Perfect Love Casts Out Fear

by Joyce Meyer

Do you suffer from fear or insecurity? What about the fear of lack? Are you worried that God won't come through for you? 

I have been there too. 

I have been literally worried sick about so many things, including my past, my future, my finances, what people thought about me. And because I couldn't get my mind off of my problems, I found myself in a place of utter torment. 

But we do not have to fear that God doesn't love us or that He won't come through for us in our time of need. We need to learn to accept the reality of His love for us, so that our fears do not control us. 

First John 4:18 says that perfect love casts out fear. If you're afraid of facing a person or a situation in your life, God's love can help you put your fears to rest. 

The Cure for Insecurity

Because I had been abused in my childhood and was fearful of being hurt or taken advantage of, I became very insecure. And I spent many years trying to control everything and everyone in my life. 

Instead of trying to control and manipulate people, I needed to learn to trust God, pray, and believe that He would do what was best for me at the right time. Most of all, I needed to abide in His love. 

First John 4:16 points out that we should be conscious of God's love. It needs to be more than just a biblical fact for us…we need to experience it daily. 

Several years ago I was so desperate for a revelation of God's love that I began to keep a journal of the things He did in my life that I believed displayed His love. No matter how small they were, I recorded them. 

When people gave me things, I recorded it. When I was shown favor in situations, I recorded it. When God answered prayers and did things for me that I had requested, I recorded it… 

This process helped me become conscious of His love, and I began to heal. I found out that the love of God is the cure for the insecure. 

Overcoming the Fear of Lack

Another major fear people face is the fear of lack. The fear that your needs won't be met—that God won't come through for you in time. 

You may be in a situation that you've never been in before, facing all kinds of new responsibilities. You may have needs that are beyond your resources and the spirit of fear is attacking you, telling you that you aren't going to make it. You may feel like nobody else cares. But God cares. 

In fact, Hebrews 13:5-6 says you can trust God to come to your rescue. 

Even when it seems that absolutely nothing is happening in your life, He is working. Beloved, God has a good plan for you, and He'll manifest it right on time. 

If you need financial support, He'll provide. If it's physical support you need, He'll sustain you. If you need emotional support, He'll comfort you. He'll nourish you and bring you back to a place of strength. 

God is for you. He is not against you. Satan is against you, but the greater One lives in you! 

Let Nothing Separate You from God's Love

During hard times and moments of insecurity, Satan works overtime trying to convince us that God doesn't love us—that if He did, either we wouldn't be in this situation, or He would've delivered us by now. 

I confess with my own mouth the truth that God does love me during these attacks of fear. And I encourage you to say several times a day with confidence, "God loves me!" Don't allow the devil to steal this truth from you. 

Romans 8:38-39, which I pray will comfort you right now, says: 

For I am persuaded beyond doubt (am sure) that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities, nor things impending and threatening nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

As long as you refuse to let anything separate you from God's love, you will have the victory. 

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This article is taken from Joyce's DVD teaching, One Life.

Love Song 2

oh Lord Im so glad I found You

Theres none like u

You fill me with courage, 

You lift me on wings of hope

Out of darkness, You captivated me 

With the marvelous warmth of your light

Jesus, You are everything

My second chance of living

You are my One and Only God

Who is like you Lord

Everyday, my heart chooses you again

In your presence I could feel you breath cover my existence

Holy are you, 

You fill me with your blessed assurance

As I stand on your grace

I am renewed..

Come out from Amongst Them...

I have been thinking a bit about my life, and how God called me out of what I thought was ‘a good thing’ into something even better. In obedience I succumbed to His will, and since then, I have never looked back. I have seen where my dreams changed from simple to things so big that I know it is with God ONLY that they can be accomplished. I have begun to behave and think in different ways that I could not have before my understanding had been enlightened. It’s all because of  Jesus. To Him be the Glory and the Praise - He alone deserves them.

Last night I was reading about Abraham and Lot and it got me to think more about the decisions we make. To begin with, God called Abram whose name He later changed to Abraham. At the time, he was living with his father Terah, his wife Sarai (later God changed her name to Sarah) and his nephew, Lot (whose father, Haran, had died). Obediently, Abraham left his home and his father’s house to go to a land he did not yet know! The thing is though, he took Lot with him. Now you may be wondering what the big deal is since he took Sarah also. My understanding is that God called him - a man, who is the head of his household, therefore allowing him to bring along his submissive wife. But, God did not call Lot and his house with Abraham. God only called Abraham, where He promised, as evidenced in Genesis 12:1, where He would make him a great nation, bless him, make his name great and by whom all families of the earth shall be blessed. Lot was not apart of this prophesy. When God calls us, we often make decisions to bring along those we love, because we cannot separate from them. We feel, that this love we have for them is enough to qualify them to be receivers of our blessing. In the same way, some of us, when we are called out of the things of the world, we hold on to some habits, things, traditions and customs, failing to see that by being called, we must let them go. As the Word shows us in Genesis 13: 1-12, Abraham had to separate himself from Lot. Verses 14 says, 'And the Lord said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward.’ The key word is NOW. It was only when Lot went out in the direction of Zoar, that Abraham could be eligible to receive his blessing. How many of us are still dragging along people, and things that God did not call with us? I myself brought along a person when I was called. I kept them with me for almost seven years. Then one day, God whispered to me the word, ‘bondage’ in connection with the person. I knew that God was calling me to separate. As painful as it was, I decided to obey God in this rather than listening to myself or the people around me. I separated myself and disconnected as best as I could from the person. What seemed like an immediate response to my obedience, I began to see the blessings of God rain down upon me. More often than not, I was living in awe of God’s splendor and majesty. Today, I see where even when I thought I was obedient, there were things that I needed to do in my life that would please God. I was living a compromising life by my constant connection to this person. Remember Lot's wife? She compromised by looking back into the world. She was longing for the world, even though God gave her a chance to be saved. We have to show God that we are focused on Him, that we value our salvation. God showed me that if He called me, it was to bless me and my generations to come. I sit back and I reflect. If I had not come out, then life would have been a complete defeat. My children and their children would have been reaping the curses I sowed. Their lives would be filled with failures - academically, financially, in their family lives, their marriages, their careers, their health, their self esteem, their confidence and so many other areas… 

For me, I trust God. When He called me out, and when I separated myself and chose to be a non-compromising Christian, I understood that His plans were to prosper me and give me an expected end. I was assured that He is the author and finisher of my faith. I knew He held my beginning and my end and that my future was secured in Him. Today, I know who my God is and I know that I can rest in Him. Today, I may not be seeing the outcomes to the situations I am facing, but I know that God sees it - and that they are good. Church, I encourage you to drop off the things that you have been carrying around with you that are not part of the blessing God wants to release in your life. I encourage you to separate yourself from the people you love (by not doing the things they are doing in the world) as you demonstrate your obedience unto God. I encourage you to stand in Christ, because He is standing with you. 

May God Bless You Richly.

The Gift of Power!

As we seek God through His Word, we will see that as a son or daughter of God we have been given a great gift - the gift of power, that lives inside of us. In 1 John 4:4 we are told, 'greater is He who lives in me than he who is in the world'. I am assured here that the power to overcome darkness already lives in me - therefore, I am a power-filled being, equipped to take on the enemy at all cost. However, we sometimes do not recognize how much power and authority is in us and we are blinded by the subtlety of the devil. Just imagine church, our Great God created all of the universe, the things we see and so much more that brilliant scientists of our time are trying to figure out. This Magnificent God who put the stars in the sky and knows them by name, who commands the winds and seas, and who painted the colors of the atmosphere - HE LIVES IN US!

Therefore, we have power and authority in us. We are weapons against the enemy. But, like my Pastor preached recently, if we are not using the gift, we won't see any results. He gave us this example: say someone buys you a car that they parked in your garage for your convenience, but everywhere you need to go you walk or use public transportation - how did the gift (car) benefit you? In the same way, if you already have the power of God in you and the enemy comes and you never use the power, how will you be successful, prosperous, or victorious against the enemy?

The devil is so subtle - sometimes we accept things happening without even discerning it is him. For a couple of weeks I had been hearing what I assumed was a bird on my rooftop making somewhat of a clocking sound. The sound would only be heard at night and was loud and very irritating. I tried to find out where exactly on the roof it was, but I couldn't see. After hearing the message on the power of God in me, I decided to use it. That night after church, I came home and was enjoying a cup of tea. And then I heard it. The sound was loud especially in the quiet of the night. I began to declare in the atmosphere the power that is living in me and I command the evil to depart from my dwelling place. To my amazement, after a couple of tries, the sound stopped. From that moment onward, I never heard the sound again. The devil uses people or animals, or any body he can inhabit. We have to be able to discern him and rise up with the power in us and fight against him. Remember, he has already lost! Victory is ours because our God is victorious! Let's step out now unto the unknown territory God is taking us to. Because He is with us, we can be sure we will only flourish!

Love you all - powerful people of God!

As Humble as a Lamb

Peter was a follower of Christ who was privileged to walk with our King in the flesh... After His passion, Jesus remained with His disciples for 40 days, eating, drinking and sharing Kingdom things with them. When He ascended into Heaven on a cloud, the men who bore witness to this was assured that He would one day return again....and they knew there was much work to be done for His name's sake, until His return.

Our faithful God knew that His people needed Him, and thus, He did not leave us comfortless...He promised that the Holy Spirit, the third member of the God Head, would be with us to guide, counsel, convict, lead, protect, save, unify, teach and correct us, among many other things. But, most of all, I believe that one of the Holy Spirit's gifts to us is to empower us, causing us to be victors like Our Father which art in Heaven!

And so we read in the book of Acts, chapter 3, that a man who had been lame and begging for contributions by the gate called 'Beautiful' was healed by men of God who were empowered by His Holy Spirit. We know that when God performs a miracle in our lives the world looks upon us and marvels. But, how often do we get caught up in the the hype and forget that the miracle was not as a result of our own doing, but it was the work of God? I remember one time I attended a thanksgiving service at a sister's house and was fortunate to be a part of the worship team. After the service, a man came up to me and was going on and on about how great the worship was. I was so proud of myself that I forgot that it was not me at all but the Spirit in me who was using my vessel for His honor and glory! Right here in the scripture taken from Acts 3:12 (AMP), it says, 'And Peter, seeing it, answered the people, You men of Israel, why are you so surprised and wondering at this? Why do you keep staring at us, as though by our [own individual] power or [active] piety we had made this man [able] to walk?' Unlike me, Peter was quick to discern the devil's tactics in an attempt to cause him to become puffed up in himself. He quickly addressed the awestruck crowd letting them know that he was not responsible for the miracle they witnessed but the glory belonged only to God! 

The more I meditate on this portion of text, the more I begin to understand the humility that is required of us. This can only come from true love for God, and true relationship with Him. When we are able to recognize without any flicker of doubt that God is the source of all things and that all things belong to Him, we begin to fathom His value. We begin to appreciate that this God who formed the entire universe, is looking down at us, and attending to our needs. We begin to see our filth before Him because we begin to become familiar with His Holiness and purity. It is only then we can truly understand humility... knowing that all we are - we owe to God.

Let us take pattern from these men who sought after kingdom things, forsaking the flesh. Let us seek to become humble as we serve Christ. After all, the Bible says that those who humble themselves shall be exalted...(Matt. 23:12).

Love you all in Jesus' name!

Faith like a Mustard Seed....

The Bible tells us in Mark 11:24, 'Therefore I say unto you, All things whatsoever ye pray and ask for, believe that ye have received them, and ye shall have them. Therefore I say to you, Whatever things ye desire when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them'. Do you know in this scripture, God was speaking to believers? Yes, to you and me, the saved, adopted sons and daughters of God. He was giving us a glimpse into His Glorious Kingdom by telling us that whatever we want, because we are His, we only have to believe when we ask for it, and it shall be granted unto us! What a love from a generous Father! But, knowing that we are His, knowing that we can ask that the windows of Heaven be opened and His blessing be poured out upon us, still doesn't mean anything if we don't believe it can happen!
Matthew 17:20 of the Amplified version of the Word of God goes like this, 'He said to them, Because of the littleness of your faith [that is, your lack of firmly relying trust]. For truly I say to you, if you have faith [that is living] like a grain of mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, Move from here to yonder place, and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you'. Again, Jesus was speaking to believers. More interestingly, in this portion of text, He was addressing those most closest to Him - His disciples! These were the men who walked with Him, ate with Him, and performed miracles in His name! These were also the same men who were of little faith! So where does that leave us?
If you are anything like me, then you love God. There is nothing that satisfies you more than the infilling of the Holy Spirit. Yet, when the situations of life come against you, somewhere along the way you become weary.. and the doubt squirms its way into the matter. You say that it will all work out because you serve the One True and Living God, yet, you know you are doubting that the best is yet to come.. 
But, my brothers and sisters, here I am, a living testimony! My life is a series of ups and downs, with twists and turns that I didn't bargain for. But, I am learning everyday that the more I spend time in God's beautiful presence, the more I read and fill myself with the knowledge of who He is, the more I am able to build my faith..
Anna Rountree gives her testimony on www.spiritlessons.com of her experiences with God in Heaven. There, she shares an amazing truth that there are human organs and parts that are stored up in Heaven ready to be released to the sick among us - but we don't believe in His marvelous healing, so they remain there, and we grow more and more sick..
We pray for job promotions, new houses and vehicles, financial breakthroughs, healing, deliverance, marriage partners, and so many other things, but we don't believe that we can receive these things from our God. Therefore, there is no manifestation of His Might for the unbelievers to see..
Today, I just want to encourage you to know that God loves you more than you can ever imagine. Our minds are too limited to process the kind of love He has for us. He wants to give us the desires of our hearts - but we need only to believe...

Be an OVERCOMER!

'You're an Overcomer!' This line was taken from Mandisa's song entitled with that ever powerful word, 'Overcomer!' In this new year, 2015, God wants us to overcome the obstacles and barriers that have ever been plaguing our lives and holding us back from enjoying freedom in Him. He promises that this year will be an exciting one for His people, but we first have to get to that place with Him where there are no boundary lines. But how do we do this?
For me, I had to recognize that everyday I battle with generation curses and hereditary spirits that tackle me from every angle. I had been engaged in warfare, but I was not too sure who or what I was really fighting against. As a result, I begun to study what these things were so that I could better equip myself. Pastor Paula White says that if we examine our families, we would clearly see the patterns that emerge from generation to generation. Some of these curses may include divorce, cancer, alcoholism, depression, fornication, adultery, poverty, accidental and untimely death, particular sicknesses and diseases and many more.. Knowing these curses, means we can now attack the enemy will full force. Bear in mind that we have to be clothed with the full armor of God and have confidence in Him knowing that greater is He who is in Me than He who is in the world! Understand too, that even if the curse was not broken with us, with constant warfare, we can break them from our children's lives - and thus change our generations ahead of us.
The next thing is understanding that God is no man's debtor. Everything we do for God is rewarded. Colossians 1:5 of the Amplified version of the Bible tells us that, 'Because of the hope [of experiencing what is] laid up (reserved and waiting) for you in heaven...' Therefore, we seek to overcome the world knowing without a shadow of a doubt that there are things laid up for us in Heaven that our words cannot express and give honor to!
What is it that you want to see happen in your life this year? Get to a place with God where you can truly connect with Him and thus be able to proceed in His plan for your life. Jesus loves us so much more than human understanding permits us to comprehend. Trust in Him and call on Him to help you overcome the hurdles you are facing - Now!
Be ever blessed.