Hi friends, How are you? This week, we are still pondering verses having to do with love. There are many verses about love and many kinds of love mentioned in the Bible. Yet, today may not be a kind of love, but more of a clarification of love. I have to say, that when I looked at 1 John 4:18 as a possibility for today’s blog topic, I saw it out of context. My first thought was different than the context in which it was written. Just to be clear, I am not advocating for people to twist the truth for their own use or to study God's Word out of context. My first thoughts were out of context, but as you can see I say the correct context. Can 1 John 4:18 and the Concept of Love Help Battered Women?:
In the past, I have worked with battered women. So, when I read 1 John 4:18 out of context and saw, “There is no fear in love”, I thought about the fear battered women have of their boyfriends or husbands. I thought about how battered women often feel that they deserve the battering and that their boyfriends and husbands love them despite the violence they show.
I wondered, “Can 1 John 4:18 be used to help battered women?” I thought about how batterers often use fear to control their victims all the while they are telling their victims that they love them. I wonder. In reading 1 John 4:18, it doesn’t look to me that fear and love can go hand in hand. It seems like there is only one or the other. So, can 1 John 4:18 be used to help battered women? There is no mention of battered women or men, in the context of 1 John 4:18. I don’t know if I would advocate for trying to use a verse out of context, unless specifically called to do so by God. However, there may be useful lessons in a verse that can be used in similar or related circumstances. After reading this post, I will let you decide for yourself if 1 John 4:18 can be used to help battered women. Love and Fear:
When I think about love and fear, I think about how a parent may comfort a child who is afraid. A parent’s love can often wash a way the fears of a child. A hug and gentle, reassuring words often helps when a child is afraid. Coming from a loving parent, these things are often all that is needed for a child to feel safe again. It is like the child can’t feel the fear and the love at the same time.
I think the opposite as well. I think no matter how much a couple thinks they are in love; if there is violence or fear between them it is difficult (if possible at all) to feel the love and fear at the same time. The more the fear is used as a tool by the batterer to control the battered, the more difficult it will be to feel the love. Often the battered struggles to keep the love and the relationship together. She (or he) wants the relationship, tries to say the abuse was her fault, that she deserves it. But, is it really possible? Is it possible to feel the love and the fear at the same time? Can the violence of the batterer, push the love away? Is the violence of a battered relationship love? Is there any love in the relationship? The batterer and the battered may claim there is love. They may want it. However, is that real love? Or, is that just wishful and misled thinking? God’s Word:
Now, let’s look at 1 John 4:18 in context. If we read 1 John 4, we can see that John is giving the early Christians a pep talk. In earlier verses John talks about how there will be false prophets (1 John 4:1) and the spirit of the antichrist (1 John 4:3) in the world. These things will cause fear, disconnect, and division. John is reminding the early Christians as God reminds us, that no matter how bad things get, move closer to God. Keep God close and keep your focus on His infinite love. One can’t feel nor be disturbed by the fear and violence of the world, if one is close to God and feels God’s loving presence. Nothing else matters when we are close to God, not even the most fearful and shocking thing the world can do to us. Yes. That is easier said than lived. God didn’t say it would be easy. Yet, it as 1 John 4:18 (KJV) says, “…perfect love casteth out fear”. God’s perfect love can get rid of the fear we feel. Heavenly Father, Thank you for your infinite love. You know that there is violence and things that scare us in this world. Even some of the things you call us to do outside of our comfort zone seem frightful at times. Help us to draw close to you in difficult times instead of dwelling on the fear. Help us to come to you and to feel your love. Help us to understand that your perfect love and fear cannot occupy the same space. Help us to realize that your love is infinite and powerful. Help us to know your faithfulness. Help us to be close to you and focus on you always. I ask you this through your Son, Jesus. Amen. 
If you enjoyed this post, you may also want to read these similar posts: *How Do You Show Jesus You Love Him? *Do You Reflect the Love of God? *Do You Practice Pure Religion? *Why are We Called to Love Our Enemies? Now, it is your turn. I am so thankful that you are here. I pray that God blesses you as you read the Faith Blog by DUO Inspirations. If you feel called to do so, please feel free to comment or contact me at any time. I welcome your comments and look forward to reading them. Also, if you have any questions, comments, ideas, or requests for me, please feel free to let me know. Thank you. If you find value in the Faith Blog by DUO Inspirations, please share it with your friends and family. The new share buttons will make it easier for you to do that. Some of your friends and family may appreciate you sharing it, so they can read it as well. As you can tell from the post, I believe that all Christians are called to share God’s Word and encourage others to get closer to God. In helping you with your Bible study, I have a free gift for you. Please, sign up below to receive your free gift and get the Faith Blog by DUO Inspirations in your inbox each week. Yes, I may include some other “faith” content with the email at times, especially a prayer.
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“Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.”
Isaiah 26:3 (KJV) Hi friends, How are you today? Before I talk about Isaiah 26:3 specifically, I want to discuss some concepts that go with the verse. Let’s first think about having a “one-tracked” mind. Have you ever had a one-tracked mind? You know the sort, when you are hyper focused on something and right or wrong, once you have it in your head to do something a specific way, nothing can stand in your way. I have experienced that before in myself and in others. I know that when I am focused on something that strongly, I can forget all that is around me. I could forget that I have water boiling on the stove or forget that my husband is in the room and not hear him ask me a question. Our brains are “funny” in that way. Think about the “placebo effect”. If people believe enough, often sugar pills can help as much as the “real” medicine or cure for something. The mind is focused on the fact that it will work. It believes. It trusts that it will work. Another thing to think about is the “power of thought”, especially the “power of positive thinking”. If we think positively, often times positive things happen. If we think negatively, often times negative things happen. I find it interesting that we bring up these principles to encourage each other when we are down. We often believe these sentiments as true and good. We think we are doing good to encourage others with these things. And, many times, we do feel a certain amount of encouragement. They do seem to help us many times when we are down. Yet, these are worldly sentiment. None of it gives credit to God. None of it gives us what God can give us. Now, let’s look at Isaiah 26:3 and ponder it a while. The first part of Isaiah 26:3 (KJV) reads, “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace”. When do we need peace or think about needing peace? It is when we are troubled, anxious, frustrated, confused, angry, depressed, or scared that we need to be reassured that God can give us peace. We also need peace when we are sinful and do the wrong things. We may feel sorry, ashamed, or self-conscious. We need the peace of knowing that we are forgiven, wiped clean, and back on the right path. We need to know we are not in conflict with each other, with ourselves, or with God. This is the type of peace that God can offer. It is a peace in our heart, not just in our mind, that He loves us and will keep us safe. (It might not be a worldly safe at times, but it is a heavenly safe. It will be in His arms and not lost or out of His sight.) God’s peace is more than just a lack of fighting and turmoil. It is a heavenly peace that touches more than our mind and heart. It touches us deeply within in our spirit. It seems to me that when we fear something, it is the not knowing or worry that we really fear. Often, I fear trying new things. It isn’t really the fear of trying new things that really bother me, it is more that I fear making mistakes, wasting materials, or getting into trouble. I fear flying. It isn’t really that I fear flying, but more that I fear crashing and dying. I fear dying, but it isn’t so much that I fear dying. It is more that I fear not knowing what it will be like or being afraid that I won’t be with God in heaven. (These fears come and go depending on how I am feeling. My mind knows that I have nothing to fear, because I believe in God and love Him. My heart isn’t always as calm as my mind. My spirit isn’t always at peace.) See how our fear can seem to be one thing but really another? God can help us. He can give us a peace, but not just any peace, a heavenly and perfect peace. The middle part of Isaiah 26:3 (KJV) reads, “…whose mind is stayed on thee…”. That is the person who will get the perfect peace from the first part of the peace, the person whose mind is focused on God. That is why it is good to have some Bible verses committed to memory, so we can remember the inspirational and helpful words God gave us. It is the reason why we should be in the habit of praying about every little thing, so when we are upset it will almost be second nature to pray about it and to ask God for help. Let’s go back to what I was saying earlier about being super focused on something. When we are super focused on someone or something, we get tuned in to just that person or thing. We tune out and sometimes even forget other things and people around us. The more we focus on God, His Word, and His love for us, the more at peace we begin to feel. The more we do this, the more we yearn for a relationship with Him, and the more we grow to feel and understand these things more deeply. As we do that, the stronger and more real our peace becomes. So, when we are down or afraid or have any number of negative emotions, we have two choices. We can focus on the fear and negative emotions or we can focus on God. Which would you rather do? Now, it might sound simple to just say, “Focus on God.” Well, it is not always that simple. It can be one of the more difficult things to do amongst some strong emotions and tumultuous situations. However, the more we do it, the more God will change our hearts, and the easier it will become. The last part of Isaiah 26:3 (KJV) says, “…because he trusteth in thee”. If we didn’t believe in God, if we didn’t trust God’s love and faithfulness, we wouldn’t put in the time or the effort to get to know Him or to focus on Him. We didn’t believe that He could give us perfect peace. We wouldn’t love Him and yearn to be close to Him. May God give you and may you accept His heavenly peace, my friends. Heavenly Father, Thank you for being our Heavenly Father and for wanting the best for us. Thank you for giving us your protection, comfort, guidance, and love. Help us to focus only on you. Help us to remember your words and promise of peace, especially in times of fear and tribulation. Help us to feel and accept your heavenly peace that you want to give us. I ask you this through Jesus, your Son. Amen. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Reflective questions for Isaiah 26:3 (KJV): *What does Isaiah 26:3 mean to me? *What does “perfect peace” mean to me? *How is God’s peace different from worldly peace? *Have someone I know or I ever been super focused? What has it felt like? *Do I trust God? *What can I do to better heed the words in Isaiah 26:3? *What other verses remind me of the message in Isaiah 26:3? *What is God telling me right now through Isaiah 26:3? Note: If you enjoyed this post, you may enjoy the following posts on similar topics. *Fear *Peace/Peacemakers Now, it is your turn: Thank you for being here. I appreciate your kindness and support. I pray you are enjoying and finding value in the Faith Blog by DUO Inspirations. If you do, please feel free to share the Faith Blog by DUO Inspirations with your friends and family. They may enjoy it and find value in it as well. Also, if you haven't done so already, you may want to sign up below and get the free gift as well. You will also receive the Faith Blog by DUO Inspirations and other faith content in your inbox. I welcome your thoughts, questions, comments, ideas, and requests. Please, feel free to comment below or contact me. Thank you and God bless. 
“The slothful man saith, There is a lion without, I shall be slain in the streets.” Proverbs 22:13 (KJV) Hi friends, How are you today? There have been many times when I haven’t done things, because I didn’t think that I could do them. They seemed too difficult for me. I didn’t think I had the skills, the patience, the knowledge, the strength, or the financial means to do them. What about you? Have you ever felt like there were things that you couldn’t do that you wanted to do? Were there things that you didn’t do, because you didn’t think you could do them? This verse in Proverbs convicts me of laziness. Most, if not all, the things that I didn’t do because I didn’t think I could were because I was too lazy to do the hard work to carry them out. I was afraid, overwhelmed, or just ignorant of a way to succeed. However, the biggest conviction above and beyond laziness is that I didn’t have the faith that God would provide a way and that God would be with me through it all. I don’t know if I didn’t realize this before or didn’t understand it. I learn something new every time I read the Bible. I may have glossed over this verse before. If I had really understood it, maybe I would have tackled more or at least given them more of an effort, before I dismissed them as being too hard. As humans, it may be in our nature to look at things as too difficult before we even give them a chance. We may just fear that “there is a lion in the street” or we may say that because it sounds like it would be a good excuse to not put the work in to accomplish something. It may seem like a lion, but only be a sweet little kitten. We don’t even know if we can accomplish something or if it beyond our means, if we don’t try something. I really hope that the next time I am faced with what I feel is a difficult or impossible task that I remember the words in Proverbs 22:13 and remember that God is with me always. It may seem like the convictions that I find in these words are a bad thing. Most people don’t like to be convicted. Often conviction leads to discomfort, lack of freedom, punishment, or sadness. Yet, I find comfort and hope in these words. It is like, now that I realize what I was doing, I can change it. I can now knowingly look to God with my troubles instead of dismissing something that I can’t do or don’t think I can do. In reality I probably can’t do it, but with God, I can. God will provide a way. Heavenly Father, Thank you for your Word. Thank you for convicting me of slothfulness and showing me that when I feel scared to do something, it isn’t that it is too hard, it is that I am not putting my faith in you. Thank you for being there for me and being ready to help me through every situation in which I call on your name. Help me to do put my faith in you and be obedient enough to do your will, no matter how difficult it may seem. Give me the strength and courage to be obedient to you and do the things you call me to do. I ask you this through your Son, Jesus. Amen. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Reflective questions for Proverbs 22:13 (KJV): *What does Proverbs 22:13 mean to me? *Do I make excuses about not doing anything when in reality I am just lazy? *Do I trust that God can help me through anything? *Do I believe that God can make a way when there doesn’t seem to be one? *Do you confuse laziness with fear? Now, it is your turn? What are your thoughts? I would like to hear from you. Please, leave a comment. If you would like to receive these posts in your inbox, please sign up below. Thank you. |
Hi friends!
This is Jodi. I am so glad you are here! I am a Christian and life-long learner. I enjoy sharing and encouraging others. I pray you are blessed by this blog. Thank you for being here. Archives
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