Love Fearlessly

SHOW NOTES: 

EPISODE SUMMARY: In this episode, I share an excerpt from Step 12 of my new book, Living Perfectly Loved. 

In this episode, I share that to love Jesus is to follow Him—even unto death. Jesus asks, do you love me? Do you truly love me? This is the same question Jesus once asked Peter, who had to decide whether or not he was ready to fully commit to following Him. Fortunately, Jesus gives us hope in the face of fear. As a member of the body of Christ, we have become a part of a team that is strengthened, supported, and built-up in the perfect love of God. While it’s not always easy following Jesus. There are hardships and daily sacrifices in choosing to love God and love others. Jesus reminds us that His love is enough and we have nothing to fear. Finally, you can rest in knowing that no matter how imperfect you may still feel at times, nothing can change this one truth: you are a completely forgiven, fully accepted, deeply loved, daughter of the King! You can take the risk and love fearlessly now. Why? Because your destiny in Christ awaits—and heaven is not so far away.

“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” (1 John 4:16 NIV).

CONNECT WITH KELLY: I’m your host, Kelly Ann Snyder, a Christian writer, speaker, and teacher. Grateful to God for rescuing me from the grip of anxiety and fear, I created this podcast, started a blog, launched a small group for women at my church, and wrote my first book titled, Living Perfectly Loved, to encourage, equip, and inspire Christian women to live free from fear and full of joy, secure in God’s perfect love. I enjoy fresh flowers, nature walks, decorating my home, sipping tea, and studying God's Word.

Visit my website at kellyannsnyder.com to learn more about me and Living Perfectly Loved Ministries, including information that can help you take the next step forward in your faith journey. Here’s a link to a free resource I created for signing up: 40 Anxiety-Reducing Self-Care Tips for the Weary

You can also purchase my new book on Amazon today: Living Perfectly Loved: A Christian’s 12-Step Journey to Freedom from the Grip of Anxiety and Fear

Find me on my Facebook Page @kellyannsnyderauthor and on my Facebook profile @kellyannsnyderofficial, as well as on my Instagram account @kellyannsnyderofficial. I look forward to connecting with you soon!

DISCLAIMER: The content of this podcast is for informational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any condition or disease. This podcast is not a substitute for consultation with a licensed practitioner. Please consult with your physician or healthcare specialist regarding the suggestions and recommendations made in this podcast. The podcast host makes no guarantees concerning the level of success you may experience by following the advice and strategies she has offered, and you accept the risk that results will differ for each individual. The use of this podcast implies your acceptance of this disclaimer.

For additional help or resources, I recommend you consider reaching out to a professional Christian counselor or a pastor at a church for guidance in your next steps. 

Episode Transcript

Kelly Ann Snyder (00:02):
I'm Kelly Ann Snyder.
Welcome to Living PerfectlyLoved, the podcast created to
encourage, equip, and inspireyou to live free from fear and
full of joy, secure in God'sperfect love.
If you're longing to stand firmin Christ amidst the storms of
life with a faith deeply rootedin God's perfect love, stop

(00:25):
anxiety and fear from stealingyour joy and controlling your
life, shine brightly and lovefearlessly, confident in who God
uniquely created and called youto be, then this faith-inspiring
podcast, full of practical helpand spiritual tools, is for you.
You're listening to Season One,Episode 13, Love Fearlessly.

(00:48):
Brought to you by LivingPerfectly Loved Ministries and
my new book, Living PerfectlyLoved: A Christian's 12-Step
Journey to Freedom from the Gripof Anxiety and Fear.
For all recommended resources,products, and freebies discussed
in this episode, please see thenotes for this episode.
I'm happy to announce that ineach episode this season, I will

(01:12):
be sharing an excerpt from mybook containing each of the 12
steps the Lord used to deliverme from the grip of anxiety and
fear.
In this way, you'll be getting asneak peek into my book, Living
Perfectly Loved.
I'm so glad you've decided tojoin me.
Subscribe to my email list todayat kellyandsnyder.com and you
will be kept in the loop withall book and ministry-related

(01:36):
announcements I make, and beeligible to receive all free
resources I create and sharewith my subscribers.
Visit my website atkellyandsnyder.com to learn more
about Living Perfectly LovedMinistries, including direct
links to purchase my book andinformation that can help you
take the next step forward inyour faith journey.

(01:59):
If you haven't yet listened tomy podcast trailer, I'd like to
invite you to do so afterlistening to this episode.
All right, let's get started!The following is an excerpt from
Step 12 of my book, LivingPerfectly Loved, titled: Love

(02:19):
Fearlessly.
When I think about what it meansto love fearlessly, I think of
the patron saint of Ireland, St.
Patrick.
Many people celebrate St.
Patrick's life and work as amissionary and priest each year
on March 17th.
He is known as the quoteunquote, apostle of Ireland, for

(02:42):
being among the first tooksuccessfully spread the gospel
message throughout Ireland inthe fifth century, until which
time it had been a mostly pagannation.
What many people do not know isthat St.
Patrick wasn't even Irish.
According to The Real St.
Patrick, an article written byTed Olson for Christianity

(03:03):
Today,"Patrick was 16 years oldin about the year 4 0 5, when he
was captured in a raid andbecame a slave in what was still
radically pagan Ireland." He waskidnapped from his home in
what's now Dumbarton, Scotland,and forced to work as a herdsman
in Ireland.

(03:24):
It was during this time ofbondage to his captors that St.
Patrick's relationship with theLord was cultivated and
ultimately matured.
God used difficult circumstancesto draw a Saint Patrick closer
to Him.
After six long years of bondagespent mostly in prayer.
St.
Patrick escaped his captors andfinally returned home to his

(03:45):
parents.
As the story goes, though, theLord called Saint Patrick to
return to Ireland some yearslater, likely went in his
mid-forties, to share the gospelof Jesus Christ with the very
same people who had abducted andenslaved him.
Can you imagine?
God called Saint Patrick to lovehis enemies in a way that is

(04:08):
hard for most of us to fathom.
As a child, I was sensitive,quiet, shy, and also quick to
become defensive if I feltmisunderstood or hurt
emotionally.
My Irish Catholic grandfatherused to say to me,"Stay on the
offense, not the defense." Ibelieve this was his way of

(04:29):
encouraging me not to get angryand defensive with people who
accused me, or failed to love methe way I wish they would, but
to remain calm and secure withwho and whose I am.
It was also his way of tellingme not to be timid and afraid in
my approach with people, butrather bold and fearless.

(04:50):
His words remind me of the waySt.
Patrick chose to love the peopleof Ireland.
While St.
Patrick could have easily takena self-protective, defensive
stance and refuse to return toIreland for fear of what his
former heathen captors might doto him, he didn't.
Instead, he took an offensiveapproach, allowing Jesus' love

(05:12):
for the unsaved people ofIreland to fill his heart.
St.
Patrick was emboldened to stepout in faith and boldly proclaim
the name of Jesus to the broken,the hurting, and the lost.
Selflessly, he loved the peopleof Ireland more than he loved
his own life, and praise God hedid! As a result of St.

(05:33):
Patrick's decision to lovefearlessly, a nation of people
was saved for eternity.
Jesus has called us each to loveothers in this way.
I believe God wants us tounderstand that no matter how
dark or painful ourcircumstances may be, or how
intense the opposition to ourfaith, we always have a choice

as to how we will respond (05:54):
in fear or in love.
When we react in fear, we willtend to respond defensively,
putting up walls of selfprotection around us.
This keeps us from being able tocontinue loving those around us,
as well as receiving love fromothers.
On the other hand, when werespond in love, courageously

(06:17):
and compassionately, we will beempowered to release
responsibility for ourprotection to God, trusting Him
to come to our defense.
See Isaiah 52 verse 12.
We will come to rely on God'sperfect love to fill us rather
than the imperfect love of otherpeople.
This will free us to focus onloving those whom God has called

(06:40):
us to love, joyfully andwholeheartedly.
Personally, I've learned in mystruggle with the fear of
rejection and abandonment, thatI can be tempted to withhold my
love from people.
Having been deeply hurt bypeople who have neglected to
love me, rejected, or abandonedme, it can feel safer to put up

(07:00):
walls of self-protection aroundmy heart, rather than risk
vulnerability, opening myself upto further pain.
I may say to myself, becausethey don't fill my cup, I will
no longer fill theirs andcontinue the cycle of rejection
and abandonment.
However, this wouldn't be theright response, because as

(07:21):
painful as it is sometimes tolove them, I know these are
people in my life whom God hascalled me to continue to love
fearlessly.
Rather than fear their rejectionand abandonment, I choose to
remember that Jesus took up thepain of my being rejected and
abandoned and laid it uponhimself, so I would never have

(07:41):
to carry the weight of that painever again.
I can remember His unfailinglove and acceptance, and instead
of looking to other people tofill my cup and make me feel
whole, I can let go of theunholy expectations I had of
others and look to God, whoseperfect love will always be
enough to meet my every need.

(08:02):
This will allow me the freedomto continue to love without
fear.

Note (08:06):
this doesn't include abusive people from whom you
need to keep a safe distance, orthose with a pattern of hurtful
or harmful behavior with whomyou establish boundaries to
protect your physical,financial, emotional, and
spiritual health.
You may choose to love theseindividuals from a distance by
praying for them, for example,or in other ways that don't

(08:30):
compromise your health andsafety, depending on your
relationship with them.
I believe this is the offensiveapproach my grandfather
encouraged me to take.
It seems both Saint Patrick andmy grandfather understood what
I'm still learning to live out.
We can be joy-filled and free inchoosing to love fearlessly,

(08:50):
knowing we are completelycovered and protected by God's
perfect love.
Yes, to love fearlessly comeswith risk, but it's a risk we're
taking when God's with you,guiding you in it.
Let's pray.
Heavenly Father, Thank you forYour perfect love.
This journey toward livingperfectly loved has been

(09:11):
challenging, but also incrediblyrewarding.
Thank You for revealing Yourplan for my rescue, restoration,
and release.
Teach me to love fearlessly andto live in unity with other
believers in the body of Christ.
Make me worthy of Your calling,Lord, and by Your power, bring

(09:32):
to fruition my every desire forgoodness and my every deed
prompted by faith.
In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.
Thanks for listening to thefinal episode of Season One of
the Living Perfectly Lovedpodcast.
While it's true that God is loveand we are perfectly loved by

(09:52):
Him, we all struggle at times tolive like this true.
While we should strive to growin Christ likeness, we can rest
in knowing God loves us becauseof who He is, not because of who
we are or anything we could everdo for Him.
In Jesus Christ, we are enough!Remember, you don't have to be

(10:14):
perfect to live perfectly loved.
You have always been and willalways be a completely forgiven,
fully accepted, deeply loved,daughter the King.
Beautiful friend, His grace isfor you.
Please subscribe to my podcastnow and stay tuned for Season
Two of Living Perfectly Loved.

(10:37):
May the Lord bless you and keepyou.
May He shine His face on you andbe gracious to you.
May He turn His face toward youand give you peace, in Jesus'
name.