For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.
Down through the centuries, the normal Christian life has been one of intense persecution, pain, rejection, ridicule, subjugation, and death. The early Church was scattered far and wide, as an increasingly hostile world fed many to the lions and burnt others at the stake. As we read of men and women of faith, we discover that many were enslaved, exploited, and exterminated for the sake of Christ. But from his own incarceration in a Roman jail, the apostle Paul was able to encourage His timid laborer in Christ, by reminding Timothy (as well as us), that God “has not given us a spirit of fear, but one of power; of love; of self-control.” Much like us, Timothy needed to be reminded that we have the Holy Spirit of God within us at all times; Who has gifted us and empowered us with all that we need for life and godliness, no matter how difficult or dangerous our circumstances in this world may become. Jesus Himself warned us that in this world we would suffer trials and tribulations, but He also urged us to remember that He has overcome the world. Timothy was exhorted to reignite the flickering flame of his faltering faith, for although he was saved by grace through faith in Christ, he was timid, afraid, and felt pressured by the increasingly hostile world in which we all live. But like Timothy, we need to remember who we are in Christ, and that we have not been given a spirit of fearfulness and timidity, but one of power, love, self-control, and a disciplined mind. We all need power in our lives, but true strength does not come from relying on our own capabilities but on Christ Who has promised that His grace is sufficient for all the difficulties and dangers of life we may have to face. We all need love in our lives, but true godly love is not something that we struggle to produce through our own fleshly efforts, but can only be produced in us as spiritual fruit as we abide in Christ and He in us. We all need self-control and a disciplined mind, but we cannot achieve this by self-effort and fleshly struggling. As we look to Jesus and willingly submit to the ongoing child-training and chastening work of the Holy Spirit within, we will experience an inexplicable, inner peace that passes understanding, for this is the promise of God to all whose mind is resting in Christ.
Spiritual Steve 