Rooted in Love or Fear?

that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— 19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge

(Ephesians 3:17-19 NKJV).

There is not fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear (1John 4:18).

Is faith the opposite of fear? Or is love the reverse of fear? Indeed, without faith, we cannot please God. Faith is the victory that overcomes the world. Through it, we surrender our lives to Christ and learn to trust Him daily. And yet faith can only operate through love. If we do not have love and yet have the faith to move mountains, we are nothing. (1 Cor. 13:2).

God is love. The devil is the spirit of fear. Everything God does is from a place of love. He judges and brings justice from love, not from hate. On the other hand, Satan is fear, and when He attacks saints, his objective is to immobilize and torment them. If we root ourselves in the love of Christ, our faith and trust in Him will lead us in our daily decisions of life. Every choice we make based on fear is one of the flesh, not of the Spirit. It may look good on the surface, but the root is fear, “they won’t love me unless” or “what will people think of me,” or I hate having to do this, but if I don’t, I may not get my promotion.” All acts of self-preservation flourish in the soil of fear.

Perfect love casts out fear. Once your inner self becomes full of the love of God, fear loses its place in you. When you act out of love, the Spirit is leading you. Thinking of others and their perspective rather than your own helps you understand people and have more compassion for them. I am not referring to being a doormat for anyone but a person who looks beyond people’s faults to see their needs. We must also love ourselves and not become victims of people’s rude and dishonest behavior.

Yes, faith is essential but, love is more excellent. When you meditate on the love of God and begin to confess His loyal love for you, fear diminishes. Amid trouble, your thoughts and feelings change as you worship God and see things from a higher place. We don’t like to acknowledge our fears, but we all have them. Even Apostle Paul spoke of his inner fears and anxieties. But like Paul, as we root ourselves in Jesus’ love, the outward things of life will minimize as our inward life explodes with joy.