Fearless

"There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love." 1 John 4:18

Perfect love casts out fear. Fear is a crippling agent; it prevents growth, movement, freedom. Love is & of God and where God is so is the spirit of liberty, or freedom. So, what do I do when I get nervous and fearful about the next step or chapter in my life? I remind myself that God has not given me a spirit of fear, but of power, LOVE and a sound mind....Love, it always comes back to love. Love is what moves us, is behind most of the decisions that we make, even the excuse we hide behind to justify what we do; but what happens if we let ourselves be exposed to the PERFECT LOVE? Can you imagine how different we would be? If we let ourselves be exposed to the Almighty God in all His greatness, awesomeness, perfectness. I remember when I first came across this verse, I was so shocked how it just spoke to my situation with such a simple answer I wanted to slap my head and say "duh". I have a relationship with my Lord and Savior and because of our relationship, His Perfect Love removes all my fears because He is not the type of God to cripple me and prevent me from moving forward. He's the exact opposite: He is the type of God who by His huge capacity to love a sinner like me, had His Son die for me so that I can move freely in Him. His love allows me to grow, learn, seek and love Him. The loves we experience now: Storge (love between family members), Philia (love between friends), and Eros (love between husband and wife) are just a piece of the love that God has for us. God's unconditional love (Agape) is a love that is so powerful it makes us fearless. We know that once we on on Team Jesus, we can face anything. You can face anything, and do anything through Jesus who gives you strength. Be blessed.

When God Writes Your Love Story: Sha & Stephen

.....It's amazing from beginning to end.

"....I'll give it time; give it space and be still for a spell. When it's time to walk that way, we want to walk it well. I'll be waiting for you baby, I'll be holding back the darkest night. Love is waiting till we're ready; til its right. Love is waiting...."
Love is Waiting- Brooke Fraser

Happy Valentine's Day!!!!!!

1 Corinthians 13:4-8a (NIV)
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.

 
 
Love is a beautiful and truly amazing thing when you experience it for real.

I'm At A Lost............

I just finished a novel called "The Romantics" by Galt Niederhoffer. I'm not going to spoil the ending but I actually went into it expecting the worst. Why? Because lately it seems happy endings aren't really happy endings anymore. I know, I sound like someone in desperate need of a hug; but when you look at society today and how they put their wants and needs above others you soon realize that someone is going to have their heart broken as the other person journeys down the road of self-discovery. I have this song stuck in my head by Brooke Fraser off her new album Flags, it called "Who Are We Fooling?" I listen to the words and the intensity of the situation being conveyed and can't help but think of all the people who can sing along to the song as if it was their life's bio. But the sad thing is that it doesn't have to be. If we just take our time...actually act like adults and weigh the pros and cons to every situation; if we did what was right instead of what "we felt like doing" at that moment than we would have less hearts to mend. We would have fewer people breaking hearts (if that makes sense). Hurt people in turn hurt people (someone who has been hurt only knows pain, so in turn they hurt someone else). We need to be honest with ourselves and put the other person first. When we do that, we will have less broken marriages, affairs, domestic abuse issues, etc. because we for once weren’t selfish.

Until then, the happy endings will be reserved to fairy tales and cheesy movies. Why can't we actually stay in a marriage even when the trials we face in it will provide healthy growth down the line? Why can't we talk to our spouse instead of the coworker who seems to "understand" at convenient times? Why do we expect something different from the person who was exactly that way they were when you met them? Is it fair to want them to change when they have remained consistent and you remained in denial? Most importantly, when will we stop blaming it on love and call it what it really is: lust. Lust isn’t forever; it is a temporary high, a drug that we eventually grow tired of or find a way to up the dosage. I think that at the rate divorces are happening that we should change the vows to “for better or for worst, in sickness or in health or until I tire of you.”

…….. Maybe I’m wrong, or maybe I’m right and it hurts that I finally said it out loud. Perfect way to find out if you are in love or in lust: 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 (NIV): “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.” If you can say that you are striving towards this daily; you are closer to love than you think. If you can’t check off 1 thing on the list, then you might want to evaluate your relationship and/or intentions…..Be blessed.