For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. (2 Timothy 1:7, NKJV).
Fearless, Powerful, Loving and Sane
It would be very nice to be rationally fearless. You know, the kind of courage that's not based on circumstances but on the sure and certain knowledge that your back is covered no matter what, that you have the power to deal with whatever confronts you, not with bitterness or anger, but with love and intelligence.
Timothy, the Apostle Paul's protege and son in the faith, needed encouragement as the young pastor of the Ephesian church nearly 2000 years ago. Paul, his mentor and spiritual father, was himself imprisoned in Rome, knowing he was about to face death at the hands of his captors. Yet, despite his own dire circumstances, he wrote two marvelous letters to Timothy, and in this second one, probably the last epistle the Apostle would ever write, he gently reminds young Timothy that those who are Christ's have no reason to fear.
Peeling away the layers of meaning in this short passage reveals several profound truths that will serve to bolster failing courage in times of fear and stress.
For God has not given us a spirit of fear - no, instead He has given us His Spirit, the Comforter, the One who pours out in our hearts the love of God, the One who is the guarantee of our eternal inheritance, and who never leaves nor forsakes us. The One who is the very Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father!" The One who testifies with our spirit that we are the children of God. It is the Holy Spirit that enables us to have the intimate fellowship with God each and every moment of our lives.
God also promises to be our rear guard. He has not only our backs, but is the One who fights our battles, who will seek vengeance on our behalf, who will go before us and lead us through the Valley of the Shadow of Death. “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." (Matthew 10:28, NKJV). But in Christ, we have peace with God. That long war of rebellion is over, "So we may boldly say: 'The LORD is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?'" (Hebrews 13:6, NKJV).
but of power - Paul had written earlier to the very same church that Timothy now pastored this marvelous benediction: "For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man…" (Ephesians 3:14-16, NKJV). Please note the words "strengthened" and "might". Both connote power, and together they describe being continually filled with power or dunamis in the Greek, the etiological roots of our English words, dynamo and dynamite.
So not only do we have the Spirit of God, rather than the spirit of fear, but we are also benefactors of the very power of God. Now this does not mean primarily physical power, though it can and did, as in Samson's case, and in the exploits of the Mighty Men of Israel, King David's crack commando force of 3000 years ago. But it is rather and mostly the power of character, of integrity, of steadfastness in the face of oncoming storms, of uncompromising righteousness and honesty despite monumental temptation to do otherwise. It is the power that comes from inmate fellowship with the One who has all power and authority.
and of love - this is agape love as beautifully detailed in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 and written about here.
and of a sound mind - if you've ever had bouts of an unsound mind, one that is flittering about in panic, illogic and irrationality, then this is especially good news. Nothing makes a bad, stressful situation worse than unclear thinking. The flickering shadows in the dark become full-fledged monsters, the difficult challenges become insurmountable obstacles, and the very real human fear becomes paralyzing and unreasoning terror. Soundness of mind is the only foundation upon which peace of mind can be built. And only through knowing and understanding the grace of God can the peace of God be attained.
Have you ever wondered how those facing life and death trials can do so with intervals of supernatural calm, with that peace that passes understanding, with the bedrock assurance that they are known and loved by their Creator and Redeemer?
It is because He has given them Himself, and four of the manifold results are fearlessness, power, the ability to love, and sanity; not just for show, but for those times when, from the purely human perspective, none of those things are very likely at all.
Fearless, Powerful, Loving and Sane
It would be very nice to be rationally fearless. You know, the kind of courage that's not based on circumstances but on the sure and certain knowledge that your back is covered no matter what, that you have the power to deal with whatever confronts you, not with bitterness or anger, but with love and intelligence.
Timothy, the Apostle Paul's protege and son in the faith, needed encouragement as the young pastor of the Ephesian church nearly 2000 years ago. Paul, his mentor and spiritual father, was himself imprisoned in Rome, knowing he was about to face death at the hands of his captors. Yet, despite his own dire circumstances, he wrote two marvelous letters to Timothy, and in this second one, probably the last epistle the Apostle would ever write, he gently reminds young Timothy that those who are Christ's have no reason to fear.
Peeling away the layers of meaning in this short passage reveals several profound truths that will serve to bolster failing courage in times of fear and stress.
For God has not given us a spirit of fear - no, instead He has given us His Spirit, the Comforter, the One who pours out in our hearts the love of God, the One who is the guarantee of our eternal inheritance, and who never leaves nor forsakes us. The One who is the very Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father!" The One who testifies with our spirit that we are the children of God. It is the Holy Spirit that enables us to have the intimate fellowship with God each and every moment of our lives.
God also promises to be our rear guard. He has not only our backs, but is the One who fights our battles, who will seek vengeance on our behalf, who will go before us and lead us through the Valley of the Shadow of Death. “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." (Matthew 10:28, NKJV). But in Christ, we have peace with God. That long war of rebellion is over, "So we may boldly say: 'The LORD is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?'" (Hebrews 13:6, NKJV).
but of power - Paul had written earlier to the very same church that Timothy now pastored this marvelous benediction: "For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man…" (Ephesians 3:14-16, NKJV). Please note the words "strengthened" and "might". Both connote power, and together they describe being continually filled with power or dunamis in the Greek, the etiological roots of our English words, dynamo and dynamite.
So not only do we have the Spirit of God, rather than the spirit of fear, but we are also benefactors of the very power of God. Now this does not mean primarily physical power, though it can and did, as in Samson's case, and in the exploits of the Mighty Men of Israel, King David's crack commando force of 3000 years ago. But it is rather and mostly the power of character, of integrity, of steadfastness in the face of oncoming storms, of uncompromising righteousness and honesty despite monumental temptation to do otherwise. It is the power that comes from inmate fellowship with the One who has all power and authority.
and of love - this is agape love as beautifully detailed in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 and written about here.
and of a sound mind - if you've ever had bouts of an unsound mind, one that is flittering about in panic, illogic and irrationality, then this is especially good news. Nothing makes a bad, stressful situation worse than unclear thinking. The flickering shadows in the dark become full-fledged monsters, the difficult challenges become insurmountable obstacles, and the very real human fear becomes paralyzing and unreasoning terror. Soundness of mind is the only foundation upon which peace of mind can be built. And only through knowing and understanding the grace of God can the peace of God be attained.
Have you ever wondered how those facing life and death trials can do so with intervals of supernatural calm, with that peace that passes understanding, with the bedrock assurance that they are known and loved by their Creator and Redeemer?
It is because He has given them Himself, and four of the manifold results are fearlessness, power, the ability to love, and sanity; not just for show, but for those times when, from the purely human perspective, none of those things are very likely at all.
