Hebrews 12:1-2a

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.“

‘Thought of the Week’

1 John 4:16-19, “And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgement: In this world we are like Jesus. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.”

How do you know when your in love? How do we know when our relationships aren’t quite what they should be? For a long time i’ve thought that the answer to those questions would be very complicated and difficult to know. But having spend some time in 1 John 4 I’m beginning to think the answer might be much simpler than I first thought.The world would like us to think that love and lust are blurred and cannot really be separated. But that is not the case. With one there is fear, with the other there isn’t. So perhaps the answer to both of those first questions is simple. We are truly in love when we are honestly unafraid. It is the same spiritually with God. Our relationship is healthy when we are not afraid to live, when we are loving Him. 

The key: To conquer fear; don’t go out and fight them, turn to God and leave them.