1 John 4:18 · KJV
"There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love."
King James Version
What does 1 John 4:18 mean? →Passage Context
Devotional Reflection
What should we be afraid of now that God sent His Son to die for us? What do we have to fear if God's love for us in Christ Jesus can't be taken away? What is there to be afraid of besides ourselves? God has put His Spirit in our hearts to comfort us and help us when we are weak. As we love God and His people, we are reminded of how much more God loves us than we could ever love anyone else. Instead of running away from Him out of fear, we bow down to Him in thanks, knowing that the God who hears our prayers is also the God who loves us and wants to make us feel safe.
Prayer
Thank you, loving Father, that I can reverence you without worrying about your wrath. I'm grateful that I can revere your word without being terrified by my shortcomings. I pray that your love will make me more like you than all the rules, punishments, and judges put together. May I become more like you in holiness, righteousness, justice, and mercy. In Jesus' precious name, I pray. Amen.
Even though I treat God with respect and awe because He is holy and powerful, I don't have to be afraid of Him. I know that God is my Abba Father because of Jesus and the Holy Spirit. He wants me to come closer to Him. By sending Jesus, He has shown me what He is like. He showed me how much He loves me by sending Jesus to die for me. If He loves me that much, I can trust that He wants to save me and make me happy. I don't have to worry about Him or what He thinks of me. As His child, His love has taken away my fear and replaced it with the love of the Holy Spirit, which is always with me.
Prayer
I am grateful to you, Holy and Righteous Father, for the immeasurable love you showed me through Jesus. I appreciate you taking me into your family and offering yourself as the atoning sacrifice for my sins. Father, please help me walk confidently with you and for you, with character and purpose, and help remove all fear from my heart. In Jesus' precious name, I pray. Amen.
Do you remember what Jesus said when He came to His disciples during the storm by walking on the water? He told them, "Don't be afraid, I am." We don't have to be afraid when we're with the holy and powerful Son of God. We don't need to be afraid because God's grace to us in Jesus makes us holy, without fault, and free from any charge against us (Colossians 1:21-22). Our response? Love! We love our Father because of who He is, what He has done, how much He has given up for us, and most of all, because He has made us holy and taken away our fear.
Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father, You are holy, awesome, and wonderful. Without Your grace, I could never be any of these things, but You chose to bless me with them through the death of Your Son, Jesus. Thank You. I love You. In Jesus' precious name, I pray. Amen.
Fear comes in many forms. Some of these fears are true, some are made up, and still others don't make sense. As Christians, we don't have to worry about judgment, which is the most important thing that will happen to us. God's love saves us, gives us strength, blesses us, works in us, and touches other people through us. Most importantly, having experienced this love, we know where we stand with God and can let go of fear. He is our loving Father who wants to bring us home.
Prayer
God, you are holy, mighty, and awesome. Your strength is great. You are holy beyond comparison. When you deal with your people, you are good and fair. Most of all, I thank you, dear Father, because you don't treat me as my sins deserve. No, O God, you treat me with kindness and bless me with your grace that saves and changes me. Your love gives me the courage to live for you and to look forward to the day when I will stand in front of you. Until then, I want to thank and praise you. In Jesus' precious name, I pray. Amen.
Is there anything to fear because God sent His Son to die to save us? In the light of God's love for us in Christ Jesus, what is there to fear? The only thing we have to fear is ourselves, and God has sent His Spirit to reassure and strengthen us in our weakness. Whenever we love God and His children, we are reminded of His love for us, which is far greater than the love we have for others. Rather than flee from Him in terror, we kneel before Him in thankfulness, knowing that He who hears our prayers is also He who loves us and yearns to ease our concerns.
Prayer
Father, I'm glad I can respect you without being afraid of your anger. Thank you that I can respect what you say and not be afraid of how bad I am. May your love for me bring me closer to your holiness, righteousness, justice, and mercy than all the laws, threats, and judges put together. I pray in the powerful name of Jesus, who bought me back from sin and filled me with His love. In Jesus' precious name I pray. Amen.
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