“God has not given us a SPIRIT OF FEAR, but of POWER and of LOVE and of a SOUND MIND.” (2 Timothy 1:7)
What God has NOT GIVEN and what God HAS GIVEN.
NOT GIVEN:
- A SPIRIT OF FEAR: (pneuma: evil spirit or demon in this case) Notice, this is not the emotion for fear which can be natural response to challenges or the unknown, it serves a valuable purpose (think fight or flight response, jumping out of the way of an oncoming car), but a SPIRIT OF FEAR which can quickly become unhealthy when it paralyzes us or drives us into frantic behavior.
GIVEN:
- A SPIRIT OF POWER: (dunamis: God given power for performing miracles)
- A SPIRIT OF LOVE: (agapē: is unconditional love, “the highest form of love”) This is a spiritual love that can only be given by God. It is a powerful, healing love!
- A SPIRIT OF A SOUND MIND: (sōphronismos: an admonishing or calling to moderation and self-control) The cause of problems with our mind is often the SPIRIT OF FEAR.
Let me illustrate this with the following event, The disciples “…took Jesus along in the boat…and a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling…Jesus was asleep…And they awoke Him, “Teacher, DO YOU NOT CARE that we are perishing?” Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “PEACE, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a GREAT CALM. But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?” And they FEARED (phobeō: to be struck with fear) EXCEEDINGLY (megas: events powerfully affecting the senses), and said to one another, “Who can this be, that even THE WIND AND THE SEA OBEY HIM!” (Mark 4:36-41)
THIS IS WHY WE SHOULDN’T HAVE A SPIRIT OF FEAR…
Your Personal Pastor -Bill Stockham