"Fighting Fear"

"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." 2 Timothy 1:7

From the verse above we learn that fear is a spirit. We also learn that the spirit of fear does not come from God. In addition we learn too that He doesn't give us a spirit of fear, but instead He gives us power, love and a sound mind. The power, love and sound mind that He gives us is not just a replacement for fear, they are also the "weapons" and "strategies" that He has given us to combat fear.

He gives us power to defeat fear. "Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you." (Luke 10:19) As we said already, fear is a spirit and it is not a spirit that comes from God. Therefore, it is a spirit that comes from the enemy of our soul. But God has given us power over all the powers of the enemy, including power over fear.

He gives us love to cast out fear. "There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love." (1 John 4:18) There is no fear in love, neither is there any place at all for fear in love. God is love. There is no fear in Him. According to 1 Corinthians 13 the attributes and character of love leave no place for fear to be able to dwell.

He also gives us a sound mind to overcome fear. "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee." (Isaiah 26:3) When you think about the Lord, renew your mind with His word, make Him your thought life, then you will have peace of mind. Peace and fear cannot both occupy the same place at the same time. Peace is the opposite of fear. Peace says, "All is well". Fear says, "No, it isn't".

If you are fearful this morning, you have no need to be. It does not have to overcome you. The Lord has given you everything you need through Jesus Christ to overcome it. Walk in power, walk in love, walk in a sound mind and fear will never be able to overcome you.

Have a great day. God hasn't given you a spirit of fear, but He has given you all you need to overcome it.

For further reading:
2 Corinthians 10:3-5
1 John 4:4
Deut. 31:6
Ephesians 6