For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
2 Timothy 1:7
Far too often we allow fear and anguish to overtake and consume us. Fear can be brought on by many things in life.
The mainstream media and government can bring fear to our minds over any number of things. Even our churches can bring fear to our hearts. Fear is also brought on by something we are scared to do or try.
No matter how fear enters your life, fear has no place in the Christian spirit.
I guarantee you, playing into fear will not enhance your life. Fear will not make you wiser. Fear will only enslave you. Fear will prevent you from living your life to the fullest, and accomplishing whatever your heart desires.
I want you to pause here and read that verse again.
We were given one negative and three positives.
One Negative: Fear
This word “fear” in Greek is only used one time in the entire Bible, it means,
Timidity, fear.
“Timidity” means,
Lack of courage or confidence.
If you look up the root word for “fear” it means,
Dread, timid, faithless, fearful.
- God did not give us a spirit that lacks “courage and confidence”.
- God did not give us a spirit that is “timid, faithless, and fearful”.
We obtain these negative aspects by allowing “fear” into our life. That occurs when we allow the world to enter and pollute our minds with concerns of the flesh. We are easily entrapped, and this single negative thing is able to replace the three positives things God gave us.
Three Positives: Power, Love, A Sound Mind
On the other hand, God gave us a spirit of power, love, and a sound mind.
However, it is up to each and every one of us to maintain that, by asking God to help us as we walk the narrow path through life.
Let’s have a look at these three positive words.
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“Power” means,
Miraculous power.
“Love” means,
Love, affection, charity.
“Sound mind” means,
Discipline, self control.
- God provided us with a spirit of “miraculous power” to overcome the fears of this world.
- God provided us with a spirit brimming with “love and affection” to conquer the hate and division of the world.
- God provided us with a spirit of “discipline and self-control” to overcome the pollutions of this world.
God has given us so much.
Yet, we allow just one negative thing to ruin so many positive things granted to us from our Heavenly Father.
The World And God
It is easy to see why this is possible.
Each day some form of media enters our mind, whether it be television, radio, podcast, you name it. It tells us what the world is doing, what is cool, what we should buy, and what will enhance our lives.
We tune in to the world, and the negatives flow into our minds without us even realizing it. It takes virtually no effort on our part. This is how our minds become corrupted.
You see, God does not have a television station we can tune into. God does not have a radio station we can passively listen to. God just has an old Book. The only way we can tune into God is through prayer and by reading that Book which takes effort on our part.
The next time fear comes into your mind…
I ask that you consider the source of that fear, tune it out, and tune into God.