An easy thing for an angel to say! The world is griped in fear and for many they’re helpless to do anything about it. They may seek counseling from the world’s counselors and prescribed a psychotropic drug to help them … to deal with their fear, but in the end they are no better off. So what can be done? Fear is nearly a pandemic even among the Christian community. As evil increases around the world, so does fear. Understandably there are many kinds of fear. One may fear losing his job, losing his home, or losing a loved one. Clearly there is fear of the unknown, but there is also fear of the present. A victim of abuse may feel the immediate trauma associated with fear such as heart populations, excessive sweating, and confused thinking not unlike the infantryman in the heat of battle. While typically this kind of fear is external and obvious to all, there is also fear that’s internalized; a fear that is pressed down, controlled to some degree, and tucked away into the confines of the heart never to be forgotten.
As we fast approach the end of days fear will greatly increase across all segments of society. And as a Christian pastor we cannot medicate our way out of this dilemma, nor can we simply ignore the problem. Because along with fear, comes erratic behavior. People have been known to do the strangest things when griped with uncontrollable fear. I have seen people construct tinfoil hats to protect them from the gamma rays of unseen aliens to running away from their family and ending up on the streets as a homeless person. It is well documented that out of fear it has driven some people to murder others or even commit suicide, because they are no longer able to cope with the fear that has possessed them; they unknowingly allow the devil to do his work. Although at this point these cases are typically the extreme many others still remain silently traumatized with fear and sit on a powder keg that can go off any minute.
So as a Christian what can we do? We must go way beyond coping with our fear to actually casting it out so that it’s no longer a force that controls our lives. The Apostle John, also known as the Apostle of Love dealt with this very topic, yet many Christians have missed this teaching all together. They follow the world in succumbing to the power of fear and attempting to find its remedy. So let’s not miss this beautiful teaching in the Bible that says; “The one who fears is not made perfect in love” (I John 4:18c). Let’s be perfectly clear about what kind of love we are talking about. Quite honestly worldly love will not do, because it always expects something in return. I will love you but I expect you to love me in return, which means if I do something for you then I expect you to do something for me. Then there is also the love that says I will love you, but you better never do anything to me that I don’t like, again we are talking about worldly love. This kind of love will not drive out fear.
On the other hand perfect love, the kind that drives out fear, is a self-giving love without expecting anything in return. This is the kind of love that keeps on giving even in the face of opposition – even at this level many of you may already be raising your westernized eyebrows. But we are not finished. Perfect love takes it a step further by giving yourself completely for the good of others. The best human example is the love a Mother has for her baby. In most cases a Mother will die for her baby, moreover, there is nothing that baby could possibly do to dilute a Mother’s love. Our perfect example, however, is the one that Jesus Christ gave us when He allowed Himself to be beaten, scourged, and put on a Cross so that we could have salvation – a new life in Him. Christ’s perfect love for the world caused Him to have no fear. “There is no fear in love” (I John 4:18a). But what is our practical application? When we truly die to self, no one can really hurt us. When we think only about the good of others and act on it as Christ did in a selfless act of courage then our love is truly perfected. Fear not!
Copyright © 2012 Rev. Daniel W. Blair – All content (blog articles) have been published in my new book: “Revelation Truth” available in our bookstore or at a bookstore near you.