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"There is no fear in love [dread does not exist], but full-grown (complete, perfect) love turns fear out of doors and expels every trace of terror!  For fear brings with it the thought of punishment, and [so] he who is afraid has not reached the full maturity of love [is not yet grown into love's complete perfection]" (1 John 4:18 AMP).

We usually go along just fine in faith, confident that God loves us, trusting Him. Then all of a sudden, something attacks us.

The big stealer of faith is circumstances—those bad things that happen to us. You don't have much trouble believing God loves you until the circumstances make it look like He doesn't.

Then the devil comes in with fear and condemnation to separate you from the very thing that will set you free—God's love. "Well, what about this?" he says. "I thought God loved you. So why are bad things happening to you? You must have done something awful. God is really mad at you."

Then you lose your confidence before God, and He can't help you if you are not confident. You can't be confident, or full of faith, if you don't know that God loves you. And if you receive the devil's load of fear and condemnation, you don't know how much God loves you.

First John 4:18 says a tremendously powerful thing "...perfect love casteth out fear." I meditated and meditated on that Scripture, trying to figure it out, and one day God finally dropped it in my spirit. 

Perfect love casts out fear, and God is that perfect love. When you know how perfect that love is toward you, there is nothing in all of creation that you can be afraid of. It is impossible to be afraid if you have a personal revelation that God loves you.

It is impossible to fear failure if you know that God loves you. You can't fail if you are dependent on God. The only way you are going to fail is if you are dependent on yourself. If you know that God loves you, you will not fear failure. If you know that God loves you, you will not fear rejection.

God's love is of such magnitude that it covers everything. Do you think that the same God that saved you and set you free is going to condemn you? Satan is the condemner. God will convict you of sin in your life, and He will show you the way out. The devil will condemn you and tell you there is no way out.

In the Amplified Bible this Scripture reads:
There is no fear in love [dread does not exist], but full-grown (complete, perfect) love turns fear out of doors and expels every trace of terror!  For fear brings with it the thought of punishment, and [so] he who is afraid has not reached the full maturity of love [is not yet grown into love's complete perfection].
(1 John 4:18)
A lot of people think that Scripture means that if you can love me enough, then you will not be afraid of me, or if you can love somebody enough, then fear will leave your life. But that isn't what it means.

It means if you let God love you, then you will not be afraid. You have to let God love you if you don't want to have fear in your life. Receive God's love for you right now by an act of faith. Go ahead. Reach out in faith and take all of God's love for you.

Right after God gave me this revelation on His love casting out fear, I had to put it into practice.  We had been having car trouble, and we thought the transmission was going out in our car, and we have a big transmission!

It would probably have cost four or five hundred dollars to replace it if it was completely out, and we didn't have the money. So we just kept driving it.

God ministered to me that morning and said, "Joyce, just go around all day loving Me, and let Me love you. You don't have to do anything else. You don't have to be a woman of great faith. All you have to do is go around loving Me and letting Me love you. Just all the time. Let Me love you."

So, I was going around building myself up in my most holy faith and was singing, making up songs to God and having a wonderful time. Then all of a sudden, I heard my husband back in the garage. But he had gone to work about 45 minutes before! He opened the door and said, "I never could get the car out of first gear. We are going to have to take it in."

I just shut the door and started laughing. It was not something I decided to do. It just came out. It just rose up out of my spirit, and God showed me that it was because I had been letting Him love me all morning that I was able to laugh. Letting God love you opens the door for faith to come out of you. I just began to laugh, and that was faith.

Abraham laughed the laugh of faith. When God came to him and told him he was going to have a son, Abraham backed off and laughed, saying, "Glory!  I believe it." Now Sarah laughed the laugh of doubt and unbelief, and God corrected her, but He didn't jump onto Abraham. He didn't call Abraham down for laughing because there is a laugh of faith.

When the devil comes against you and what he is trying to do seems so foolish and so ridiculous, and you know your God so well that it doesn't scare you, you laugh in faith. You know that God loves you, and He has it covered.

So as I was laughing about my transmission, God spoke something to my heart in a still, small voice, but it was very powerful. He said to me three times, "If you operate like this with Me, Joyce, I'll never disappoint you." It was like it just came through the atmosphere of my house. "I'll never disappoint you. I'll never disappoint you."

If you will lean on God and let God love you and you love Him, you can forget all the work of trying to operate in faith. You just let God love you, and you love Him, and He will bring it to pass. The love of God will rise up inside of you and cast out all the fear.

God loves you!

Source: Tell Them I Love Them by Joyce Meyer
Excerpt permission granted by Harrison House Publishers

Author Biography

Joyce Meyer
Web site: Joyce Meyer Ministries
 
Joyce Meyer is one of the world's leading practical Bible teachers. A New York Times bestselling author, her books have helped millions of people find hope and restoration through Jesus Christ. Through Joyce Meyer Ministries, she teaches on a number of topics with a particular focus on the mind, mouth, moods and attitudes. Her candid communication style allows her to share openly and practically about her experiences so others can apply what she has learned to their lives.
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