PERFECT LOVE CASTS OUT FEAR: Devotional from "Am I Okay, God? By Lorilyn Roberts

There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear.

—I John 4:18a

In The Donkey and the King, Much‑Afraid, the dog, shook with fear when Baruch left her behind at the stable. During the time the donkey was gone, the king helped Much-Afraid to conquer her fear.

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From Seventh Dimension – The Door, a Young Adult Christian Fantasy:

The dog stretched and cocked her head enjoying the rubdown.

I laughed. “Is your name Much-Afraid?”

“I was always afraid until the king healed me.”

—Shale Snyder and Much-Afraid, the dog, chapter ten

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When we meet Much‑Afraid again in Seventh Dimension –  The Door, she has overcome her fear.

Do you know that the opposite of fear is love? Every time you’re afraid, that means you’re not allowing God’s love into your heart. God’s perfect love will cast out your imperfect fear. In fact, your imperfect fear is made perfect in weakness. In your weakness, God can help you. Once you recognize your weakness, you won’t rely on yourself and your own abilities. You will rely on God.

Begin with prayer. Most of us struggle with fear at times because we don’t love perfectly. Our humanness makes us needy, but our sin keeps us from embracing God’s unconditional love. In spite of this, God never gives up. He woos us because we’re cherished, like a lover woos his beloved.

The king told Shale, “I love you more than you will ever know.” In the same way, God loves you. Someday when we meet the king, we’ll truly know how much he loves us.

Every time fear threatens you (and I do believe in demons of fear), remember the words of the king. Let his perfect love fill your mind. Let every cell within you find intimacy in your heavenly father. Don’t rely on yourself. You will fall. Find your strength in God. Don’t be just a fan of Jesus Christ, like on Facebook or Twitter. Be a follower. Make Jesus your king and your lord. Let his love conquer any fear that creeps into your heart. Then you will be able to love others in the same way God loves you.

Your heavenly Father is waiting for you to surrender. He is never too busy to listen, and I guarantee you, he is not resting.

The king died to defeat every fear Satan will tempt you to believe. Don’t be seized with a knot in your stomach and crippling doubts.

Let God’s love indwell you. Cast aside every anxious thought. Don’t give up. Don’t give in. Don’t wait. Begin by reading the Bible and then pray for God to be real to you—more real than he has ever been in the past. His perfect love will cast out your fear.

If you do this every time you become fearful, you can claim victory. If you don’t succeed the first time, don’t give up, especially if you’re prone to being fearful. Old habits die hard, and Satan is relentless. But God will help if you’re faithful in prayer and read your Bible.

If you still struggle with fear after much prayer, perhaps you might need to see a counselor or physician. Sometimes chemical imbalances can affect your mood, especially if you’re going through a particularly difficult time.

Don’t be afraid or embarrassed. Ask for help. Pride will tell you, you don’t need crutches, but humility is more powerful than pride.

Thank you, Jesus, for loving me. Help me to feel loved. Help me to trust you every time I feel afraid.

http://bit.ly/fear_no_more

To read more of my devotionals from the Seventh Dimension, click here to order a Kindle copy from Amazon.

I HATE MY STINKING SIN: Devotional from "Am I Okay, God? By Lorilyn Roberts

Do not let the sun go down while you are angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.

Ephesians 4:26b‑27

We will never be free of our sin until we get to heaven. Satan will never give up taunting us, bullying us, and shaming us. As long as we live here he is the “prince of the air.”

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From Seventh Dimension – The Door, a Young Adult Christian Fantasy:

We climbed the stairs to my room and a veil of darkness shrouded me—Fifi’s dead body appeared to me in a vision once more at the bottom of the stairs. I had hoped the memory wouldn’t torture me anymore, that the king would heal me. Why hadn’t me? I grabbed the post to catch my balance. Rain started to fall.

—Shale Snyder, chapter twenty-nine

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Satan prowls around like a roaring lion hunting down unsuspecting victims. In I Corinthians 10:13, Paul tells us that “God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.”

For many years, I hated many things about my life. I even hated myself at times—the fact that my father left me, that I grew up in a broken home, that I failed the first grade, that I had a speech impediment, and that I was clumsy. I felt misunderstood and unappreciated by others. I had no self-worth. I was an outcast in social circles at school. No one liked me except the smart kids, once they figured out I wasn’t dumb, and so I hung around with a bunch of nerds.

I preferred to be alone with a good book or playing the guitar. I didn’t care about loud parties or drinking or concerts or smoking or any of those things in which teenagers get involved—to their detriment. I was a loner because—well, I liked being alone. My parents thought something was wrong with me.

When I got married, I expected my husband to fix me. After all, he was going to be a doctor and he should be able to be all that I needed—to make up for what I lacked in the past. The truth is, the only thing that could fix me was a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

The sad part is this: nothing was wrong with me. I wasn’t flawed or defective or weird or antisocial or stupid or bad. I actually was and still am very creative, brilliant in some ways, self-sufficient, and uniquely made in God’s image. And so are you. I was and still am a sinner. And so are you.

Unconditional love covers a multitude of sins. That kind of acceptance and validation can only come from Jesus Christ. There’s no pill, no lover, no vacation, no job, no friend, and no food that can fill that spiritual void and remove the sting of lies and false accusations—only the healing power of our risen Savior.

If you’re like Shale, a victim of circumstances, if you’ve been hurt, go to God in prayer. Take your Bible and cover it with your tears. Allow God’s Holy Spirit to lift your crushed spirit. Corrie ten Boom once said, “There is no pit so deep that God’s love is not deeper still (The Hiding Place).”

After you’ve poured out your heart to God, find someone in whom you can confide.

Allow God’s healing in your life. Allow him to fill every nook and cranny of your heart with his love and surrender your life to him. Choose to spend the rest of your life living in forgiveness— sometimes just one moment, then one hour, then one day, then one week, then one year, then five years, then ten years. And then a lifetime.

Focus on this moment—that’s all you have. Let God worry about the tomorrows. Be set free from your unresolved anger by focusing on the process of forgiving. The outcome is in God’s hands.

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Dear Jesus, I know you love me, warts and all. I have sinned against you and others. I am separated from your love because of my sin. I know that you’re the only way to eternal life.

You made salvation possible through your death on the cross. Your resurrection is proof that you’re who you say you are. I accept you into my heart. Thank you, Jesus, for coming into my life right now. Thank you for forgiving me of my sins.

if you would like to hear me tell my personal testimony, I appeared on a television show in Atlanta, Georgia, "Family and Friends." You can listen to it at the following link.

http://bit.ly//Roberts_Friends

Am I Okay, God? Was a finalist in the International Book Awards for best nonfiction cover and best Christian inspirational book for 2014.

To read all the devotionals in the Seventh Dimension Series, click on this Amazon link.