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Release Fear to Experience Fierce Love (A Bible Study on 1 John 4)
February 28, 2022
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When there is more love, there will inevitably be less fear. The more we believe and accept God’s love for us, the more we trust him. And the more we trust him, the less we will fear, even when life is not going the way that we want.
1. Context and backstory:
Division within the church, with people in the church teaching something other than the gospel. John returns again and again to the fruit of people’s actions, specifically how we love our Christian brothers and sisters.
2. What do these verses say:
More love = less fear. Fierce love requires an ongoing acknowledgment and release of fear.
3. What does it mean for me?
A. God calls us to fellowship locally with believers. Are you in fellowship with believers in a face-to-face way?
B. When you are in a pattern of fear, name the things that only God can handle in your life. For example: your identity can only be entrusted to God. Also: your soul, your calling, your future.
C. If our identity and calling are secure in the Lord, we can begin to love others with God’s love as the source. We don’t want to give love in order to get love.
D. “Keep yourselves from idols” What does John mean by that? We must keep our spiritual house in order. Anything that takes top priority in our hearts, when we begin to link our identity and the way that we decide if life is worth living to those things, our spiritual house is chaotic and messy.
Isaiah 42:8 says it this way: “I am the LORD; that is my name! I will not yield my glory to another or my praise to idols.” God is very inclusive in his invitation to find life in him, BUT he is very exclusive about his positioning in our hearts. He demands priority in our hearts, not for his good, but for our good.
Resources Mentioned in This Episode:
Join Our Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/walkingwithgodromans/
**Don’t Miss Our How to Pray Series!** Starting in March, we will be walking through Lent with a special series: How to Pray. We will be looking closely at the Lord’s Prayer together. Find out more at: https://nicoleunice.com/howtopray/
Follow Nicole:
Website: https://nicoleunice.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/nicoleunice
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nicoleunice/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nicole.unice/
1. Context and backstory:
Division within the church, with people in the church teaching something other than the gospel. John returns again and again to the fruit of people’s actions, specifically how we love our Christian brothers and sisters.
2. What do these verses say:
More love = less fear. Fierce love requires an ongoing acknowledgment and release of fear.
3. What does it mean for me?
A. God calls us to fellowship locally with believers. Are you in fellowship with believers in a face-to-face way?
B. When you are in a pattern of fear, name the things that only God can handle in your life. For example: your identity can only be entrusted to God. Also: your soul, your calling, your future.
C. If our identity and calling are secure in the Lord, we can begin to love others with God’s love as the source. We don’t want to give love in order to get love.
D. “Keep yourselves from idols” What does John mean by that? We must keep our spiritual house in order. Anything that takes top priority in our hearts, when we begin to link our identity and the way that we decide if life is worth living to those things, our spiritual house is chaotic and messy.
Isaiah 42:8 says it this way: “I am the LORD; that is my name! I will not yield my glory to another or my praise to idols.” God is very inclusive in his invitation to find life in him, BUT he is very exclusive about his positioning in our hearts. He demands priority in our hearts, not for his good, but for our good.
Resources Mentioned in This Episode:
Join Our Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/walkingwithgodromans/
**Don’t Miss Our How to Pray Series!** Starting in March, we will be walking through Lent with a special series: How to Pray. We will be looking closely at the Lord’s Prayer together. Find out more at: https://nicoleunice.com/howtopray/
Follow Nicole:
Website: https://nicoleunice.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/nicoleunice
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nicoleunice/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nicole.unice/
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Meet Your Host
Nicole Unice is a Bible teacher, author, and passionate communicator who delights in bringing God’s Word to life in a personal and relevant way. Her training as a counselor informs her work, as she emphasizes the importance of facing our own reality and embracing the transforming power of God’s grace. Nicole is ordained as a teaching elder in the Evangelical Presbyterian Church. Her latest book, “Help, My Bible is Alive” is a 30-day experience designed to help people experience God through the Bible.
Nicole has spent twenty years serving the local church, first in student ministry (where she’s never lost her love of a great group game) and then leading start-ups of all kinds, from leadership development to capital campaigns. She now teaches and consults with churches and ministries to strengthen their stories and cut through confusion to discover the next right steps for success.
Nicole has spent twenty years serving the local church, first in student ministry (where she’s never lost her love of a great group game) and then leading start-ups of all kinds, from leadership development to capital campaigns. She now teaches and consults with churches and ministries to strengthen their stories and cut through confusion to discover the next right steps for success.
