An Important Reminder When A Spirit of Fear Is Invoked

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In his last letter to Timothy, the apostle Paul reminds his young disciple of a very important fact,

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (II Timothy 1:7 – NKJV)

It must have been that young Timothy faced many trials in his ministry, for Paul was constantly providing him with divine truths to help him conquer the moment, to conquer the “fears” that, if not checked, could cause him to suffer great setbacks in his service to Christ.

“Fear!” A most formidable enemy. It can strike at the very core of a man and actually affect his ability to function properly in life. When one thinks about it, “fear” can bring upon us the inability to think rightly, to lose our very “power” to respond to a situation as we should. It is so powerful an emotion that it can even affect a disciple of Christ’s “love” for his Lord.

“Fear!” To think what “a spirit of fear” can do to an unsaved man is sobering enough, but we must never think that this “fear” cannot affect a believer also. That is evident for us in our text, for the apostle Paul obviously wrote this reminder to Timothy because the young man was faced with or experiencing this debilitating emotion. And so we know, Christians can experience “fear.”

In the day in which you and I live, with all the constant influx of news and media that surrounds us, news that is fed to our “minds,” we are repeatedly exposed to that which can foster “a spirit of fear” in us.

For example, during election processes in our country, “a spirit of fear” is always being stirred up. The old ploy of, “If this person is elected . . . look out!” Sometimes the warnings can be valid and then again, often they are just scare tactics . . . scare tactics that are meant to cause us to “fear” potential circumstances that we are told may be the outcome if certain individuals win certain offices of public service. Why it could be that you could lose this, or maybe that, or maybe . . . oh, it could be so catastrophic if . . .

Whether it be politics or rumors of wars or warnings of coming natural disasters or so many other potential matters of concern, whatever the case may be we who are disciples of Christ must remember the principles laid forth in Scripture . . . that our God is God, and that He is sovereign, and . . .

“. . . that the Most High God rules in the kingdom of men, and appoints over it whomever He chooses” (Daniel 5:21 – NKJV)

Note . . . “appoints over it whomever He chooses.” This screams to us regarding the sovereignty of our “Most High God!”And knowing such, we are to have a “sound mind,” a “mind” that does not fall prey to “a spirit of fear” in our days upon this earth, in this world in which the god of this age seeks to render us ineffective in our actions, in our concerns for present and future events. The Scriptures are replete with “sound” doctrine that is meant to shape our thinking in such a manner as to effectively infuse our “power,” our “love,” our “minds,” so that we are not fearful. Take heed . . .