Hello everyone!
Today I am reposting a blog from 2017 about fear. I am reposting it because Jesus was beginning his work in me to defeat fear that year. I was finally ready to let Him after living with it for over 23 years. He has been replacing fear with love for 2 years, many times when I didn’t even realize it. Perfect love casts out ALL fear, not some of it, ALL of it!
Fear had been a part of my life since I was young girl. It is amazing to me what solidifies in a child’s and teenager’s mind, only to be used by Satan to destroy a life. I can remember not being able to look people in the eye for a long time, not all people, just certain people – people who could read me like a book and saw my fear. I am thankful for those people! They didn’t quit loving me! They let Jesus work on me! One of them came to me over the weekend and told me about the change in me he could see and the progression of that change. I was humbled. He was humbled and we both teared up. God is so good!
If you are dealing with fear today, I want to encourage you to give it to Jesus. His perfect love is bigger than your fear! I am DONE living in fear! Fear is FINISHED in my life for good! I can look people in the eyes! Fear is a LIAR! I can come boldly to Jesus and I can speak His words boldly to others in love! Jesus is laughing at Satan and so am I! Jesus longs to laugh with you at Satan too! He longs to take your fear and fill you up with love! Will it be easy or painless? No. Will a freedom come to you that you have never known? Yes! Will it be worth it? Yes!
Let go of your fear and let Him love you! He can handle it, you can’t!
I’m going to post the lyrics to an old gospel song I sang as a child, even though I did not understand the significance of it then; I see the significance now and I am living this truth now! You can too!
And because he lives I can face tomorrow Because he lives All fear is gone Because I know he holds the future And life is worth the living Just because he lives
(Because He Lives, Bill Gaither)
No Fear!
Love,
Elizabeth
**********************************************************************
Love vs Fear: And Guess What? Love Wins!
Hello everyone!
Today I want to talk about love and fear, and not only the difference between them, but the fact that we fight a battle between love and fear more than we know at times. Sometimes, we even forget we can be free of fear because of love! Keep reading!
What is love you might ask? How do you define love? I will point you to Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 13:1-8 and 13:
"If I speak in the tongues or languages of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails....And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
There is no better definition of love. This is the love of Jesus. This is the love you can have for yourself and others.
Now I will turn to fear. What is fear? How is it different from love?
First of all, fear usually involves imagination. Imagination of things that are not there or that do not exist. I'm not talking about scary movies, I'm talking about how we think about others and ourselves. The lies we tell ourselves and others to protect ourselves. Fear can be used as protective mechanism to a degree but it only isolates us, it never makes is stronger or safer. There is a certain power to fear but it only takes in order for you to have that power, both from you and from others. The power of fear is an illusion. Fear is also all about punishment. When you are afraid, you are always afraid of punishment and you feel you deserve it and so do others if you do wrong or violate some sort of moral code you have set for yourself and others. Much evil and pain come from fear. Abuse, neglect, strife, hard feelings, uncontrolled anger, addictions - these all come from and have their root in fear. Fear slowly kills everything in your life if you let it take over in whatever for it takes- joy, peace, love, relationships, jobs, etc.
I don't know about you, but that sounds like a far cry from love doesn't it? Does it sound like something you know? Does it sound like you? Is fear something you want in your life or would you rather have more love? Love and fear are nothing alike. Perfect love casts out fear, Jesus's perfect love (1 John 4:18, paraphrased).
Why does this battle between love and fear exist? It exists because fear is based in darkness and love is based in light. Light and darkness can't coexist peacefully just as good and evil can't coexist peacefully. Evil is typically full of fear. Good is full of love.
Why do we battle between love and fear in ourselves? We battle because we don't know how much we are loved by God so it makes it more difficult to love. It is always easier to fear, disconnect and move away from others than move toward them. When we don't know who we are or Who loves us, we can not only be very afraid but also very insecure. Insecurity and fear go hand in hand - they compliment each other and feed off each other.
I am here to tell that perfect love can conquer your fear and insecurity. Jesus's perfect love can conquer your fear and stop the battle raging inside of you. Jesus's perfect love has already won! You don't have to be afraid anymore of your past, your present or your future! He owns them all! He has been to your past, He is in your present and He already knows your future! You don't have to be afraid of yourself or someone else. He already knows who you are and you don't frighten Him and He won't reject you! He will not punish you as perhaps your earthly father or mother did. His love is a free gift!! Free!! No strings attached!! You don't have to earn it or be worthy! He makes you worthy! He did all the work on the cross. You don't have to do anything but believe He loves you and receive it!
Love has already won! It has won!! Fear is defeated! It just makes itself look like the big bear it is not! Open you heart and allow His perfect love to cast out your fear! It is always worth it! His love will save your relationships, your peace, your joy, your job and even your sanity.
Choose love and choose life today!!
Until next time,
Elizabeth