“…God has not GIVEN US a spirit of fear, but of POWER and of LOVE and of a SOUND MIND.” (2 Tim. 1:7) Fear is a natural response to difficult challenges or the unknown. It’s an emotion that serves a valuable purpose (you know the “fight or flight” response), but it can quickly become unhealthy when it paralyzes us or pushes us into frantic behavior. Negative outcomes aside, the Bible actually commands us to NOT BE AFRAID. In fact, there are over 300 VARIATIONS of the command to “FEAR NOT” throughout Scripture.
Peter tells us, “May God give you MORE AND MORE grace and peace as you GROW in your knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord. By His DIVINE POWER, God has given us EVERYTHING WE NEED for living a godly life. We have received ALL of this by coming to (intimately) know Him, the one who called us TO HIMSELF by means of His MARVELOUS GLORY and EXCELLENCE.” (2 Pet. 1:2-3) Just think we have received the promise of God’s marvelous glory and excellence, by coming to Him, not only that but in order for us to live victoriously, WE HAVE, EVERYTHING WE NEED,
- POWER: “I pray that you will understand the INCREDIBLE GREATNESS OF GOD’S POWER for US WHO BELIEVE Him. This is the same MIGHTY POWER THAT RAISED CHRIST FROM THE DEAD and seated Him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms.” (Eph. 1:19-20)
- LOVE: “…we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to SEPARATE US FROM THE LOVE OF GOD which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom. 8:37-39)
- A SOUND MIND: “…do not be conformed (the same as everyone else) to this world, but be transformed (metamorphoō: to be divinely changed into another form) by the renewing (anakainōsis: a complete revitalizing) of your mind, so that YOU MAY PROVE what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Rom. 12:2) “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person (a new creation). The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” (2 Corin. 5:17)
-Bill Stockham