It Starts Small

God’s love perfected in us produces the phrase, “fear of the Lord.” The process of God’s perfect love grows within us. When we encounter God, we are uneasy, timid, and apprehensive. As we mature and have an experiential relationship with Him, that turns into a reverence and respect. 

The fear of the Lord is the product of God’s perfect love in us. John says fear of punishment is not the completed perfected love of God in us. This is why it is so important to understand and rejoice to the teachings of God’s love. His love sets us at ease and once we experience it, it emboldens and strengthens us. 

A great example of the progressions of God’s perfect love is Gideon. The midianites had been holding God’s people hostage for seven years. They held them in poverty by raiding their fields during the harvest and stealing their cattle. The people cried out to God, and God chose Gideon to lead His people to victory.

When God sent message to Gideon he was full of fear. He was hiding in the wine press shucking the harvest. He was hiding so the midianites would not be able to steal the harvest. Immediately Gideon was full of fear when the angel of the Lord came to him. He was afraid that just seeing an angel of the Lord would bring him certain death. Even though he was full of fear, he obeyed God in tearing down the idols. How do we know he was fearful? He did it under the cover of darkness. Then he asked God for confirmation that he was indeed chosen to lead the people, even thought he had seen an angel of the Lord.

¹⁰ But if you are afraid to attack the camp, go down with Purah your servant. ¹¹ Listen to what they say, and then you will be encouraged to attack the camp.” So he went down with Purah his servant to the outpost of the troops who were in the camp.

Judges 7:10-11

Gideon was afraid so he snuck into the camp and overheard the enemy talking about him and the certain destruction that was to come. They were so terrified of Gideon they came to the conclusion he, himself, was going to tumble into their camp and destroy them. 

All of this was God building and developing Gideon’s confidence. God partially perfected Gideon in love!

¹⁵ For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear. Instead, you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father!”

Romans 8:15

God wants to do the same for us! He wants to perfect His love in us so that we do not have a harmful fear that resides within us, but a perfect fear of Him. A relationship not built by the idea of punishment, but a relationship built on perfect love that completes us and brings us a spirit of reverence. The Spirit we have received is not one that brings harmful fear into our hearts. 

Ponder: Take an honest assessment of your relationship with God. Is there a level of harmful fear? Harmful fear comes about by believing the lies of the enemy. Sometimes, that fear is no fault to us, except ignorance. What do you actually know about God and do you know what He says about you? Do you have an experiential relationship with Him? Have you truly experience the love of God? If not, what is holding you back? What stands between you and Him?

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