THE SPIRIT OF FEAR
5 I REMEMBER YOUR GENUINE FAITH, FOR YOU SHARE THE FAITH THAT FIRST FILLED YOUR GRANDMOTHER LOIS AND YOUR MOTHER, EUNICE. And I know that same faith continues strong in you.
6 This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you.
7 FOR GOD HAS NOT GIVEN US A SPIRIT OF FEAR AND TIMIDITY, BUT OF POWER, LOVE, AND SELF-DISCIPLINE."
2 Timothy 1:7 (NLT)
Fear is a spirit, and it is not from God.
The source of fear is the devil. Fear is one of the weapons in the hand of the devil, through which he does havocs.
Fear is the opposite of faith. As faith attracts the favour of God, likewise fear attracts the attacks of the devil.
Timothy has an unfeigned Faith, that is, real, sincere, and genuine Faith. It was the faith of his mother and that of the grandmother that rubbed off on him (2 Timothy 1:5).
Children copy and replicate what they see in the life of their parents. Your faith as a parent will shape the future of your children. It will rub off on them!
You cannot afford to operate with a weak faith. Timothy's parents were of strong faith and it affected him positively.
At the same time, Timothy struggles with timidity. Fear leads to timidity, both are of the same source.
• A timid person would not rise up to his or her potential. The potential or ability in such a person would lie dormant. What he or she is gifted to do would not be done because of timidity.
• A timid person would not do what was said or commanded to do, thus such would not allow God, but hinder Him from doing whatever He intends to do.
Even when such a person has what it takes to do exploits, been gifted and equipped by God, yet may not do or take a step because of timidity.
• Fear brings torment, and it robs you of the kingdom benefits.
• Fear would hinder you from appropriating your Kingdom inheritance in Christ.
This usually starts with ignorance,
If you are ignorant of your kingdom right, the devil who thrives in ignorance would want to rob you of the kingdom benefits and blessings—he would want to afflict you with fear.
He would want to torment and afflict you because you do not know what belongs to you as a believer in Christ Jesus. And when the potential or the ability in you is not activated, you apparently would not be what God wanted you to be. People are destroyed for lack of knowledge (Hosea 4:6), but the byproduct of ignorance or lack of knowledge is fear.
Knowledge gives strength, power and boldness (Proverbs 24:5).
• If you do allow fear, you will not be able to demonstrate the power of God that is deposited in you, thus hinder others of the blessings God would have lavished on them through your life, and deny God the glory due Him.
• Fear also brings death. The people who died of evil occurrences are mostly killed by fear.
The sudden evil event, the shock of it, or a shocking news, killed people more and faster.
With the reasons above and a number of others, a believer should not live in fear.
When you sense any fear, you have to rebuke it and it shall leave, because it is a spirit of the devil (2 Timothy 1:7; James 4:7).
When you feed your spirit and mind with the Word of God, you will have faith which is the confidence assurance.
The first weapon which the devil uses in attacking whoever he is after is fear. Thus, you should not give any place to fear in your life, it is not of God but the devil (Ephesians 4:27).
Things you supposed to have as a believer are also found in that same verse of our text, 2 Timothy 1:7: " . . . BUT OF POWER, LOVE, AND SELF-DISCIPLINE, THAT IS, SOUND MIND."
Power, love, and sound mind, or self-discipline, are products of the Holy Spirit.
I. The Holy Spirit gives power, shed love abroad in our hearts, and makes our minds sound through the light received via the knowledge of Word of God.
• A mind preoccupied with the knowledge of the Word of God thinks right and wholesomely!
• If you have the Holy Spirit on the inside of you, you have the power of God on your inside. The Scripture says: "YOU SHALL RECEIVE POWER WHEN THE HOLY SPIRIT HAS COME UPON YOU . . . " (Acts 1:8).
It means the coming of the Holy Spirit into a person's life, brings power. And, if you have the power of God on the inside of you, you have no reason to live in fear.
II. " . . . AND OF LOVE" (2 Timothy 1:7).
The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of love: "BECAUSE THE LOVE OF GOD HAS BEEN POURED OUT IN OUR HEARTS BY THE HOLY SPIRIT WHO WAS GIVEN TO US" (Romans 5:5).
• Where love is, fear has no place there: "THERE IS NO FEAR IN LOVE; BUT PERFECT LOVE CASTS OUT FEAR, BECAUSE FEAR INVOLVES TORMENT. BUT HE WHO FEARS HAS NOT BEEN MADE PERFECT IN LOVE" (1 John 4:18).
• Those who live in fear, are full of suspicions. They suspect every other person around them, because they live in fear, and they are insecured.
Where love is absent, fear reigns there!
III. " . . . AND OF A SOUND MIND" (2 Timothy 1:7).
• Your mind is made sound as you study the Word of God under the influence of the Holy Spirit.
• When you ask the Holy Spirit to illuminate your heart, and open your eyes of understanding, as you read and study the Bible (Ephesians 1:17,18); He will, thus you have a well-balanced mind and self-control.
"FOR GOD DID NOT GIVE US A SPIRIT OF TIMIDITY OR COWARDICE OR FEAR, BUT [He has given us a spirit] OF POWER AND OF LOVE AND OF SOUND JUDGMENT AND PERSONAL DISCIPLINE [abilities that result in a calm, well-balanced mind and self-control].
2 Timothy 1:7 (Amps)
You will not fail in Jesus' name. Peace!