No Fear!
“God is love. There is no fear in love; perfect love drives out all fear. So then, love has not been made perfect in anyone who is afraid, because fear has to do with punishment. There is no fear in love; perfect love drives out all fear.” I Jn. 4: 16b & 18.
Every Monday night at 7:00 PM we had our Bible Study at our home. I must say that I did not prepare for the study. To my shame I did not pray or study the scriptures or even really think of studying until the doorbell rang. At the beginning of the study, we always pray asking God to guide us for the night. Not knowing why, I asked my wife to read the above-mentioned scripture. As she began to read, I felt the presence of God so strong that I could hardly speak. It was like God touching my chest. I began to weep and it was hard for me to talk. I had to stop several times to calm down so I could continue with the study.
During our study the Lord brought to my memory some words that my father used to say. What I am going to say are the exact words that my father used to say when I was a child. I must have heard it from my father a hundred times. My father used to say the following, “Everything I touch turns to shit”. My father had very low self-esteem and he passed that on to me. I used to think and say that very same thing that my earthly used to say about himself.
In short, the first thing I believe what God is saying from the above-mentioned scripture is do we believe that He is love and that He loves us unconditionally? If we know this then we know that He has not forgotten us. He has not ignored us nor will He fail to perfect His plan for our lives. The second thing that we need to believe is that we are His masterpiece and no matter how many times we mess up He will continue to love us.
Most of us suffer from some very traumatic experiences that have left deep scars in our lives and psychics. We have been told by others that we have no worth. We have been made to feel that we are failures. At times we feel that we have nothing to offer to anyone. This is the fear that the scripture speaks about. The feeling of inadequacy torments us. We punish ourselves repeatedly for past mistakes. I don’t know if you ever have asked God for forgiveness for not believing in Him. I don’t know if you ever have asked God forgiveness for thinking that He does not love you. I don’t know if you ever felt that God only blesses His favorite people.
God is not deaf or blind. He sees and hears all. He heard your first cry for forgiveness and He forgave you. Now, He wants you to forgive yourself. He wants you to believe in His love for you. You are His masterpiece! Let the knowledge of His love for YOU sink deep into your soul and drive out all fear! Receive His love today!