Know Love
A SEW 2022 Daily Devotional - January 12th
Devotional
All this sounds so good…but how do I just shift to courage? If I’m really the source of my fear and it’s not the object I’m faced with, what is the source of my courage?
It’s somewhat funny to realize that when we hear stories of courageous people, they weren’t thinking about being courageous. They were reacting to fear by running into it. But their source wasn’t fear. What was it?
I want to present to you that it is love. 1 John 4:18 tells us that there is no fear in love because perfect love casts out all fear.
You see, fear is not really the absence of courage, it’s the absence of love.
Courage is the manifestation of a choice of a person filled with fear. And the source of that courage is love. Love always gives us a reason and a confidence.
The rest of that scripture says…because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
The more you live your life absolutely confident of God’s love for you the less you live your life controlled and paralyzed by fear.
This has nothing to do with encountering a situation that initially scares us to death. Fear happens…But love quickly gets our bearings back. “Be strong and Courageous because I will be with you wherever you go.”
“What? It’s cancer?” Perfect love casts out fear.
Your forever relationship has just broken down. “I’m perfectly loved…I can be courageous.”
No Fear! Know Fear! Know Courage! Know Love!
Live Fearless!
Meditation Points
2 Timothy 1:7
For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.
Romans 8:15
For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”
1 Timothy 1:5
The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.