“There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. We love because he first loved us.”- 1 John 4:18-19
The famous song “What’s Love Got to Do With It” by Tina Turner was released in 1984, and some, including myself, believe there is a subliminal message: Love is risky and can sometimes hurt. Nonetheless, God calls us to be rooted and anchored in His sufficient love amidst fear or disapproval of others.
From the beginning of mankind in the Garden of Eden until today, the enemy distorts God’s truth to “steal, kill and destroy” (John 10:10).
When Christ’s love is our firm foundation, the risk in offering our love to others is stabilized by God’s “perfect love.” If we undergo broken relationships or traumatic events, God’s love and mercy help us overcome our fears and manage our thought life (2 Corinthians 10:3-5).
If we fail to draw strength in God’s unwavering love, like a broken record on replay, this famous chorus plays in our heads and can corrupt our ability to love like Christ.
There’s a fun icebreaker called ‘Two Truths and a Lie’; the goal is to identify the one lie among the two truths. The Bible teaches spiritual and fundamental truths about love, enabling us to notice incongruence with God’s word.
Truth: Love has everything to do with our creation and reflects our Heavenly Father.
Truth: God divinely devised a fail-safe plan, through the sacrificial death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, before the foundations of the world (Ephesians 1), to save mankind from the eternal penalty of sin.
Lie: Offering our love to God and others is self-demise. Relying on oneself is key.
On the cross, Jesus demonstrated His pre-existing unconditional love to all. To those who believe, we are commissioned to replicate His example of self-denial.
Dwell on this: Christ loved us first! Therefore, His “Perfect love” towards us obliterates any fear.
In John 4:1-45, Christ offered His love to substitute the distorted identity of the Samaritan Woman. Christ’s intent was both her salvation and freedom from sin.
As the village outcast, due to her sin-filled resume, she lived imprisoned in fear and isolation. The absence of “perfect love” corrupted her belief system.
The Samaritan Woman’s fear of rejection was evidenced by her daily risk of traveling alone and unprotected to the water well at the hottest time of day.
Jesus saw the Samaritan Woman’s struggles as He sees ours. His undefiled love quenched a heart-level thirst that the well couldn’t provide. His “perfect love” smothers fear!
Spiritually full from Christ, she forgot her water jug at the well (John 4:28) while rushing to town to share the transformative news with others! The lie was exposed and dismantled; she had much to offer.
The same is true for women today! We are called to courageously remain anchored in Christ and impact those around us, no matter the size of our influence, by the radiance of God’s love through us.
How is Christ inviting you to experience His security? Will this unlock your courage to become a vessel of His love?
About the Author:
Hi there, I’m Brittany! If I talk for more than 120 seconds and haven’t mentioned Jesus, I’m probably sharing some funny stories about my husband or children! Jesus has been SO incredibly great to me. I spent decades wandering from Him and another decade not operating in the power of my identity, which is in His love. For any woman who, like me, struggled to be enough, can I encourage you to rest and bask in the love of your best Ally? Who just so happens to be the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, none other than Jesus Christ! I love to disciple women and encourage them to live rooted in Jesus, whether around my kitchen table or on the podcast and blog Courageous Radiance. In addition, I write books to inspire wives and mothers to thrive in spite of life circumstances due to an anchored secret life in Christ.
Connect with Brittany:
Instagram: @courageousradiance
Pinterest: https://pin.it/4Wz1MKb6G
