God has not given us a spirit of fear
APRIL 27, 2008 (SUNDAY)
We were taught as toddlers to fear things that can hurt us, like fire, falling, etc. Now as adults we need to conquer fear. God’s word is, “Fear not!” 2 Timothy 1:7 reminds us to be courageous Christians.
The courageous Christian says, “I can!” “God has given us a spirit of power” (2 Tim 1:7). The spirit of fear says, “I cannot,” but the spirit of power transforms us. The Spirit of God empowers us to do things for the Lord we could never do in our own strength.
The courageous Christian says, “I must!” “God has given us a spirit of love” (2 Tim 1:7). The spirit of fear says, “I dare not,” but the spirit of love says, “I must help.” Jesus urged us to be like the good Samaritan who was not content to be one of the “good guys,” but was moved by love to get involved with a suffering person. That’s what Jesus did for us. He was moved by love to give himself for us.
The courageous Christian says, “I will!” “God has given us the spirit of a sound mind” (2 Tim 1:7). A sound mind means we are self-disciplined and characterized by self-control. We know what we ought to do, and we do it. The spirit of fear says, “I won’t,” because the cost may be too great. Sometimes making a decision is a simple matter of doing the right thing.
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Tim 1:7 NKJV).