Perfect love casteth out fear. – 1 John 4:18
Over the years, I have held many different positions as an employee of one of California’s largest utility companies. One of those positions was Pressure Operator, which was part of the natural gas department. My job there was to monitor a couple dozen pressure gauges. These gauges recorded pounds of pressure, and at times that pressure registered over two hundred pounds per square inch.
Because the gauges needed to be monitored twenty-four hours a day, the work was divided into shifts, ending with a graveyard shift that lasted from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. Often, the Pressure Operator was the only employee working in the large industrial yard during that shift. Once in a while there would be a power outage or some other emergency, followed by the hurried activity of crews forming, trucks driving in and out, phones ringing, and radios blaring. But when the chaos was over, the Pressure Operator would be completely alone again.
Working by myself during the early hours of the morning when most people were sound asleep was at times unsettling. Large sliding-glass windows surrounded my workroom, and often the wind or a large truck passing by would rattle those windows—as well as my nerves! I had a nagging fear that someone was hiding in the shadows, and I would think I heard footsteps or even voices.
The situation was troubling, but I found the words in our focus verse to be of particular comfort. This promise from 1 John tells us that God can overcome any fear we have—be it something as silly as working alone at night, or as serious as being persecuted for our faith. The devil is the instigator of our fears, often trying to unsettle us by planting doubts in our minds about God’s ability to protect us. But when we love God enough to believe His Word, we know that He is in control of all things and that we have nothing to fear if we are following Him.
I spoke to my pastor about the situation at work, and together we prayed and asked God to cast out the fears that the devil had planted. The Blood of Jesus protected me and God cast out my fear! The wind blowing and trucks passing by still rattled the windows, but the fear was gone.
Has the devil planted some fear in your life? Don’t let it torment you for another second! Ask God to cast it out, and replace it with His love.