If you understand God’s perfect love for you:
- you will have no fear, be it the fear of man or the fear of difficult circumstances
- you will reciprocate His love by choosing to flee from temptation and thus not falling into sin easily
- you will seek and follow His specific instructions for you because you know He holds your best future in His hand
You will have no fear
1 John 4:18 (TLB)
We need have no fear of someone who loves us perfectly; His perfect love for us eliminates all dread of what He might do to us. If we are afraid, it is for fear of what He might do to us and shows that we are not fully convinced that He really loves us.
Many people have all kinds of fear holding them captured nowadays. They have fear for the future, fear of being sick, fear of being in lack, fear of rejection, fear of being taken advantage of, etc. But as believers of God, if you are still being ‘haunted’ by fear, you are not living in the liberty whence Christ had set you free (read John 8:36 & Galatians 5:1).
According to 1 John 4:18, you have fear because you are not yet fully convinced that God really loves you. You are afraid that God might punish you for the sins that you have committed. You are afraid that He will not heal you from your sickness. In fact, sometimes you suspected that it could be Him who put the sickness upon you. You are still not sure if God is hearing your prayer for financial breakthrough. Sometimes, you thought that He intentionally allow you to go through sufferings in life. At times, you even concluded that He had chosen to ignore you or give up on you.
It is because God loves you that He sent Jesus, His only begotten Son, to die for your sins on the cross so that you are no longer condemned but saved through Him (read John 3:16-17). If you have committed a sin, repent before the Lord and ask for His forgiveness. He will surely forgive you. Don’t run away from Him! Know that your God is a good God and He does not keep grudges! (read Romans 2:4)
Now that you know God loves you dearly and perfectly, surrender all your fears to Him. Receive the assurance of His love, His care, His healing, His wisdom, and His providence in your life.
You will flee from temptation
2 Timothy 2:22 (TLB)
Run from anything that gives you the evil thoughts that young men often have, but stay close to anything that makes you want to do right. Have faith and love, and enjoy the companionship of those who love the Lord and have pure hearts.
In 2 Timothy 2:22, Timothy was told by Apostle Paul to stay away from people who could lure him into temptation. He was advised to join the company of those who love God. Why? Because people who love God won’t want to do things that could hurt His feeling! Love begets love. You will learn to love God after understanding and experiencing His love for you (read 1 John 4:19).
Human beings tend to love themselves (being fleshly, selfish, carnal, or self-centered) more than in consideration for others. Because of that, they tend to give in to their fleshly desires, and therefore be tempted and sin. How effectively can you stay away from temptation and not sin for the sake of meeting religious requirements or social expectations? Jesus said you have already committed a sin once you have a sinful thought or imagination (read Matthew 5:27-28).
On the contrary, when you are in love with someone who loves you, you would want to please him (her). You would try your best not to hurt or disappoint him (her). You would not want to see him (her) sad or cry. You can’t bear to even have any sinful thought that makes you betray him (her) in your mind. The same goes with loving God! You can only resist temptation effectively when you are deeply in LOVE with God!
You will seek and follow His specific instructions for you
Jeremiah 29:11 (TLB)
For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.
Most people have their own ideal plans for their future based on their own upbringings, values, and natural talents. But will all these plans work perfectly for them? Are these plans made just to fulfill family or social expectations?
But the people of God are told to entrust their plans into God’s hand (read Proverbs 16:3). Why? Because the God who loves you is also the God who sees the beginning and the end (read Revelation 1:8, 17). He sees the future that you could neither see nor imagine. Only He can lead you to the perfect path, the best vocation, the right spouse, and even the right friends. Only He knows how to help you avoid stepping on the ‘landmines’, and overcome all the challenges along your path.
When you truly understand that such an all-knowing and all-powerful God actually love you dearly and has the best plan in store for your life, you will never hesitate to seek Him and follow every instruction that He gives you!