bible Prophecies by Cami Oetman of
Adventist World Radio (recent):
https://bible.awr.org/en/the-signs/
Hope Awakens by John Bradshaw of IIW:
https://itiswritten.tv/programs/hope-awakens
Prophecies Decoded by Pastor Ron Clouzet:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1A435C5373550657
