The bride had waited for this moment. She’d be marrying the man of her dreams. And she had the perfect verse for her wedding cake. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear (I John 4:18 NASB).
She struggled with fear and wanted God’s perfect love to cast it out.
Wedding week had arrived. Final preparations were underway.
She received a call from the cake maker. “Are you absolutely sure you want I John 4:18 on your wedding cake?” he asked.
“Very sure. It’s one of my favorites.”
“Okay,” the baker responded. “It’s your wedding.”
The bride didn’t have the brain space to give the call much thought, but later she wished she’d followed up.
The cake maker wasn’t familiar with the Bible. He thought 1 John meant the first book of John he came across. So, the surprised bride got John 4:18 on her cake instead, “for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; this you have said truly.”
The bride felt deeply humiliated. Eventually, the couple laughed about the cake maker’s mistake. And they continued to ask the Lord to show them how perfect love casts out fear.
How Does Perfect Love Cast Out Fear?
Perfect Love
The Greek word John used for “perfect” means completed, finished, lacking nothing.
God’s love is perfect, like a swaddled child, safe and warm in its mother’s embrace. God’s presence yields a transcendent peace which surpasses all comprehension in the face of any fear [1].
Paul describes the quality of God’s perfect love, in Ephesians 3:14-19. He prays we might comprehend it, though it surpasses our knowledge.
For this reason I bend my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, 16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner self, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled to all the fullness of God.
When I read Paul’s description of God’s love, I picture a love as deep and long and wide as the ocean and as high as the sky.
God’s perfect love truly surpasses our knowledge. Paul prays that what won’t fit in our heads will come alive in our hearts, our love receptor. [2]
Disagreeing with Lies
God’s love grounds us. So, it’s no wonder our enemy uses doubt and fear, trying to block our awareness of it.
As much as God is love, Satan is fear. He’s a defeated foe and his tactics don’t change. He relentlessly uses deception and empty fear, luring us away from resting in God’s great love for us.
But our weapons of truth and prayer are divinely powerful to demolish these fortified strongholds, destroying his work in our lives and casting out his fear.
For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, 4 for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. 5 We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ (II Corinthians 10:3-5 NASB).
Our job is to take every thought captive. Soaking in the truth of God’s perfect love, we learn to disagree with Satan’s lies and cast away his fear.
Remaining in Perfect Love
Besides praying for our hearts to be enlightened with God’s perfect love, and disagreeing with Satan’s lies, Jesus gives us explicit instruction on how we can continually live in His perfect love.
“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.” (John 15:9-12 NIV)
In these vital words, Jesus helps us understand the depth of His perfect love toward us. “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you.” Love can’t be more perfect.
Then He tells us how to abide or live in His love. To remain in His perfect love, which dispels fear, we’re to love others as He’s loved us. “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.”
And the love we’re to love with comes from Him. “We love, because He first loved us” (I John 4:19 NASB). (The verse after the bride’s verse).
The great cadence of our lives, which dispels every fear, is to receive God’s perfect love and give it away.
Challenge
Can you identify a lie which the enemy uses to keep you from fully experiencing the love of God in Christ?
It’s important to identify these viscous strongholds which have created ruts in our hearts. Our adversary is only out to steal, kill, and destroy us. [3]
For me, I’m easily seduced by the lie that my value is based on what I do.
How about you? Do you have lies you’ve agreed with and have allowed strongholds to remain?
Now is the time. Stand firm in the authority of God’s truth, despite feelings and swirling half-truths. Speak the truth and pray.
Believe the words of Jesus in John 16:23b-24: “Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you. Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full.”
Pray and keep on praying. The healing He affords, in lies we’ve believed, requires fervent attention to Christ and His ways, disagreeing with the lie of our advisory and agreeing with the eternal truth of God.
The love of God, His love for us, casts out all fear.
Prayer
Dear Lord, I thank You that You’ve provided a way for me to live in Your perfect love.
Please give me the power to recognize and refute any lie about your complete love for me. When fear arises from the evil one, I want to give it to you quickly. I don’t want to give the enemy a seat at my table. (From the title of a book by Louie Giglio) [4]
Please give me a love first mentality throughout each day. I don’t want to be too busy to appreciate the people you bring my way. I yield to You to love through me.
I depend upon You to work this in me. I can’t do them without You.
Fear has no place in my life.
Amen.
[1] Philippians 4:6-7
[2] Ephesians 1:18-20
[3] John 10:10
[4] Don’t Give the Enemy a Seat at Your Table, Louie Giglio, Passion Publishing 2021
Other posts in our series In the Moments:
Sorrowful, Yet Always Rejoicing
Exploring Grace and Joy together
Quiddity. It Could Change Your Life
Joy in the Journey is about the gladness of God’s nearness in the midst of life’s adventures.
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Nonfiction books by the Author:
Because joy is rooted in God and is eternal, it doesn’t ebb and flow with the waves of circumstances. In fact, as we grow in our understanding of joy, we can even experience it more acutely when life is hard. Why? Because God uses trials to conform us into the image of Christ. With this awareness, which gives us glimpses of God’s greater purposes, we rejoice because of His masterful work to free us from needing anything but Him.
For these reasons, and many others, joy in the Lord is commanded in scripture. It’s not just a good idea, it’s vital to our journey as human beings. Rhythms of Joy
Novels by the Author:
What happens when a professor figures out how to send messages to his younger self to try and avoid the suicide of his best friend? Did he change more than he bargained for? Beyond Time
By finding two undelivered letters in an old shack deep in the woods, Cassie and Daniel unknowing set off a series of events which uncover a plot to wipe out a whole family Hope Remains
Please Check out the Cola City Podcast . Discussions that impact the vision of reaching every man, woman, and child in a city.