Are you living in fear?

I was imagining my life 10 - 15 years ago going through school and college. I had no passwords in my life that i had to prevent from being hacked, we left our cars and houses open without the fear of being broken into, we ate from the roadside food stalls without fear of food poisoning from chemicals and we walked with the crowds without the fear of catching swine flu. So what has happened to us now? Why so much fear and anxiety?

Fear has been slowly choking our societies like thorns that chokes the Word from God (Luke 8:14). Fear controls. Fear makes us immobile. Fear brings distrust. Fear brings hatred. Fear makes us unproductive. Fear is the manure for selfishness. Fear holds back and never gives. But why is there so much fear?

In 1John 4:18, we read, "There is no fear in LOVE, but LOVE drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love."

My son Jadon is afraid of the dark, but if either my wife or i am in the room, he becomes his own naughty self, even if the room is still dark. The room was still dark, it still had all the weird beings that he conjured up in his imagination, but the difference was his confidence in the love of his parents to protect him from trouble. He is not worried or ask questions on the origin and expiry of the food we give him, he does not ask for certificates of my vaccinations to ensure i'm disease free, neither has he locked up his toys from being stolen from the house!!! Now we all were like this once upon a time. Then what happened? World systems and its education put fear into our heart because that was the only way mankind can be controlled. They taught us our parents were incompetent to protect us from the advanced weapons, latest technology and mutant viruses that threaten our life. They taught us to believe that there is no God and we are doomed to the theory of the "survival of the fittest".

But God says perfect love removes fear. What is the source of this perfect love? God says through his prophet Jeremiah,"I have loved you with an everlasting love; i have drawn you with loving kindness" (Jeremiah 31:3). Romans 5:8 - "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this : while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." 1 John 3:1 - "How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called the children of God!"

Today you might be living in different kind of fears:

1. Social Fears - The fears that everyone around is out to harm us.
2. Religious Fears - The fear instilled by religion and religious practices that deny the love and mercy of God.
3. Economic Fears - Fear for ones provision.
4. Relationship fears - Fear of a broken heart.

All of these fears boil down to one - The fear for ones life. My friend the answer to your fear is in God's Word. Jesus says, " I am the resurrection and the Life" (John 14:6) and again in John 10:10, Jesus says,"I have come that they may have life and life to the full".

Do you want to be free from fear? Come to Jesus. He says," It is I, do not be afraid" (John 6:20).

SHALOM!!!