LOVE WILL CAST OUT FEAR!

Love will cast out Fear

“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love”
(1 John 4:17-18 (NIV).

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid”
(John 14:27 (NIV).

Jesus gave us his peace that surpasses all of our natural understanding telling us that God is love. It is with His identity in His heart located within each of us that all fears of our imagination and tormenting voices must flee (1 John 4:16). Our Heavenly Father is a jealous Dad who will not allow any idols (fears) in His house (you). Even the power to remove the “tormenting fears” we struggle with daily belongs to God (Psalm 62:11).

How many deceptive voices are counseling your mind?

The fear of:
Death
Loss of job
Change
What others think
What is happening with my children
Concern with family or friends
Darkness
Health
Insecurity
Being a sinner or doing something wrong
Lack of finances
Falsely judged
Insecurity
Correction
Loss of control
__________________ (you fill in the blank)

We have not received the spirit of bondage to these or any other fears; but we have received the Spirit of God allowing us to boldly go before the throne of God calling Him Father (Romans 8:15). God did not give us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a righteous mind (2 Timothy 1:7).

The reason these fears enter our thoughts is not that God wants to condemn us, for there is no condemnation in Christ Jesus who gave us the Spirit of Life and Power. God has allowed these counselors of “fear” to come forth into the light of our awareness (His presence within us) so that the thoughts of our imagination are judged within ourselves allowing the perfect love we have in Him to cast out all our fears. Paul says 1 Cor 4:3-5, “I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. The Lord judges me. Therefore, judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men's hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God” (NIV).

God has allowed your fears and thoughts of the imagination to come forth so that He can reveal to you Christ within yourselves. The kingdom of God is righteous, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. It is not just in word, but also in His power that we manifest His presence through our faith in God. We are not to be afraid or tormented when our thoughts or imagination try to counsel us with “fear,” but to have faith in God that it is our Father’s good pleasure to give us His kingdom today (Luke 12:32).

It is with this understanding that our love, our identity in Christ, is made perfect. There is no fear in love, in God, and nothing is impossible for Him.

God’s perfect love in you will cast out all imagination of thoughts that is made perfect in His love. Bring your concerns and fears before the Lord allowing Him to remove them as He surrounds you with His peace. When we understand the reason that we were made aware of any fear is so that His presence, His love, His life, within you can cast out those “fears” allowing our identity in Christ to be made perfect. It is in this perfection that when others see us, they see their Heavenly Father…for it is Christ in us, the hope of His glory, which is manifested in the earth as the sons of God.

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade-kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith-of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire-may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls” (1 Peter 1:3-9 (NIV).

Building a foundation at home.

Good morning friends I pray you are all doing well. I'm going to be writing about relationships today. These are some things I have learned and things that I constantly have to put forth the effort to do. Sometimes it's tough but I have realized IT'S WORTH IT! I pray you are challenged today by this blog post. Here we go!

Building a good relationship at home is like building a wall: It’s done brick by brick. And the mortar that holds it together is UNCONDITIONAL, UN-CONDEMNING, UNSELFISH LOVE. The only way you’ll know how good a job you’ve done is when it’s tested by the storms of life. One of the most important keys to succeeding at home is- communication. So:

• (1) Become creative. Spend time together as a family. Call your spouse during the day and plan date nights. Send her flowers love on her all the time instead of just one flipping day a week. Treat her like Christ treats us. As for your kids, communication with them is also huge. Build your relationships with your children on a solid foundation. Spend quality time with them instead of buying them whatever they want. Stuff will fade but the time you spend with them will never be forgotten!

The next thing is one that I will say takes work because it’s so easy for it to work its way in to your family time.

• (2) Identify communication killers. Internet, cell phones and TV are the worst ones! The average couple spends less than 1 hour a week communicating with one another, and we wonder why the divorce rate is skyrocketing.

• (3) Encourage one another at home; build each other up instead of tearing one another down. Differences of opinion are very healthy for building a great relationship with your family members if handled right WITH LOVE. The final one is very important.

• (4) Be conscious of how you interact with your family. You may have unwittingly adopted a style of communication. Stop and consider; do you: (a) retaliate- that has a degrading effect; (b) dominate- that has an intimidating effect; (c) isolate- that has a frustrating effect: (d) cooperate- that has an encouraging effect. If you’re in the habit of using any communication style other than a cooperative one, start working immediately to change it. You’ll have to, if you want to build a good relationship with your family. The most important thing when building family relationships is to keep JESUS CHRIST FRONT AND CENTER IN EVERYTHING! I pray this helps you realize just how important building relationships are. I love you all..with love, Jason Ashley

The mind is a terrible thing to waste.

Hello friends I hope you all are having a wonderful day. I am going to be writing about the mind today. I am convinced that many believers are imprisoned by their own minds, their own thinking. Our thoughts control our emotions our emotions control our actions. Do you ever feel like your stuck? Ever feel beat down, worried, ever feel like you are out of control? I have and still to this day have days where I feel this way. I have days where I feel like pulling the curtains down and covering my head up and don’t even want to get out of bed. If we are honest we all have days like this. However for me and you there is hope and a way we can have a renewed mind and wake up refreshed instead of beat down. Our own logic sometimes puts our mind in chains. I have come to realize that there are things I will never understand about God but I also believe when we allow The Holy Spirit to renew our minds we will understand more. The Holy Spirit working in our hearts and minds can free us from shame, guilt, and whatever else is keeping us chained up within our souls. Scripture has some things to say about the renewing of the mind. Scripture also tells us to set our hearts and minds on things above.

Ephesians 4:23 says that after salvation we are to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Colossians 3:2 set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 1 Peter 4:7 the end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self controlled so that you can pray. 1 Peter 1:13 therefore, prepare your minds for action: be self controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given to you when Jesus Christ is revealed. Romans 12:2 do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is-his good, pleasing and perfect will.

So as I read these scriptures many things stick out to me that have to do with our minds. For one the mind is a very powerful thing to waste. Peter writes to tell us to be clear minded which simply means we need to be focused and refreshed in our thinking. We don’t need to have things on our mind that we could have taken care of days, months, even years ago. Is there something or someone you need to have a conversation with today, someone who has hurt you or maybe you wronged someone in some way. Get that off of your mind! Some instances could be taken care of easily or some could take some counseling or therapy. I don’t know your past, present and certainly not your future but I do know the more we have on our minds the more we are weighed down and our thinking gets foggy. Thus we do not think clearly. Peter also says we need to prepare our minds for action, it’s impossible to prepare your mind when it’s completely bogged down. Paul says do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of the mind. So our transformation comes through the renewing of our mind. Renew simply means to refresh or replenish. So I want to say how did we think before we met Christ? How do we think now that we have Christ living within us? Has your thinking changed in anyway or are you still bogged down and lost in your on logic and reason? I can’t answer these questions for you but I have for myself and it has changed the way I think about things, it’s changed how my mind responds to certain situations or circumstances. We are to have the mind of Christ that’s our goal and I am totally convinced this comes through the renewing of our mind. So what you may think today will affect your present and future. Choose to think positive even in the most negative of circumstances. I f you have something on your mind get it off! This is a start, remember it is a process that only the spirit working within you can do but it takes us willing to do our part, whatever that may be. Take a step today to renew your mind! Love you guys I pray that your mind finds rest today, tomorrow and forever. If you need someone to talk to email me at jason198284@hotmail.com and I would love to minister to you or learn something from you. One Love, Jason Ashley