Fear of the Consequences
May 27, 2019
Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love. 1 John 4:18
Ever see a child (or BE the child) who has been recklessly disobeying a parent until the parent says, “One . . . Two . . . Thr . . .,” and before the “three” can get all the way said, the child is scurrying to obey? That’s because the child has had enough experience to know that Mom is serious. If Tommy has not complied with her desire at that point in time, an undesirable consequence will swiftly be carried out.
Sometimes a child will choose his own will over obedience, and thinks, somehow, he will avoid the consequences. But if he has a loving, capable, and consistent parent, he learns that he can choose his behavior, but then his behavior chooses his consequence.
We never outgrow the motivation of consequences. When we consider the likely consequences, we shape our behavior in line with them. That is why fear of the consequences from people often convinces us to become people pleasers. How many decisions have you made because you feared conflict with others? Perhaps they would reject you. They would disapprove of you. You would be criticized. Perhaps even humiliated. Your peers would see you as outside their circle.
When we have this kind of fear motivation, we second guess our decisions, choose “safe” over bold, we are fickle and unstable, our confidence is low, and worst of all, we disobey God. John, the apostle of love, tells us that the fear of these consequences indicates that our experience of God’s love is lacking. To fully experience His love, we must first grasp His love for us. His love is so deep and lasting that He willingly gave His own Son to die for us. Romans 8:32 says the magnitude of that gift guarantees that He will give us everything else we need. Consider His character. He is good, great, and generous. He will not lie. Consider His power. He is able to handle EVERYTHING I commit to him (2 Timothy 1:12).
NO FEAR. This takes away the fear of people motivation for bad decisions. When I submit to my loving, trustworthy Father, I can know that He will handle everything that concerns me.
- Father, today I am diving deep into a deliberate realization of Your love for me. Your love, trustworthiness, and power are so much bigger than anything, or anyone, I fear. Help me keep my eyes on You and make all my decisions motivated by faith in You instead of fear of others.