“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” 2 Timothy 1:7 (NKJV).
When I read this verse, I hear God’s invitation to live a life free from fear, confident in who God is and who He made me to be. I also see a clear connection to living fearless and having a sound mind, meaning when I live in fear, the opposite is true; my mind is troubled. When my mind is troubled, my heart becomes troubled as well.
Fear for me often begins with troubling thoughts. As I dwell on this thought, it begins to affect my emotions. For example, if I observe my daughter making a decision that I disagree with, I start doubting my parenting and feeling down; I then begin to doubt if she will ever come back into relationship with the Lord. This creates a depressing feeling within my heart, and I feel overwhelmed. Thoughts and emotions begin to spiral. I no longer feel like I have a sound mind. I am living in fear.
But this verse says that God has not given me a spirit of fear but of power, love and of a sound mind. This month we are focusing on a disciplined mind. So what’s the connection here? I am learning that living in fear is a choice and living in power and love is a choice as well, but it requires a disciplined mind. I may never be free from experiencing fear as an emotion, but how much I let it impact my thoughts and emotions is up to me. One of the fruits of the Holy Spirit is self control. I can pray and ask the Spirit to help me with my weakness. When the thoughts of fear and doubt start assaulting my mind, God’s word reminds me that this is not from Him. I can choose in that moment to recall God’s word and promises for my life and my family. As I do this, my confidence in Him begins to increase. Hope begins to invade my emotions, and fear begins to leave.
Having fearful thoughts in my mind has also caused me to grasp for control over things in my life.
I want to share one really practical way that God gave me to conquer fear in my life – I take the things I worry about the most, the things I am constantly struggling to give up control of, and I write them down on a card and put it in an envelope.
Every morning, when I wake up, I take this card in my hands and tell Him: I surrender these things to You; please take them. Take the weight and worry off my shoulders, and do whatever you want with these things, these needs, relationships, and burdens. This act isn’t some supernatural cure for fear, but it’s a tangible expression to remind myself that God is in control and loves the people in my life and me more than I ever could. If I truly believe that I am completely loved by Him, then He will work things out for my good. PERIOD. That truth pushes back the fearful thoughts in my mind so I can breathe deeply and have confidence that I am in His love every moment. By surrendering every part of my life to Him, I am making an active choice to live in His power and love, and the result is that I have a sound mind.
I will share this final thought, one that I sensed God speaking directly to my heart as I was praying about dealing with fear in my life:
The enemy tries to remind you of what you have to fear; I will remind you of who you have to trust.
Lord, thank you for reminding me of your truth. Thank you for giving me your Holy Spirit that allows me to experience your power, love and a sound mind. I am no longer a slave to fear but a child of God who is surrendered to you. In laying down control, I invite you to move in my life in whatever way you see best. I ask that you help me to live with a disciplined mind so that I can experience life to the fullest. Help me to fully place my trust in You.
In Jesus’ Mighty Name, Amen.
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