rjones
Member
- Joined
- Jul 28, 2007
- Messages
- 314
"For God did not give us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, of love and of self discipline'' 2 Timothy 1:7.
We all face situations where we feel timid and afraid; for some, speaking in front of others makes them fear; others are afraid of confrontation, others of being made to look foolish, others are afraid of rejection. We all deal with fear.
The first step in dealing with such fears is to understand that they are not from God! To be able to say, “This isn’t God making me feel like this! God hasn’t given me this!” Perhaps it is from your personality, perhaps a weakness of the flesh, perhaps a demonic attack - but it isn’t from God.
The second step in dealing with such fears is understanding what God has given us: a spirit of power and of love and of a sound mind.
God has given us a spirit of power
(Ephesians 3:16) I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being
(Ephesians 3:20-21) Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
(Isaiah 11:2) The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD.
When we are doing His work, proclaiming His word, representing His kingdom, we have all His power backing us. We are safe in His hands.
God has given us a spirit of love
(Romans 5:5) And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us
(1 John 4:7-16)
This tells us a lot about the power He has given us. Many think of power in terms of how much we can control others; but Jesus’ power is expressed in how much we can love and serve others. Remember Jesus, on the night before the cross, Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands - what did He do with all that power? He humbly washed His disciples’ feet! (John 13:1-11)
God has given us a sound mind
(Galatians 5:16) This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh
The Greek word here has the idea of a calm, self-controlled mind, in contrast to the panic and confusion that rushes in on us when we are in a fearful situation.
We don’t need to accept what God has not given us (a spirit of fear), and we need to humbly receive and walk in what He has given us (a spirit . . . of power and of love and of a sound mind).
Boldness matters; without it, we can’t fulfill God’s purpose for our lives. God’s purpose for you is more than making money, being entertained, and being comfortable; it is for you to use the gifts He has given you to touch His people and help a needy world.
Fear and timidity will keep you from using the gifts God has given you to touch His people and a needy world. God wants you to take His power, His love, and His calm thinking and overcome fear to be used of Him with all the gifts He has given you.
To God be the glory
We all face situations where we feel timid and afraid; for some, speaking in front of others makes them fear; others are afraid of confrontation, others of being made to look foolish, others are afraid of rejection. We all deal with fear.
The first step in dealing with such fears is to understand that they are not from God! To be able to say, “This isn’t God making me feel like this! God hasn’t given me this!” Perhaps it is from your personality, perhaps a weakness of the flesh, perhaps a demonic attack - but it isn’t from God.
The second step in dealing with such fears is understanding what God has given us: a spirit of power and of love and of a sound mind.
God has given us a spirit of power
(Ephesians 3:16) I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being
(Ephesians 3:20-21) Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
(Isaiah 11:2) The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him— the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD.
When we are doing His work, proclaiming His word, representing His kingdom, we have all His power backing us. We are safe in His hands.
God has given us a spirit of love
(Romans 5:5) And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us
(1 John 4:7-16)
This tells us a lot about the power He has given us. Many think of power in terms of how much we can control others; but Jesus’ power is expressed in how much we can love and serve others. Remember Jesus, on the night before the cross, Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands - what did He do with all that power? He humbly washed His disciples’ feet! (John 13:1-11)
God has given us a sound mind
(Galatians 5:16) This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh
The Greek word here has the idea of a calm, self-controlled mind, in contrast to the panic and confusion that rushes in on us when we are in a fearful situation.
We don’t need to accept what God has not given us (a spirit of fear), and we need to humbly receive and walk in what He has given us (a spirit . . . of power and of love and of a sound mind).
Boldness matters; without it, we can’t fulfill God’s purpose for our lives. God’s purpose for you is more than making money, being entertained, and being comfortable; it is for you to use the gifts He has given you to touch His people and help a needy world.
Fear and timidity will keep you from using the gifts God has given you to touch His people and a needy world. God wants you to take His power, His love, and His calm thinking and overcome fear to be used of Him with all the gifts He has given you.
To God be the glory
