Fear is something that so easily defines us. As I've been preparing for camp this week, the story of Gideon has been read multiple times. Fear has struck me so many times. How prevalent it is in the world, how God tells us not to fear, how we let it dictate our actions. I just don't understand why we allow ourselves to be told how to live because of fear. And yet, I understand completely.
Read Judges 6
God used Gideon despite his fear. He questioned God 3 different times. And God freaking called him a MIGHTY WARRIOR!!! Dude, if God called ME a mighty warrior, I would do ANYTHING he told me to do. Seriously, I can't believe how ridiculous he was!! All of that was fear. Everyone talks about how kewl (yes, I spell it that way) the fleece story is and how they love seeing God move and blah, blah, blah. But really, God showed Gideon not once, or twice but three times because of his fear. What a patient God. When people need confirmation three times from me, I get very irritated and frustrated because once or twice wasn't good enough. How great is our God?! He chooses to acknowledge that we are fearful and overwhelm us with his love.
This month, junior high is doing a series on love. This week we talked about 1 John 4:7-21.
Dear friends, let us love on another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love; not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. We know that we live in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives hin him and he in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever live sin love lives in God, and God in him. In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgement, because in this world we are like him. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The on who fears is not made perfect in love. We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar.For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.
I hope you see it. Perfect love drives out fear. The God we serves is love. If we have God in us, we have perfect love. And we are loved perfectly by him. That God we serve, who lives in us, drives out our fear by just being God.
WHAT THAT WHAT??!?!?!
We fear because we think that if we screw up there will be some sort of punishment. But there is no punishment when we do what God has told us to do. Because he said it. We aren't supposed to fear things of this world because it doesn't matter. We have perfect love in us.
You heard me. God is love. Perfect love drives out fear. God is perfect love. Therefore, he drives out our fear. The fear we hold on to is unmerited fear. We serve a big God.
Don't let yourself live in fear.
But live in God's perfect love.
But live in God's perfect love.
He has that love to drive out all of you fears.
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