Devotion: There is No Room for Fear

"Where God's love is, there is no fear, because God's perfect love drives out fear. It is punishment that makes a person fear, so love is not made perfect in the person who fears." 1 John 4:18

















It was 1 am when my bedroom door burst open, and my oldest child comes running into the room, tears streaming down his face. He can hardly breathe as fear gripped his little heart. I woke up in a daze trying to figure out the best way to handle a hysterical, scared 7 year old boy.

Let's rewind a few hours.

I love Ernest. As in Ernest Goes to Camp and Ernest Goes to Jail. So when I saw the box set at Wal-Mart for 5 bucks, I grabbed it up fast. And there was an Ernest movie on there I had never seen, Ernest Scared Stupid. I figured it was an Ernest movie, so there's no way it's scary, and it is Halloween, so why not, right?  And as a whole it wasn't all that scary, but there was something about seeing this face....

Photo Credit

....that freaked my oldest child out. Not only did he wake us up at 1 am, but again at 4 am, and at 6 am. And then all day he was in tears, eventually having a panic attack. He didn't sleep for 2 days and barely ate anything during that time. He was seriously scared.

So when he refused to go to bed the second night in fear that a troll was trying to get him, I sat him down next to me on the couch, pulled out my Bible, and opened to 1 John. 

I read to him 1 John 4:7-18. Those verses remind us that God is love {verse 16}, and if you are a believer, you have God in you, being filled with His love. If you are filled with something, there is no room for other things...including fear. I had him repeat verse 16 "God is love" and verse 18 "God's perfect love drives out fear" over and over again, encouraging him to remember that if he is filled with God's love, then he should not allow fear to try to push its way in. I then directed him to one of my favorite verses that I have always repeated to myself when I was afraid, "God is [my] protection and [my] strength. He always helps in times of trouble" {Psalm 46:1}. With those versed tucked in his heart, my boy finally got some sleep.

Now let me address the 1 John verses on a different level for 2 seconds. 

I used those words to help my son get through his fear of being attacked by trolls, but the true treasure of those words is nestled salvation. John was encouraging the church. There were SO MANY false teachers trying to discourage believers, telling them they can lose their salvation, causing the church to question the authority of Christ. But John encourages believers here. He says in verses 7-8 "we should love each other, because love comes from God. Everyone who loves has become God's child and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love" and then in verse 10 "This is what real love is: it is NOT OUR LOVE for God; it is GOD'S LOVE FOR US in sending his Son to be the way to take away our sins." If we trust in God's love and the salvation He gives us in sending his Son to take the punishment we so deserve, we should have no fear. Our salvation is firm. The believer's name is written in the Book of Life, and there is no erasing it. 

What a great reminder for all of us believers. There is nothing like knowing that God "has our back" and that He will take care of us. There is no need to be afraid of losing salvation. There is no need to be afraid of the future. There is no need to be afraid of all the little things we encounter each day...even trolls. 

Have no fear, fellow believers, for God's perfect love is greater than any fear, and we can have faith that He can cast it out far from us.