God is Love
1 John 4:18 AMPC
There is no fear in love (dread does not exist), but full-grown (complete, perfect) love turns fear out of doors and expels every trace of terror! For fear brings with it the thought of punishment, and (so) he who is afraid has not reached the full maturity of love (is not yet grown into love’s complete perfection).
Now, to keep this verse in context, this chapter is speaking, in part, about the God kind of love between man and God, agape love.
In Episode 2 we touched on:
There is a direct correlation between faith, fear, and perversity.
When there is a lack of faith, there is no authority and no power to command the enemy.
The world hates God and has the ability to kill the body, but does not have the ability to cast into hell.
In Episode 3 we touched on:
Great faith in God can overcome every obstacle, every fear in your life.
Jesus gave us authority through His name to do as He did.
Fear of the Lord is that unmistakable awe and reverence that we have for Him.
In Episode 4 we touched on:
Our emotions, left unchecked, often lead to disobedience.
Fear doesn’t come alone, it comes with confusion and doubt.
Fear takes place in the mind and is amplified by emotions and the physical senses. Faith is in the heart and is amplified by the Word of God.
Free Will
Genesis 1:26-28 NKJV
26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
Deuteronomy 30:19 NKJV
19 I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live;
The choice is ours, we have free will.
Hate is a tool of the enemy.
Hate is a tool of the devil and it allows him access to us, to use us to steal, kill, and destroy.
1 John 2:9-11 MEV
9 Whoever says he is in the light but hates his brother is in darkness even until now.
10 Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling.
11 But whoever hates his brother is in darkness, and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.
Romans 1:18-32 NLT
18 But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness.
19 They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them.
20 For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.
21 Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused.
22 Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools.
23 And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles.
24 So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other’s bodies.
25 They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen.
26 That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires. Even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other.
27 And the men, instead of having normal sexual relations with women, burned with lust for each other. Men did shameful things with other men, and as a result of this sin, they suffered within themselves the penalty they deserved.
28 Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done.
29 Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip.
30 They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They invent new ways of sinning, and they disobey their parents.
31 They refuse to understand, break their promises, are heartless, and have no mercy.
32 They know God’s justice requires that those who do these things deserve to die, yet they do them anyway. Worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too.
As Christians we cannot allow ourselves to be joined with these.
Hate Your Enemy
Matthew 5:43-48 MEV
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’
44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,
45 that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?
47 And if you greet your brothers only, what are you doing more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so?
48 Therefore be perfect, even as your Father who is in heaven is perfect.
Jesus said to do this, therefore we know that it is possible to do it.