I am watching my toddler granddaughter play with a strong wand magnet and several button fridge magnets. She waves the wand over the buttons and one by one they spring up and connect to the wand with a click. She squeals with delight as she shakes the chain of buttons dangling from the wand until they finally fall off. Now she puts the wand down and picks up the other end of it. She frowns as she points the wand and the buttons scuttle away from her.

There are two great powers in this world. One is love; the other is fear. Love draws; fear repels. Love convicts; fear condemns. Love is based on truth; fear is based on lies. Love restores; fear steals. Jeremiah 31:3 says:

“The LORD has appeared of old to me, saying:‘Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you.’”

Jesus said of the Spirit of Truth:

“ ‘And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin because they do not believe in me; of righteousness because I go to the Father and you see me no more; of judgment because the ruler of the world is judged.’”

On the other hand, Jesus said this about the ruler of the world, the devil or Satan:

 “He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.” John 8:44

Satan’s lying purpose is to misrepresent the Father as being distant, angry and condemning. He is not only a liar and a murderer, he is also a thief:

“ ‘The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy….”

The good news is that text does not end there. It continues

“…..I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.’” John 10:10

Are you weighed down with condemnation and fear?  Choose life. Choose to know and believe the love the Father has for you. Let His love draw you to Him:

“We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.

Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in the world. There is no fear in love but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. We love Him because He first loved us.” 1 John 4:14-19