“For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.”
2 Timothy 1:7 NLT
Read that again.
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.”
2 Timothy 1:7 NLT
To me, this is mind blowing. I dealt with fear for years. The older I got the the worse my fear became. I can remember being in middle school and not wanting the teacher to call on me even when I knew the answer. I was fearful of speaking in front of a group of people. This continued on but morphed into different fears as I got older. As an adult my mind would automatically go to the worse case scenario in situations. There was a time when I would let the fear grip me from leaving the house or making plans. At times I would even cancel plans.
As I walked closer with the Lord I still struggled with fear , but I was more aware of the issue. I started to ask God in prayer to take away my fears. I was intentional and consistent with this prayer. Until one day I realized God took it all away.
The enemy was not okay with this. He tries to sneak the spirit of fear back into my life. This is why daily encounters matter. Being grounded on God’s word and having daily conversations with him keep me focused on the truth.
I was listening to a sermon when they broke down this Bible verse:
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.”
2 Timothy 1:7 NLT
The way the pastor explained it was simple. This Bible verse refers to fear as a spirit not a feeling. We have grown custom to thinking fear is a normal way to feel, in certain circumstances, but it is not. Fear is a spirit from the enemy. This is a tactic of the enemy. I don’t know about you but this completely changes the way I look at fear and the way I let fear impact me. We need to change the way we worship and honor God. We need to change the way we live. Our lives need to be a testament of our love for God. Really our lives need to reflect our relationship with God.
The enemy is going to try and attack you, no matter how close your walk with God is. It is your relationship with God that will make the enemy flee. Having daily encounters with the Lord will strengthen your FAITH. This is essential for when the enemy attacks.
My eyes have been open. How silly I was to let fear control me. Fear no longer has a hold on me. In its face I declare God’s Victory. My God is bigger! My weapon is God’s presence as I speak the name of Jesus. I shout his scriptures and the enemy MUST flee.
Fear can come in many different packages. The enemy is cunning and knows which package of fear to place before you. In either instance there is an uncertainty or an unknown that the enemy tries to use to have you focus on, dwell on and even become consumed with. The enemy wants you thinking of all the different possibilities or worse case scenarios. In doing this the enemy has taken your focus off of where and what God is calling you to focus on.
Don’t let the enemy win. Speak up if fear is holding you back and keeping you hostage. Take back the life God has created you for. Declare 2 Timothy 1:7 NLT over your life.
Soak in God’s word. Let his presence surround you. Keep your focus on God and God alone. It is time to take a stand against fear! Speak up and do not sit alone in your fear. Reach out to a trusted friend. Open up and let them know what you are struggling with.
The following really stuck out to me from a study I read by Alli Worthington, Breaking Busy. “Fear fuels busyness. Peace leads us to our purpose.” This really made me pause and think. By letting fear in we give way to meaningless busyness. If we instead allow Gods peace in we give way for Gods purpose in our lives.
When fear creeps in speak the name of a Jesus until you feel his peace fill you and surround you. Say the Bible verse that brings you Gods comfort. Grab your bible and engross yourself in his word. Fall on your knees in prayer for your Heavenly Father to bring you peace. Do not let fear make you paralyzed!
Be A Blessing
Jennifer Lull