Day Two // Reading: I John 4:18

Devotional

“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.”

— I JOHN 4:18, ESV

I highly encourage you to take a few minutes to read all of 1 John. It’s only five chapters and is the third from the last book in your Bible.

Being unlovable starts out as a lie in our minds. If we believe the lie for too long, it can turn into fear: fear of not being loved or of disappointing people, which isn’t a fun way to live. The good news is, once we truly take hold of God’s truth—that we are loved by God with agape love—we will stop being motivated by lies or fear and rest assured in the love of our Father.

The word “perfect” in the verse above means more than just knowing about the agape love of God. It means that God’s love has actually accomplished its goal or purpose in you. God’s love is made perfect when you know, understand, embrace, accept, and live fully in His love. And living in God’s perfect love means that you are complete—you don’t need anyone or anything else to fill a void in your life. You lack nothing. That sounds like a peaceful place to live, wouldn’t you agree?

You see, when we allow God’s love to be perfected in us, there’s a promise attached to it: God’s perfect love casts out all fear. And the Bible doesn’t mean it just tosses fear gently to the curb; it literally means that God’s perfect love will violently throw out all fear in your life. And this is the kind of fear that causes us to doubt God’s love for us. It’s the kind of fear that makes us tremble at the lies swirling around us. It’s the kind of fear that doubts God’s goodness in our lives. It robs us of hope and steals our joy in the present because we are constantly worrying about the future. It causes us to push harder for people to like us instead of resting in the love God has already given us. All that fear has no place in our lives when we fully embrace God’s love for us.

And of course, we can’t fully understand or accept this kind of love on our own, but we can ask for the help of the Holy Spirit who lives inside of us. In John 14:16, Jesus says that the Holy Spirit is our Helper. I don’t know about you, but I need all the help I can get to have God’s agape love perfected in me.

Let’s make a commitment before God and each other to allow God’s perfect love to fill every area of our lives from here on out.

Prayer: Father, I need Your help so that Your perfect love takes root in my heart, mind, soul, spirit—really, in every part of me. Would You help me to be transformed by Your love and to rest securely in You? Would You kick every fear out of my life—today, tomorrow, and forever!

Question: If perfect love casts out all fear, where in my life am I afraid? And where do I need to trust in God’s love?