1 John 4:18 “There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear, because fear involves punishment. The one who fears has not been perfected in love.”

The opposite of love is not hate, but fear..

The foundational thread of any human being is safety and security. A test called ACES (Adverse Childhood Experiences), utilizes a series questions which screen potential behavioral outcomes of children.

Pulled from the CDC website, Adverse childhood experiences, or ACEs, are potentially traumatic events that occur in childhood (0-17 years). For example:

• experiencing violence, abuse, or neglect
• witnessing violence in the home or community
• having a family member attempt or die by suicide

Also included are aspects of the child’s environment that can undermine their sense of safety, stability, and bonding, such as growing up in a household with:

• substance use problems
• mental health problems
• instability due to parental separation or household members being in jail or prison

Creating and sustaining safe, stable, nurturing relationships and environments for all children and families can prevent ACEs and help all children reach their full potential.

(https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/aces/fastfact.html)

When we look at this from a spiritual perspective, the enemy starts at the womb…The Word of God says, “before I formed you in the womb, I knew you..” and it also says “Life and death is in the power of the tongue.” Children who grow up in loveless or unhealthy environments unconsciously have seeds planted in soil of their hearts. Just as a regular seed when put in the ground takes time to grow, the same is with humanity. All the workings of our adversary: rejection, doubt, lack of trust, hurt, depression, anger, perversion his rotten fruits, begin to be made manifest with time. When there’s an absence of security and safety, one is dominated by fear. When operating in fear, a person is in self-preservation or survival mode..

Growing up, fear entered into my life early on. Out of that fear (fear of rejection, fear of not being accepted, fear of not being good enough, etc.,) it began to formulate and become the lens of how I viewed the world around me and made sense of it. It became a rose colored lens of how my belief was shaped, a distorted reality. This view was not rooted in Truth or Love. This is why the Love of Christ is so powerful, and why the Word of God says “Love covers a multitude of sins.” Fear becomes an internal focus, that is consumed with self, while Love is an outward expression, rooted from a secure place.

The world is full of insecurity.

The world is experiencing an absentee of fathers, an orphan spirit.

Throughout scripture the term “Fear Not” is used a myriad of times. The Lord says, I will never leave or forsake you. The fear that I experienced in my childhood manifested into me building a false identity. Because it was absent of security/safety, survival mode kicked in and created a “protective” mechanism that was never meant to exist in the first place. It was an alternate reality that was sponsored from the enemy himself. The absence of true Love, gave way to counterfeit versions of love, counterfeit versions of acceptance, peace, the list goes on.. Satan is the Father of Counterfeit, the Father of Lies and he is fear himself. Every child has hard wired in them the need to feel wanted, protected, cared for, and safe…