This comes out of my reflecting on 1 John 4:11-21, there are so many amazing revelations out of this passage. But as is my journey with the Lord, I am driven to Him by desperation first and then seeking revelation. I reflected on my journey with the Lord, not in pride, but saying I have come far through many fears. Seeking to raise our kids in the atmosphere of Heaven (His love and peace), I looked back at how I was raised in a continual atmosphere of fear. Many times the environment of fear was so strong that it was overwhelming and suffocating. This is what I knew as a child, my mother was raised in the same kind of atmosphere. The Lord has taken me through so many fears and yet still before are many others. I do not choose to evaluate where I am anymore from my own myopic perspective but from Heaven's perspective (God's). This passage in 1 John 4 points to the reality that none of us even loved God, it was in this place that He revealed His ultimate love in Jesus Christ. It is important to state this because too many believers get deceived to pursue loving God without having the object of their focus being God's love for us in Jesus Christ (v. 19 says "We love, because he first loved us."). Because I grew up in an atmosphere where I was told "I love you" sincerely and yet there was so much fear, in my feelings experiencing being loved is a daily struggle. I must rely on faith in the truth of the Word of God, when my experience does not line up with the truth of the Word of God. I am pressing in to experience this truth (v. 18 that I would be perfected (brought to completion) in love). This connects with Ephesians 3: 19 which says "and to know (by experience) the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you be filled up to all the fullness of God." The Amplified version talks about being a body, filled, and flooded with God Himself. What an amazing picture it is, to realize that God wants us to experience His love in us expelling all fear. I know that if I was filled and flooded with God Himself, I would not be full of fear, worry, or frustration but joy, peace, and life. Fear is the weapon of the Enemy to keep us from experiencing the joy of having every part of our being filled with God. If you think about the foolish decisions you have made in life, I will bet that the root of most of them is fear. We all do foolish things when we are afraid. Then often times anger follows as we experience the consequences of our poor decisions made in fear. As we realize that we cannot control ourselves or our surroundings, fear is simply the absence of God's presence. I am thankful that as I look at the finished work of Christ through His promises I see that God has left no area for fear to rule. Through Christ death was conquered, sin, lack, insignificance, powerlessness, and the Enemy. I know I still fear because there are places in my heart where I have not let the presence and power of Jesus rule. These are areas I still seek to manage life my own way, fear is natural to the flesh. I am again amazed as a client sits in front of me breaking out in tears as he watches a video displaying the love of God, we are so ignorant of how deeply we need to be unconditionally loved. This is the cry of every human heart and we have all been disappointed by poor substitutes, it is only the very presence of Jesus that will fill our thirsty heart. The more I mature "in Christ" the more desperate I am for the touch of His presence, power, and life. I exist to be filled by Him and to have His love flow through me.
In His Power and Love,
Bret
In His Power and Love,
Bret
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