Being You Without Fear

You know when you do something wrong, or are told you are in sin, or even find out people really don’t like your hairstyle? Basically anything that makes you not like yourself? I don’t know about you but it makes be feel guilty and try really really hard to change. But you do you know that feeling of friends or bloggers who say it’s all right, it wasn’t that bad. And sometimes you may hear them say it so many times you wonder if they are robots just programmed to tell you this no matter what happens. But doesn’t it still feel good not to be rejected by all society? I’ve found it is even better when you don’t just know it’s alright but when you feel it is alright. When it hits you, “Yes I may mess up from time to time, and even make some big mistakes but I think I can…I think I can still feel okay about myself even then.” This usually happens when someone knows you make bad mistakes. And they realize it really was a baaaad mistake but! They will love you anyway.

Jesus said in Matthew 22:37 to “Love the Lord with all your heart, strength and mind.”
The Bible also says in 1 John 14:10 that we didn’t love God first but he loved us first.
We can’t give or experience love if we don’t have any to give or experience in the first place. We aren’t made with built in love. I think the world has plenty of examples of this. Including auto-immune diseases and psychosomatic illnesses.
Jesus died on the cross for our sins so we don’t have to pay the penalty for them. That was love.
But sometimes we don’t act like we are loved by God.

Time out. Loved? By God? If God, you know, God, can love us then who can’t love us? I mean God would be the top man. He can do whatever he wants and he certainly doesn’t need us. Why don’t all people love us? Some aren’t trained, like you should train a child to share, you should train a child to love. But other people don’t just have a lack of training, some aren’t filled up with love themselves.

Usually the reason to not be loved is because of imperfection. Sometimes we act like we are the dung of the earth compared to what God intended us to feel about ourselves.
Do you know what love produces? A lack of fear. Can you see it? Messing up, flubbing up all very horribly but waking up the next day knowing it’s ok. I can barely describe the event myself because I seem to pass in and out of this type of peace with myself.
But here is the verse that this whole article is based on:
John 14: 17-18 The Message Version
God is love. When we take up permanent residence in a life of love, we live in God and God lives in us. This way, love has the run of the house, becomes at home and mature in us, so that we’re free of worry on Judgment Day—our standing in the world is identical with Christ’s. There is no room in love for fear. Well-formed love banishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearful life—fear of death, fear of judgment—is one not yet fully formed in love.

God wants us to go boldly up to him and ask for his help and anything and everything else. You can ask without fear, without, “Maybe he will maybe he won’t, because he knows who I am and what I’ve done.” He isn’t going to bite, he is your heavenly father and he loves you just like a son or daughter. The Bible puts is best:
Hebrews 4:14-16 The Message Version
Now that we know what we have—Jesus, this great High Priest with ready access to God—let’s not let it slip through our fingers. We don’t have a priest who is out of touch with our reality. He’s been through weakness and testing, experienced it all—all but the sin. So let’s walk right up to him and get what he is so ready to give. Take the mercy, accept the help.

Any guilt or shame even if you ‘should’ feel it is not from God. He will still and always love you and take care of you. There is no more ‘Wrath of God’ to be poured on our sins. No more hell-threatening sermons because we Christians are sinners.
God says don’t worry about it, I got it. So it makes sense that this world would rule its subjects with fear, guilt and shame. Especially in a world that is increasingly anti-God. The very word, anti-God, by definition is the opposite of God. It isn’t going to do things like him and it will most certainly sell you out as soon as it is beneficial.

If you never do anything but love God that’s ok. If you never go to church, say a prayer, follow the Bible, fine. But if you love God with all your heart strength and mind you will know you are full of love. Because like I said, we can only love God if we are full of love from him.