The opposite of Love is not Hate….rather FEAR! 1 John 4:18
As God is Love, He incites Love and perfects it in us. What the enemy does is instil Fear…We do not love, not because we hate, rather because we fear. Hate is a derivative of Fear. The original Sin happened because of Fear. It was the first time ever that *FOMO came to be.
That ancient serpent, Satan deceived the first humans by cleverly persuading them that they are Not good enough and they could be just as God is — when in FACT, they already ARE. We do not love because of FEAR: we fear rejection, of not being good enough, of not being able to fulfil expectations, of not being able to provide, of being taken for granted, of being taken advantage of, of having responsibilities, of being vulnerable, of being cheated on, of being disrespected, of not making it for the long run, of not being able to fulfil life-long promises of ‘for better or for worse’, ’for richer or for poorer’, ‘in sickness and in health’, and the ideally non-negotiable: ’till death do us part’, which leads to fears of a broken heart…
[Image Credit: pinterest.com Henri Gervex — Return of the Ball]
And sadly, what we FEAR comes upon us (!)…But thank God He has given us Power and the ONLY way to overcome FEAR so that we CAN love. And that is HIS Son Jesus Christ, who is Perfect Love personified. Not that we immediately become a Lover as He is, but we do grow and mature in Him. if we purpose to. Therefore, the TRUE test of a growing believer is not anointing, nor the display of giftings, but the ability to love even when we are hated, and more so when we are faced with all of the aforementioned fears.
*FOMO: Fear of missing out
