December 10, Transformed by Love “No Room for Fear” by J. Johnson

1 John 4: 17-18
Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness on the day of judgment, because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with
punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love.

Theme:
Just like the Father’s love cast out the fear of a young child his love also can cast out our grown-up fears.

Illustration:
I grew up in inner city Baltimore in not the best neighborhood. As long as my dad was there, I never
noticed the police helicopters or the drug addicts living in our nearby woods because I knew he loved me and would protect me. But when I was 12-14, my father had a 2-year stay in the hospital due to having his heart rebuilt in a first of its kind surgery due to a congenital heart defect.  It was during this time that I experienced true fear for the first time that I can remember. I self-appointed myself as being responsible for the safety and security of my family so as a young teenager I would stay up most of the night listening for danger and
praying that no one would harm my family or me. It was during this time in my life that I began to realize that my father who had been very weak all his life was not who was keeping my family safe, but it was God
watching over us. My dad was a minister who felt it was his mission to preach and live among the least of these which is why I grew up in a low-cost housing project in Baltimore. But my dad was also the one who time after time showed us what it was like to fully rely on God for all our needs. With his heart defect my dad never got to run and he was physically too weak to protect me but in his heart he had a strength unmatched because of how strong his trust in the Lord was. He taught us to fully rely on God for safety and protection. As a young child he taught me to pray and in the still small hours of the night I learned that perfect love casts out fear and that my God loved me and would protect me no matter where I lived. My dad lived his life as a
constant prayer. This verse has reminded me of that small child who prayed and allowed God’s love take away her fear and to this day whenever I am nervous or afraid I try to always remember to give these fears to God in prayer. I try to remind myself of the safety and security that those prayers brought to my life as a child and how He still watches over me in all the years since. 

Takeaway: 
We only need the faith of a child to come to God with our needs and trust that His love can cast out our fears. When I hear this song it reminds me that God is in control of my life and I just need to trust everything into my Father’s hands.

Prayer:
Dear Lord, I come to you and lay all my fears and anxiety at your feet.  I pray that your love will take away all of my fears.