“Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.”
—James 4:7-8 

Reflection

The most effective way to develop a shield against fear is to build a close personal relationship with the Lord. This is God’s greatest desire for us, because when we are intimate with Him, fear has a harder time entering our lives.

Mary spent time with Jesus while Martha was busy making preparations. When Martha asked Jesus to tell Mary to help her, Jesus said, “Only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:42). As we choose the good part, beloved, we will have more power and authority to stand against fear.

Some people are afraid of God, causing them not to want to develop intimacy with Him. Though we are commanded to fear Him through reverence and honor, we must never be afraid of Him. He loves us with an unconditional love, and His love will not be taken away from us. He wants us to get to know Him better.

“We love, because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19). God took the initiative. He did not choose us because of anything we did, either good or bad, but simply because it was His choice to love us. “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Messiah died for us” (Romans 5:8).

The Lord loves us with tender, compassionate, and warm affection. His love never changes. He will never love us any more or any less than He does right now. His love is both constant and consistent.

The theme of intimacy with God is woven throughout the Scriptures. Even the Tabernacle was built for this purpose: “Let them construct a sanctuary for Me, that I may dwell among them” (Exodus 25:8). God desired to dwell among Israel, and He desires intimacy with us.

One way we cultivate that intimacy is through obedience. Yeshua said that the one who loves Him will keep His word, and He and the Father will come and make Their abode with that person (John 14:21, 23).

This does not mean that God loves us because we perform well or that His love fluctuates between our good and bad days. God’s love for us never changes. Rather, as we keep giving ourselves to Him, He reveals His love to us more and more.

We do not obey Him in order to receive His love. We obey Him in order to walk in oneness with Him. As we choose to love Him daily and draw near to Him, He reveals His love to us more and more.

Application

• Choose the good part each day by making intimacy with the Lord a priority and spending time in His presence.
• Obey God not to earn His love, but to walk in greater oneness with Him and experience more deeply the love He already has for you.

Prayer

Father, direct my heart into the knowledge and revelation of Your love for me. Help me understand that Your love is constant and consistent, and that I do not have to earn it. Draw me into deeper intimacy with You and teach me to choose the good part each day. Help me obey You out of love so that I may walk in greater oneness with You. May my heart be directed into the love of God and into the steadfastness of Messiah. Amen.