Today I will continue my current series entitled, REASONS WHY NOT TO FEAR! Reason #2: Fear is NOT of God!
(2 Timothy 1:17 NKJV)
For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
So what does this mean for you today? A few things:
1. Fear did not originate in God.
a) 2 Tim 1:7 tells us that God did not give us the spirit of fear. Fear is not of God. You should not want anything that did not originate in the heart of God for you. Fear is definitely NOT God’s will.
b) The first appearance of fear in the Bible came after Adam committed the original sin. Fear came as a result of the work of satan, not God. You know the story… satan came, he deceived Eve, she ate of the forbidden tree, she gave to her husband, he ate, and the eyes of both of them were opened. At that moment they died, just like God said they would. They did not die physically. They died spiritually. The Holy Spirit was removed from man. They were no longer spiritual. They no longer had a direct connection to the Father, who is a spirit. They were resigned to living their lives as mere men. They looked at themselves in the flesh, they realized they were naked, they also realized they were disconnected from God, so they covered themselves up with fig leaves and they attempted to hide from a God who can see all things.
c) Fear came as a result of man’s separation from God. While Adam and Eve were enjoying their fellowship with God they did not even know what fear was. They had no concept of fear until they were separated from God due to sin. Guess what? Jesus came to redeem us all the way back to what life was like before the fall of man. Jesus restored the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is our direct connection to the Father, who is a Spirit. Once we are Born-Again, we are never HELPLESS. Therefore, we should never be HOPELESS. We should never allow fear to rule our hearts because God is ever-present. Once you are Born-Again, there is NEVER a moment where God is NOT with you. Since God present, fear should be absent. You have no need to fear. God is with you!
2. God did not give you the spirit of fear.
a) 2 Tim 1:7 tells us that God did not give us the spirit of fear. The Amplified translation of this verse says, “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 mind and discipline and self-control.” Paul juxtaposes what God did NOT give us, with what He DID give us. Whatever did not come from God is something we do NOT have to receive.
b) While the world may be “freaking out” over the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19), this is a time for the church to shine. As believers, the world should see something different in us. It is NOT the will of God that we live as cowards, in fear. God’s will is clear scripture. God wants our hearts to be full of His love because perfected love casts out all fear (1 John 4:18). God wants us to be calm in the midst of chaos (like what is going on in the world right now). He wants us to have a well-balanced mind, discipline, and self-control.
c) When writing to the church in Rome, Paul said, “For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father” (Rom 8:15). Paul connects fear with bondage. If you live in fear you are clearly living in bondage. Paul tells the believers in Rome (and us too) that we did not receive fear or bondage from God. Fear is not of God. What we received from God was a spirit of adoption. This means that God accepted us as His children through the finished work of Jesus on Calvary’s cross. As God’s children, we get to cry out, “Abba, Father.” The word “Abba” literally means, “Daddy.” God is our Daddy! He is our loving, caring, and sharing heavenly Father. James said, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above” (James 1:17). As our Daddy, God has never, and He will never, desire that we, as His children, live subject to the bondage of fear. Why? Because fear has torment (1 John 4:18), and as our Daddy, God does not want us to live tormented by fear. What loving father would want his children to be constantly tormented and in bondage? Not even a human father would want that, much less God! Fear is not of God. Since it is not of God, you don’t have to accept it! While the world may be in fear, you must be IN FAITH! Your confidence in God must be stronger than your fear of any disease.
3. You have the grace to resist and overcome fear.
a) In the Old Testament, every time the nation of Israel allowed themselves to fall into the grips of fear, God would send a Word through a Prophet and say, “Fear not!” While Jesus was walking the earth, every time the disciples allowed themselves to fall prey to fear, Jesus would look at them and say, “Fear not!” Fast forward to the present day. Now that you are Born-Again, every time you allow fear to grip your heart, the Holy Spirit says, “Fear not!” Notice that God never says, “Try not to fear.” He simply says, “Fear not!” This implies that we are more than capable of resisting fear. God has already given us the grace to do it. God will never expect us to do something that He has not equipped us to do.
b) Fear was never part of God’s plan for you. God has plans for you (Jer 29:11), but living in the bondage and torment is not part of it. So make a decision today to accept what God wants for your life and reject what He does not. You have to grace to reject fear. But you have to make the decision to do so. Faith is a choice. Fear is also a choice. The choice is yours! You can either choose to live by faith or you can choose to allow fear to control your life. What will you decide?
That’s enough for today.
Declaration of Faith:
Father, I make wise decisions, because I choose to line up my decisions with Your Word. I know from Your Word that fear did not come from You. Since it did not come from You, then I don’t want it. I choose to accept the life of faith and I also choose to reject the life of fear. I will never again be entangled with the bondage and torment associated with fear. Fear has no power over me. I accept and walk in Your love, Father. You are my Daddy and You love me too much to leave me in bondage to anything, including fear. Daddy, you want good things for me. So I decree and declare that I accept what You desire for me and I reject what you don’t! I will never again allow fear to rule my heart. I declare this by faith! In Jesus’ name. Amen!
This is Today’s Word. Apply it and prosper!
