THE GRIP OF FEAR

Thursday - October 26, 2023

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“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” – 1 John 4:18

Author George MacDonald once wrote a letter to his father about what he believed would be a great obstacle to his faith; that once he became a Christian, he would no longer be able to appreciate beauty and the natural world.

Ultimately, his experience was quite the opposite:

“One of my greatest difficulties in consenting to think of religion was that I thought I should have to give up my beautiful thoughts & my love for the things God has made. But I find that the happiness springing from all things not in themselves sinful is much increased by religion.

God is the God of the Beautiful, Religion the Love of the Beautiful, & Heaven the House of the Beautiful—nature is tenfold brighter in the sun of righteousness, and my love of nature is more intense since I became a Christian. . . . God has not given me such thoughts, & forbidden me to enjoy them. Will he not in them enable me to raise the voice of praise?”

We can overcome fear by looking to the one who loves us more than life itself, Jesus Christ. Today, in prayer, praise the Lord for His love for you and that you can overcome every fear through His love.

“The wise man in a storm prays to God, Not for safety from danger, but for deliverance from fear.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

God’s Word: “But Jesus immediately said to them: ‘Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid.’” – Matthew 14:27