2 Timothy 1:7 (NKJV)
7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
FEAR is False Evidence Appearing Real. We all have our ‘terrors’. I know we started the year with great expectations; but before the year even unfolded, the uncertainties and the pressures of the year have put a lot of us in the prison of fear. Afraid that yesterday’s mistakes will catch up with us, afraid that tomorrow will not be what we hope for it to be and afraid that today will bring us some evil or negative report.
Will I be able to pay all these bills? What if I flunk the test? Am I going to lose my job in this bad economy? Is this investment going to yield any returns or I’m going to lose my savings. The list goes on and on…
I believe that the truth that Paul shared with his son, Timothy, will help us deal victoriously with fear. First of all, you have to understand that fear is a spirit and it is not from God. God has not given us the spirit of fear.
I know some of us are afraid we will fail. Ladies and gentlemen, fear of failure is the father of failure. The one thing worse than a quitter is the one who is afraid to start. Fear is the dark room where negatives are developed. Fear tends to produce the very thing that it’s afraid of. Job said
“For the thing I greatly feared has come upon me, And what I dreaded has happened to me.” Job 3:25 (NKJV). What are you afraid of?
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones said “when a man is defeated by life it is always due, ultimately, to the fact that he is suffering from a spirit of fear…. The spirit of fear is the real, the ultimate cause of all failure in life, and all unhappiness.” Former president Franklin D. Roosevelt said “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”
The amplified Bible puts our text this way: “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (of cowardice, of craven and cringing and fawning fear), but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of calm and well-balanced mindand discipline and self-control.” 2 Timothy 1:7 (AMP)
If you are afraid that yesterday’s mistakes will catch up with you, just remember God has cast yesterday’s sins and mistakes into the sea of forgetfulness. Are you afraid of tomorrow? Do not worry, He has promised in Isaiah 43:2 that even if you go through the waters, they shall not overflow you and the fire will not consume you because He will be with you.
Don’t be afraid of the present, it is secured in the Lord. He has promised in Isaiah 41:10 that he will help and strengthen you. The next time we meet, we will deal with what to do; and if He has not given us the spirit of fear, then what has He given us?
I’ll leave you for now. If we don’t meet again, I’ll see you at the dinner table in Papa’s house.
Pastor King