“For God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power of love and of sound mind.” 2 Timothy 1:7 (NKJV)
For nearly all of my mature Christian life this verse has been the cornerstone of who God has assured me I am. Not a person held captive by the constant fear, worry and timidity of my life but a Child of God that has been granted the gifts of power of love and of sound mind; being transformed into the very likeness of Christ through the work He is doing in my soul.
In one of the very darkest parts of my life fear held me captive. I stood as still as a marble statue terrified to reach out of my world for the sake of Christ’s work in the lives of others. I was tremendously paralyzed by the lie that I was not good enough for God because of my own deep seated Spiritual issues. It was during this time that a wise woman looked me in the eyes and said to me, “Katie, Satan knows that he cannot touch you, but he will do whatever it takes to make you ineffectual for the Kingdom.” This was a stunning concept to me and one that left me bereft for the time lost believing a lie that Satan had told me, that my fears were too big for God.
God is so faithful and true, and the truth of who He is speaks into our very hearts when we allow Him to. The truths found in 2 Timothy 1:7 were written from Paul to Timothy, a young man raised by his grandmother in the faith and struggling to lead a church of his own. While Timothy’s circumstances may seem undeniably different from our own, the words that Paul spoke to him are just as true for us today as they were for Timothy and the first century church. Paul’s words cut to the very heart of who we are, a renewed Spirit, made fundamentally different by the Blood of Christ, and while Satan is the father of deception and fear, God, our Father is the very embodiment of power, love and clarity.
It is time that we recognize that our duty as Christ Followers is not to be timid or afraid of the tasks God has given us, or the overwhelming worry that this world may hold, but to hold fast to the truth of God that He has given us a brave, victorious heart. It is time for us to stop living as dead men and women and realize that God has restored us to life and longs for us to breath His life into others. It is only when we release the ties that bind us to the lies past and cling to the promises of God that we can truly become effective tools for the Kingdom of God, ready to be used by the hands of our Father.
I know that fear is a real reason why people don’t share their resurrection story with others. They are afraid that they will be treated differently, or that they won’t communicate clearly. This passage is greatly uplifting to anyone who has a heart of fear.
It is so very true that fear grips the soul and leaves us standing paralyzed. I have experienced that many times. I love what the prophet Zephaniah says in chapter 3 verse 17. “The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, and he will rejoice over you with singing.” Thanks for the reminder that we can be courageous with our Father watching over us.
This is a great reminder to me that my fear in sharing the gospel (as are all fears for the believer) is based in a lie. In my more lucid moments, I remember that I don’t have to banish the feeling of fear but instead I choose to believe the truth of God’s promises, and then act in line with those promises. For me, that’s how fears are vanquished. Thanks Katie, for reminding me of that!
Thank you for the post today…it helped me to remember how dark we can feel when we have a fear of sharing God’s love and the Word with others. After reading this, I took time to think about good “fear” -the way we work out our salvation with fear and trembling and how God works in us to do that.
1 Peter 13 – 17: “Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good? ‘Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened.’ But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. It is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.” This was a huge encouragement to me today. Thank you for prompting our thoughts and minds today, guys! Thank you, God!