In this, love is perfected with us so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment, for we are as He is in this world. There is no fear in love; instead, perfect love drives out fear, because fear involves punishment. So the one who fears has not reached perfection in love. We love because he first loved us.  1 John 4:17-19 HCSB

Fear is an interesting thing. It is a very powerful motivator. The Bible has a lot to say about fear.

Sometimes we come face to face with fear. Sometimes we worry about fear approaching. The thing we must be very careful not to do is let our fear get the best of us. We must not let fear cause us to do something we may regret.

Franklin D. Roosevelt said we have nothing to fear but fear itself. The act of fearing could actually be worse than the situation we fear. Think about that for a minute. Fear can paralyze us. It can stop us from doing what we are called to do.

Many times, we get all worked up worrying about something that never even happens. Our Scripture passage tells us that perfect love drives out fear. When we love someone with all our heart, and we trust in them we have nothing to fear from them.

If we love God with all our heart, we have no need to fear because we understand he takes good care of us. This doesn’t mean we won’t have times of suffering, but we know He walks through it with us.

I find it interesting that we get all worked up about situations in our lives, but seem oblivious to the fact that we will one day face judgment.

We are fearful of strangers, fearful of dark places, fearful of financial problems, fearful of losing friends or those we care about and all kinds of other things. But when it comes to truly fearing God and the day of judgment, we have no fear. We don’t give it a second thought.

Some of us have no fear because we know we are saved. We know we have been washed clean in the blood of Jesus. Others have no fear because they are oblivious to the fact that one day they will stand before God and give an account for every idle word that has come from their mouth (Matthew 12:36). God will judge every deed, every secret thing, whether good or evil (Ecclesiastes 12:14).

I know because I used to be one of those other people. I lived my life as though I had nothing to fear not even God’s judgment. It’s very scary to think I once lived this way. I still mess up at times but at least now I realize it so I can repent. God forgives me and I move forward trying to do better.

My friend if you are fearful of the things of this world, you worry needlessly. God’s got this. We have no need to fear this world and the evil in it. What we should be fearing is God. I don’t mean we should be trembling at the thought of God. I mean we should stand in reverential awe of Him.

We should understand we will be judged for what we say and what we do. Don’t let the fears of this world distract you from focusing on Him and His perfect love for you. His perfect love drives out those fears. Be mindful of the things you say, type and do.

Know there is coming a day of judgement. When we accept Him into our lives and trust in Him and obey Him, we are as He is. We have no fear. We can face the day of judgment with confidence.

When fear gets the best of us, God gets what’s left over. Don’t let fear get the best of you. Give your best to God.

Have a great day!