I was planning on writing a post about the fear of missing out, but while thinking about it and researching, I came across this article from DesiringGod.org and thought it was great. So instead of writing a post (for now) I thought I would encourage you to check out this article by Jon Bloom! Four Ways to Fight the Fear of Missing Out The four ways: 1. Listen to Jesus 2. Instruct Your Heart 3. Fast From Feeding The Thing 4. Engage in Kingdom Work I particularly find the reminder at the end helpful: If your trust is in the “Author of life” (Acts 3:15), “all things are yours” (1 Corinthians 3:21–22). Jesus has purchased for us “every spiritual blessing” (Ephesians 1:3) and imperishable “treasures in heaven” (Matthew 6:20). No fantasy will ever deliver the happiness it promises us. We know this because no fantasy ever has. The fear that reveals The Thing is a false fear. So leave it behind and “strain forward to what lies ahead [and] press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13–14). Take a gander at the rest of the article! This post is part of a 31 day series called Faith > Fear. You can read all of the posts here.
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Imperfection. That's a word that I don't like to hear. No matter how hard we try, we'll never be perfect, yet many individuals continually strive, thinking that perfection is a thing that can be grasped. For a long time, I was a perfection junkie, seeking perfection in everything: my grades, friendships, writing, my creative work. And I failed to live up to the perfection I so desperately wanted, I began to feel crushed by the weight of my imperfection. If my heart longed for perfection, why was I never able to obtain it? We live in a fallen and broken world. This earth is far from perfect. Bodies can be scarred. Hearts can be broken. Things are far from perfect. Yet there is a hope and a faith far greater than perfection and far greater than the fear of imperfection. There has only ever been and only ever will be one perfect, spotless, and righteous one: Jesus. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. Hebrews 10:12-14 And when we believe in him, our imperfections, our sin and flaws, are covered by his perfection. We will still be imperfect in this world, but we can have a hope that we will be made perfect like Jesus in eternity. His perfection is far greater than our fear of imperfection or striving to be perfect. We can rest today knowing that in this life we will never be perfect. Imperfection is inevitable because of sin, so why fear imperfection? Why not embrace the one that makes us perfect, even in our imperfection? This post is part of a 31 day series called Faith > Fear. You can read all of the posts here.
I'm technically two days behind on keeping up with this series, and I can't tell you how much that bothers me. But it's perfect, because it hits on a fear that I've been processing through and encountering as I talk with others. Perfection. I think people live for the fulfillment of this word more than they realize or care to admit. When we fail, we're crushed. When we succeed, we're elated. But we never stay at that level of elevation. If I'm honest, I fail more than I succeed. I fall on my face time and time again, yet I get back up thinking that perfection is still attainable. But in the words of good ole Hannah Montana, nobody's perfect. James says it better: For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man. James 3:3 James is talking about stumbling with speech and why many will not become teachers, but I think we can all agree that we've stumbled at least once in life (dare, I say more than once?). We will never be perfect, so why do we fear imperfection? Why do we crave being perfect? Ultimately, if we're fearful of imperfection and longing to be perfect, we're putting our worth in our own efforts and works. And we were never meant to find our worth in those things, because we will all stumble. Our efforts and our works will fail us. So is there hope when we crave perfection or fear imperfection? There is, but that hope is found through faith in the only perfect One, Jesus Christ. We'll look at how his perfection frees us from the fear of imperfection tomorrow. This post is part of a 31 day series called Faith > Fear. You can read all of the posts in the series here.
By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in the world.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 4:17-19 Like I shared yesterday, this blog and this series is an ever-changing exercise. When I wrote the first part of this post on Friday, I had a bunch of different ideas in mind. There is so much to talk about when it comes to fear of man. But after reading through 1 John 4 this past weekend, it felt like the Lord provided a new direction. Mainly, 1 John 4: 18-19 is the vein by which we'll be talking about all other fears. The truth about fear is exposed in 1 John. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment. Boom. There you have it. I cannot say it better. Fear has to do with punishment. But perfect love casts out fear. That then leads to the question, what is perfect love? 1 John 4 answers that question as well. Perfect love is God's love as displayed through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. Jesus died willingly for the sins of man, so that we don't have to be fearful of punishment for our sins, but can trust that Christ's sacrifice covers our transgressions. We no longer have to fear punishment if we believe in Christ. The blood of Jesus Christ covers us. The greatest judgment we will ever face is eternal judgment, but if we believe in Christ, we can have confidence on the day of judgment that we are covered. How does this affect fear of man? When we're fearful of man, we're often fearful of the potential punishment. What if they hate me? What if they reject me? What if they don't like me? But in light of eternal punishment and judgment, facing earthly rejection from man is nothing. It feels weighty at the time, but when you know that you can have confidence on the day of judgment before God, that changes our perspective of man. We will all stand in judgment one day. If we are in Christ, we can have confidence on that day. Our identity and confidence is in Jesus, so what man thinks about us no longer matters. Having faith in Christ, in what he did on the cross and what that means in light of eternity is what helps us overcome fear of man. I'm still learning this and applying it. I have struggled for so long with fear of man, but when I think about standing in judgment one day and knowing that I can have confidence in Christ, that makes judgment or punishment or whatever man might do to me on earth pale in comparison. We don't have to be fearful of man or earthly punishment when we have faith in Jesus Christ, because we can have confidence in spending eternity with the Lord, free from punishment and judgment, thanks to what Christ accomplished on the cross. This post is part of a 31 day series called Faith > Fear. You can find all of the posts here.
This blog series is a fluid and ever-changing exercise. I started out with a lot of ideas for what this series would look like, and it's changing a little bit, but not too much. While posting some links yesterday, I was struck by the passage from 1 John 4, and it hit the vein of the theme of our series, so I thought I would share it. However, I think is also becoming the backbone passage of this series. What do I mean by this? Well, let's check it out first. Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. 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. If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother. 1 John 4: 7-20 I'm sure you noticed several repeated words in this passage: love, fear, know, God, Son, abides, perfected, and us... to name a few. It's a rich passage talking about love's origin coming from God, His love for us, His love displayed through Christ taking on our sins, and how we ought to love in response to Christ's loving sacrifice. The part of this passage that always gets me is verse 17-18. By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. 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. The beginning part of the passage from 1 John lays out God's love and how God sending Jesus to be the propitiation for our sins is the ultimate display of God's love. This part of 1 John 4, verses 17-18 focuses on what comes as a result of that love. Jesus' sacrificial love displayed on the cross atones for our sins, but it also gives us confidence on the day of judgment. We no longer have to fear judgment or punishment because of the loving sacrifice of Christ. All we have to do is know and believe the love that God has for us,that he loved us first by sending His Son, and then abiding in that love. 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. I'm still unpacking this passage, and there's always so much more to learn, but this is the essence of this series:
When we understand the love of God and what He has done for us, we are set free from fear and it gives us the freedom to live a loving life, a life lived by faith. Sundays are the days we're going to take a rest from this series and focus on Scripture. Today's Scripture is 1 John 4:17-21. 7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. 13 By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. 14 And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior ofthe world. 15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. 16 So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. 17 By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. 18 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. 19 We love because he first loved us. 20 If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. 21 And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother. Read, pray, meditate, and repeat with me.
Our post tomorrow will talk more about this passage. Links to encourage you as you grow to walk in freedom from fear. Can We Really Be Free from Excessive Fears The answer is yes, a resounding yes! My Fight Song A friend of mine wrote this post a while back and she shares her struggles with fear in different ways and how the Lord is helping her to fight those fears! Pensive, Doubting, Fearful Heart If you enjoy old hymns, this is a good one. Well, I think it's an old one. 31 Days of No Fear This is a blog series from a woman taking part in the Write 31 Days challenge with me. We're both writing on similar topics, so check it out! There is no fear in love, for perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and the one who fears has not been perfected in love.
1 John 4:18 If you asked me four years ago if I was afraid of people, I would have furrowed my eyebrows in confusion and responded, "No?" Why would I, the extroverted people person that I am, be afraid of people? I love people! So why would I be afraid of them? When I first started growing in my relationship with Jesus four years ago, a faithful friend helped me learn something about myself that I had never thought about before: I struggle with fear of man. Call it whatever you want: people pleasing, peer pressure, codependency. All words that point back to one fear: fear of man. Me? Afraid of man? Yes, me, fearful of man. Such a prudent fear to talk about as we begin this month-long blog series. Honestly, fear of man is a fear that keeps me from writing more often, and I'm guessing it's a fear that keeps more of my friends from writing or partaking in anything that has the potential for criticism and scrutiny. Even the most "fearless" person can fall prey to this fear. But what does it mean to fear man? Fearing man can be defined as putting one's faith in what man thinks about you instead of what God thinks about you. When we put our faith in anything other than God, that thing is bound to fail us. If you put your faith in what your boss thinks about you, then when you do something that displeases your boss, it's crushing. The same goes for a spouse or a friend or even strangers. Putting your faith and hope in others and what they think about you leads to fear of man, and this fear can be rather crushing. It keeps us from taking good risks, like writing a book, singing a song, starting a creative project, or even just sharing their honest thoughts. It can keep us from living out our God-given dreams. Ultimately, fear of man keeps us from partaking in the freedom given through a relationship with Christ. Now, there are times when we should wisely consider how others might view our actions. For example, if I'm thinking about just not showing up for work one day, I should wisely consider how that might affect my boss or the people that I work with. However, if I'm sick and I'm considering taking the day off of work to rest and get well, but I'm fearful that my boss will think that I'm weak if I don't push through and go to work, then I'm allowing fear of man to control me. Fear of man is crushing. It's hard. I know because it's one of my biggest struggles. But God is so much bigger than man, and there is freedom in following Him and choosing to fear Him instead of fearing man. In fact, freedom from fear of man only comes from fearing the Lord. That might sound like a strange statement, and it might sound weird to go from fearing man to fearing God, but fearing God is not like fearing man because God's character is different from man's character. We'll learn more about that Monday in Part 2 of this post. This post is part of a 31 day series called Faith > Fear. You can click here to read all the posts.
I can't tell you how excited I am about this 31 day series. God has been preparing my heart for this series for months, and I'm excited to share what He's teaching me with you. This is a big series, and it's one that hits places in everyone's hearts. We all have fears. We all have those nagging thoughts that keep us from living a life of freedom. True freedom comes from faith, and not faith in ourselves, but faith in a God bigger than we could ever possibly imagine. The point of this series is not to encourage you to face your fears by yourself or look within yourself for courage. If Scripture is true, then that's not possible. It's not possible to live a life without fear if you're looking within yourself for the strength to be fearless. I'm saying this as someone that spent years trying to pick myself up by my own bootstraps and failed miserably. We are not capable within ourselves to be our own saviors. It's not possible. But there is Someone that has the capability of taking away our fears - setting us free from them and offering us a life of freedom lived by faith. But what is faith? What does it mean to live by faith? These are all great questions. Faith is defined in Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. You can have faith that the sun will rise every morning or that the chair you're sitting in will hold your weight. But these things will not last forever, so putting your faith in them ultimately is futile. A chair will decay or one day collapse. The sun, like all stars, will one day die. But there is Someone we can put our faith in who will never fail, and we'll encounter this person over the course of the next month. We all put our faith in something. Who or what do you put your faith in? This question is essential as we go through this series, because our fears often come as a result of putting our faith in something other than God. We'll get to that as we go through the series. Take some time today to ponder that question with me. This post is part of a 31 Day Series called Faith > Fear. You can read other posts in the series here.
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