Perfect Love Casts Out Fear Part 2

Perfect Love Casts Out Fear Part 2

Fear is real. So we need to decide the source of our feeding, whether we feed on "it is written" or "it is reported".

The Word says that 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐟𝐞𝐚𝐫 (1 Jn 4:8). You cannot cast out fear by casting out fear. You cannot command fear to leave you. You cannot do inner healing to cast out fear. God has ordained the way for fear to be cast out ----- 𝐛𝐲 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐇𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 (Rom 5:5; Eph 3:19).

The love of God overcomes all circumstances and these are listed in Romans 8.

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall 𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, or 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬, or 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, or 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐞, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? - Romans 8:35

The word 'tribulation' focuses on '𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞' which constricts you. When the vi-r-u-s first broke out, it was a tribulation (affliction) that caused an internal pressure. People were fearful of contracting it. They were uncertain and thus, didn't dare to leave their dwelling.

Soon, it progressed to distress. The word 'distress' focuses on 𝐞𝐱𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 due to circumstances. The Greek word is 'stenoxōría', whose root means '𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰, 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝.' With the re-stree-tions going on, one certainly experiences 'narrow, confined' aka distress.

Next, we see the word 'persecution'. The word literally means 'the hunt to bring someone down like an animal, 𝐭𝐫𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 (𝐩𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐡) 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬'. We have not yet progressed to this stage, but I suspect it coming.

Next, we see 'famine', which is 𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐟𝐨𝐨𝐝. This might also come.

There are further progressions if Matthew 24 is a double-fold prophecy (original context was fulfilled in AD 70s). No one is sure, but it's always good to be ready and vigilant.

Facing such progressions and circumstances, apostle Paul, who experienced all these, said "𝐖𝐡𝐨 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐮𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭?"

Only the love of Christ can cast out all fears during such progressions and circumstances. The best preparation to be ready and vigilant is 𝐆𝐄𝐓 𝐇𝐎𝐋𝐃 𝐎𝐅 𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄.

In the next part, we will see how we can see from His eyes, and what is a wrong response to the present situation.