Fear doesn’t disappear because life gets easier—it loosens its grip when we learn to rest in a love that cannot be taken away. This Crosswalk Devotional, Held by a Love Stronger Than Fear by Sarah Frazer, centers on 1 John 4:17–18 and reveals how God’s perfect, unconditional love drives out fear at its root. For anyone shaped by fragile or conditional relationships, this devotion offers reassurance that God’s love is steady, secure, and permanent.

Highlights


God’s love is not fragile, conditional, or temporary


Perfect love drives out fear rooted in punishment and loss


God’s love can be known and fully relied upon


Fear grows when we doubt the security of God’s love


Confidence replaces anxiety when we rest in who God is


God’s love is part of His unchanging nature


We are held by a love stronger than rejection, doubt, and fear

Do you want to listen ad-free?

When you join Crosswalk Plus, you gain access to exclusive, in-depth Bible study guides, devotionals, sound biblical advice, and daily encouragement from trusted pastors and authors—resources designed to strengthen your faith and equip you to live it out boldly. PLUS ad free podcasts! 

Sign Up Today!

This episode is sponsored by Trinity Debt Management. If you are struggling with debt call Trinity today.  Trinity's counselors have the knowledge and resources to make a difference. Our intention is to help people become debt-free, and most importantly, remain debt-free for keeps!" If your debt has you down, we should talk. Call us at 1-800-793-8548 | https://trinitycredit.org

TrinityCredit – Call us at 1-800-793-8548. Whether we're helping people pay off their unsecured debt or offering assistance to those behind in their mortgage payments. https://trinitycredit.org

Full Transcript Below:

Held by a Love Stronger Than Fear
By Sarah Frazer

Bible Reading:
And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world. Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love. - 1 John 4:17-18

Many of us carry a fear we rarely name: the fear that love can leave. The only love we see is often a love that is distant and disappointing. For me, sometimes love feels fragile. That’s because the love we often experience is a conditional love. It is a love that depends on how we act, perform, or even our moods. 

How many relationships have been broken and lost because love was withdrawn, withheld, or just abandoned? Human relationships are indeed fragile, weak, and easily broken. Even if we experience a love that lasts, we still distrust the true kind of love we see in the Bible. Friend, God’s love is not fragile. 

The apostle John gives us a picture of God’s love here. He says, “And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world, we are like Jesus. 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 4:16-18

The book of 1 John was a letter written to Christians in the first century. The new church was experiencing intense persecution and suffering. When we face hardships, we question God’s love for us. John spends so much time in this letter explaining God’s love to them, so they would rest in a love that was strong, eternal, and not rooted in fear. 

John uses the word know here. We do not guess or hope in God’s love. We can know it! We also rely on it. This word means to rest our entire weight on it. We can sit down, rest, and be confident in this type of love. 

Human love can waver, disappear, or get lost. Fear grips our hearts when we think about the loves that have left. Whether by death or choice, human love will always be vulnerable. Only God loves us fully, completely, and without condition. God’s love is something we are invited here, in John’s letter, to depend upon! 

John also says that “God is love.” That means that God is more than just loving, but His very nature is one of love. What makes God who He is has to include love. There is a permanence here. His love cannot leave because it is woven into the fabric of who He is. God would not be God unless He loved us. That means that this love is never revoked; nor is it ever threatened by our weakness, doubt, or fear. 

Fear grows when we lose sight of God’s love for us. If we continually see our inadequacies as a measure of God’s love for us, we will always fear. We will always be afraid that we will lose God’s love. But when we begin to see how secure God’s love for us is - that’s when fear begins to shrink! Fear is tied to punishment and loss. 

In 1 John 4:17-18, he makes it clear that love has “made us complete.” This type of love leads to confidence, not anxiety. Fear whispers: What if I lose love? God’s love answers: You are held. This is the power of God’s love over fear. We are held by a love that is stronger than fear. 

I’ll admit, fear feels very strong in my life. It seems to start small, but then grow if I allow the worries and doubts to take over my mind. If I ever encounter a love that is uncertain, or when I face the sting of rejection by someone else, I have to guard against fear. Fear likes to settle into our hearts. If we allow that to happen, we lose sight of God’s love and begin to guard ourselves away. 

John reminds us that as Christians, we are shaped by a love that is beyond all fear. As we learn to rest in the love God offers us, we can feel our fears give way to faith. We can find ourselves confident, grounded, in a love that is steady, secure, and strong enough to hold us.

Intersecting Faith & Life:

Our experiences with people often shape how we expect love to behave. If love has been inconsistent or even withheld, fear can quickly influence the way we relate to God as well. But God’s love is something we can rely on. How have your past or present relationships shaped the way you expect love to behave? In what area of your life might God be inviting you to replace fear-driven striving with deeper reliance on His love?

Further Reading:
Psalm 27:1
Isaiah 54:10
John 14:27
Romans 8:15

Fear doesn&rsquo;t disappear because life gets easier&mdash;it loosens its grip when we learn to rest in a love that cannot be taken away. This Crosswalk Devotional, Held by a Love Stronger Than Fear by Sarah Frazer, centers on 1 John 4:17&ndash;18 and reveals how God&rsquo;s perfect, unconditional love drives out fear at its root. For anyone shaped by fragile or conditional relationships, this devotion offers reassurance that God&rsquo;s love is steady, secure, and permanent.
Highlights
<ul data-start="987" data-end="1386">
<li data-start="987" data-end="1043">
God&rsquo;s love is not fragile, conditional, or temporary
</li>
<li data-start="1044" data-end="1106">
Perfect love drives out fear rooted in punishment and loss
</li>
<li data-start="1107" data-end="1156">
God&rsquo;s love can be known and fully relied upon
</li>
<li data-start="1157" data-end="1212">
Fear grows when we doubt the security of God&rsquo;s love
</li>
<li data-start="1213" data-end="1271">
Confidence replaces anxiety when we rest in who God is
</li>
<li data-start="1272" data-end="1319">
God&rsquo;s love is part of His unchanging nature
</li>
<li data-start="1320" data-end="1386">
We are held by a love stronger than rejection, doubt, and fear
</li>
</ul>
<hr>
Do you want to listen ad-free?
When you join&nbsp;Crosswalk Plus, you gain access to exclusive, in-depth Bible study guides, devotionals, sound biblical advice, and daily encouragement from trusted pastors and authors&mdash;resources designed to strengthen your faith and equip you to live it out boldly. PLUS ad free podcasts!&nbsp;
<a href="https://www.crosswalk.com/subscribe/?utm_source=subscribe_page&amp;utm_medium=YDBV&amp;utm_campaign=YDBV_PLUS">Sign Up Today!</a>
<hr>
This episode is sponsored by Trinity Debt Management. If you are struggling with debt call Trinity today. &nbsp;Trinity's counselors have the knowledge and resources to make a difference. Our intention is to help people become debt-free, and most importantly, remain debt-free for keeps!" If your debt has you down, we should talk. Call us at 1-800-793-8548 | <a href="https://trinitycredit.org/">https://trinitycredit.org</a>
TrinityCredit &ndash; Call us at 1-800-793-8548. Whether we're helping people pay off their unsecured debt or offering assistance to those behind in their mortgage payments. <a href="https://trinitycredit.org/">https://trinitycredit.org</a>
<hr>
Full Transcript Below:
Held by a Love Stronger Than Fear By Sarah Frazer
Bible Reading: And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world. Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love. - 1 John 4:17-18
Many of us carry a fear we rarely name: the fear that love can leave. The only love we see is often a love that is distant and disappointing. For me, sometimes love feels fragile. That&rsquo;s because the love we often experience is a conditional love. It is a love that depends on how we act, perform, or even our moods.&nbsp;
How many relationships have been broken and lost because love was withdrawn, withheld, or just abandoned? Human relationships are indeed fragile, weak, and easily broken. Even if we experience a love that lasts, we still distrust the true kind of love we see in the Bible. Friend, God&rsquo;s love is not fragile.&nbsp;
The apostle John gives us a picture of God&rsquo;s love here. He says, &ldquo;And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world, we are like Jesus. 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.&nbsp; 1 John 4:16-18
The book of 1 John was a letter written to Christians in the first century. The new church was experiencing intense persecution and suffering. When we face hardships, we question God&rsquo;s love for us. John spends so much time in this letter explaining God&rsquo;s love to them, so they would rest in a love that was strong, eternal, and not rooted in fear.&nbsp;
John uses the word know here. We do not guess or hope in God&rsquo;s love. We can know it! We also rely on it. This word means to rest our entire weight on it. We can sit down, rest, and be confident in this type of love.&nbsp;
Human love can waver, disappear, or get lost. Fear grips our hearts when we think about the loves that have left. Whether by death or choice, human love will always be vulnerable. Only God loves us fully, completely, and without condition. God&rsquo;s love is something we are invited here, in John&rsquo;s letter, to depend upon!&nbsp;
John also says that &ldquo;God is love.&rdquo; That means that God is more than just loving, but His very nature is one of love. What makes God who He is has to include love. There is a permanence here. His love cannot leave because it is woven into the fabric of who He is. God would not be God unless He loved us. That means that this love is never revoked; nor is it ever threatened by our weakness, doubt, or fear.&nbsp;
Fear grows when we lose sight of God&rsquo;s love for us. If we continually see our inadequacies as a measure of God&rsquo;s love for us, we will always fear. We will always be afraid that we will lose God&rsquo;s love. But when we begin to see how secure God&rsquo;s love for us is - that&rsquo;s when fear begins to shrink! Fear is tied to punishment and loss.&nbsp;
In 1 John 4:17-18, he makes it clear that love has &ldquo;made us complete.&rdquo; This type of love leads to confidence, not anxiety. Fear whispers: What if I lose love? God&rsquo;s love answers: You are held. This is the power of God&rsquo;s love over fear. We are held by a love that is stronger than fear.&nbsp;
I&rsquo;ll admit, fear feels very strong in my life. It seems to start small, but then grow if I allow the worries and doubts to take over my mind. If I ever encounter a love that is uncertain, or when I face the sting of rejection by someone else, I have to guard against fear. Fear likes to settle into our hearts. If we allow that to happen, we lose sight of God&rsquo;s love and begin to guard ourselves away.&nbsp;
John reminds us that as Christians, we are shaped by a love that is beyond all fear. As we learn to rest in the love God offers us, we can feel our fears give way to faith. We can find ourselves confident, grounded, in a love that is steady, secure, and strong enough to hold us.
Intersecting Faith &amp; Life:
Our experiences with people often shape how we expect love to behave. If love has been inconsistent or even withheld, fear can quickly influence the way we relate to God as well. But God&rsquo;s love is something we can rely on. How have your past or present relationships shaped the way you expect love to behave? In what area of your life might God be inviting you to replace fear-driven striving with deeper reliance on His love?
Further Reading: Psalm 27:1 Isaiah 54:10 John 14:27 Romans 8:15

Are you a Christian looking for a daily devotional podcast to encourage, inspire, and convict you in your walk with Christ? 7 days a week, The Crosswalk.com Daily Devotional Podcast offers wisdom and insight for applying Biblical truths to the ups and downs of everyday life. Let's study the Bible together and through the experiences of other believers, learn how to apply the Word of God to our lives.

Here’s just some of what we cover in The Crosswalk Daily Devotional Podcast:

☕️ Why the Tongue Can't Be Tamed (And What to Do about It)
☕️ The Quickest Way to an Attitude Adjustment
☕️ Your Birthday: The Most and Least Important Day of Your Life
☕️ Noticing God's Blessings in the Hardest Moments of Life
☕️ One of the Sneakiest Lies Satan Is Telling the Church
☕️ How to Push Through the Weariness of Prayer
☕️ 3 Steps to Take When Facing Temptation
☕️ What to Remember during a Stressful Election Year

If you love what you're listening to on the podcast, be sure to check out our companion devotional at https://www.crosswalk.com/devotionals/crosswalk-devo/.

Are you a Christian looking for a daily devotional podcast to encourage, inspire, and convict you in your walk with Christ? 7 days a week, The Crosswalk.com Daily Devotional Podcast offers wisdom and insight for applying Biblical truths to the ups and downs of everyday life. Let's study the Bible together and through the experiences of other believers, learn how to apply the Word of God to our lives.
Here’s just some of what we cover in The Crosswalk Daily Devotional Podcast:
☕️ Why the Tongue Can't Be Tamed (And What to Do about It) ☕️ The Quickest Way to an Attitude Adjustment ☕️ Your Birthday: The Most and Least Important Day of Your Life ☕️ Noticing God's Blessings in the Hardest Moments of Life ☕️ One of the Sneakiest Lies Satan Is Telling the Church ☕️ How to Push Through the Weariness of Prayer ☕️ 3 Steps to Take When Facing Temptation ☕️ What to Remember during a Stressful Election Year
If you love what you're listening to on the podcast, be sure to check out our companion devotional at <a href="https://www.crosswalk.com/devotionals/crosswalk-devo/">https://www.crosswalk.com/devotionals/crosswalk-devo/.</a>

7 days a week, The Crosswalk.com Devotional Podcast offers wisdom and insight for applying Biblical truths to the ups and downs of everyday life.

The Crosswalk Devotional: A Daily Devotional Christian Podcast

The Crosswalk Devotional

Held by a Love Stronger Than Fear

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/5e27a451-e6e6-4c51-aa03-a7370003783c/clips/e67f86a4-f416-480e-bbe8-b3e2012a3ab9/transcript