The Spirit of Power, Love, and A Sound Mind

"For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." ~ 2 Timothy 1:7

Have you ever faced those fears in life that you do not know how to overtake? For years I have contemplated what the Lord may have for me to do with my life. And it wasn't until so long ago it was pointed out to me fear was the culprite trying to stir the direction of my life. None the less, God has promised us this: He has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7).

This truth is coming from the Apostle Paul who is in a Roman prison, yet again, and this time facing execution. Stop for a minute, and think of how Paul had set himself up again to be arrested by simply following the instructions of God for his life. From the time he was saved, Paul lived for the Lord by preaching and teaching God's word to regions close by. He knew he faced death, hunger, poverty, and restless nights, but he did it all with the intention of moving one step forward in God's wild plan for his life. Having been arrested several times for speaking of Jesus Christ, and knowing he could face death for doing so, Paul still lived without letting fear control him. This makes me wonder how often I am willing to step outside my fears and walk towards what God has for me. Is it worth getting scared out of my wits? I think so. Hence, the story of my life right now.

I'm scared to go away from home, 7-8 hours away to be exact. Yet I know the plans God has for me, and I believe it is to be at school to be equipped for ministry someday soon. What I realized along the way of going off and on the idea is that fear has been holding me back from making the choice that I ultimately wanted to make. I feared the bills I would have to pay for school. I feared the distance of being away from home. I feared having to make new friends. I feared almost every fear imaginable. Yet I know this now: He has not given me the spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind.

The holy spirit within me is a gift. A great great gift from God. His spirit. The one that gives wisdom and gudiance (1 Corinthians 2:10-16). He is of God. And God is not fear (1 John 4:18). Instead, He is power to overcome the fear. He is love to chase it away. And he is the spirit of peace within me (Galatians 5:22-23; Isaiah 41:10). What I would like to share is the fact that our fears can hinder us in many ways; worries are included in this fact. What we need to remind ourselves is God's power, love, and peace. Getting into his word, we can be reminded of who he is. And in him is wisdom as well as power, love, and peace.

When we look at Paul's life, we see a man who knew the risks of following God. He saw death as a risk, and still went on following God's plan. But what we can learn from Paul is that fear was not a contributing factor in his decision making. I'll make it clear by saying it is not a sin to fear something. What is the sin is avoiding what God wants us to do. Think of the fear David could have had facing Goliath. He could have been talked out of it by someone, or easily on his own. Yet he faced Goliath because he knew he was standing for the Lord, and he won the battle. Probably everyday we are faced with some sort of fear, and it is our option to turn away from it or go forward to follow what the Lord wants us to do.

Sometimes life would seem easier if we didn't have things that challenged our comfort zone or our ability to move forward in life. It would have been easy for Paul to stay put where he was after he was saved and not preach in Rome after being arrested the first time. Yet he took that risk again by following what the Lord wanted him to do. He probably didn't have a finiancial plan or an idea of when his next meal was sometimes, yet God was faithful until the end. Though you may point out that Paul was later executed by the government for preaching his faith, let me point out that his relationship with the Lord saved him from death. Right after he faced possibly his greatest fear of being executed, he woke up in the kingdom of heaven with his Lord and Savior. How could he not obey and follow the Lord when he knew ultimately he would be in that spot someday? To be free from any fear ever again.


"Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin.Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.  But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.  Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." ~ Matthew 6:26-34

What To Do:
Keep reminding yourself that you are given God's spirit. By getting in his word, you reap the benefits of the seed sown within you by carrying out his word in obedience. Look at the fruit reaped from seeds sown in Galatians 5:22-23, and remember God has not given you the spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind.