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KEY TEXT: 2 Timothy 1:7 (KJV) – “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”

First, let us focus on the word ‘but’. The word but is a sentence conjunction used to represent a contrast. Therefore, it is used to represent and to join two opposing statements.

In this verse, the opposite of fear is power, love and a sound mind. This verse means that a fearful spirit has no power. A fearful spirit has no love. And a fearful spirit affects the proper operation of the mind such that the reasoning capacity is marred. It fiddles with the memory, and as a result, one is prone to make heedless, mindless and reckless decisions.

“If we take counsel with our doubts and fears, or try to solve everything that we cannot see clearly, before we have faith, perplexities will only increase and deepen. But if we come to God, feeling helpless and dependent, as we really are, and in humble, trusting faith make known our wants to Him whose knowledge is infinite, who sees everything in creation, and who governs everything by His will and word, He can and will attend to our cry, and will let light shine into our hearts. Through sincere prayer we are brought into connection with the mind of the Infinite. We may have no remarkable evidence at the time that the face of our Redeemer is bending over us in compassion and love, but this is even so. We may not feel His visible touch, but His hand is upon us in love and pitying tenderness.” – Steps to Christ, Page 96.3, Ellen G. White.

The spirit of fear does not have power and love because it lacks faith. Where there is fear, doubt resides and faith subsides.

Hebrews 11:6 (KJV) – “But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.”

The Bible does not say without faith, it is difficult to please God. It says without faith, it is impossible to please God.

“Many neglect to lay up for themselves a treasure in heaven by doing good with the means that God has lent them. They distrust God and have a thousand fears in regard to the future. Like the children of Israel they have evil hearts of unbelief.” – Mind, Character and Personality, Volume 2, Page 474.2, Ellen G. White.

Many have placed fear above faith. Therefore, they fail to act in accordance with God’s will. Their combined actions deprive them and other people of the blessings of God because God is a rewarder to those who diligently seek Him.

Hebrews 11:27 (KJV) – “By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing Him who is invisible.”

Moses feared God, who is invisible, than the king, who was visible. This action is an extremely rare trait among most people, even most Christians. Most of us are irreverent in the church because we cannot see God physically. We do the sins that we do because we cannot see God by our optical apparatus. People fear wild animals more than God. They fear the police more than God. They fear armed robbers more than God. If only we can transfer the fear of all these things and direct them to God, then we shall have power.

People fear everything else except God because they cannot see God. Moses was different. He feared God, whom he could not see more than the king whom he could see. To the eyes of many, this would seem ridiculous. However, his actions which human beings would have perceived to be preposterous, made him lead the Israelites out of Egypt. A highly impossible course. 2 Corinthians 5:7 (KJV) – “For we walk by faith, not by sight”. Genuine children of God should place faith above the sense of sight, the sense of touch, the sense of smell, the sense of hearing and the sense of taste. In short, faith should come before your five senses.

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were thrown into the fiery furnace. Before King Nebuchadnezzar threw them in the fiery furnace, he commanded that the furnace should be heated seven times (Daniel 3:19). The fire was exceedingly hot in that it killed the ‘mighty’ men who took the three Hebrew boys (Daniel 3:22). After Nebuchadnezzar threw them in the fire he was astonished to see them walking amid the fire without getting hurt even a single bit. Secondly, he noticed that inside the fire, there were four men instead of three, the fourth being the son of God (Daniel 3:25). This miracle, combined with other events, led King Nebuchadnezzar to get converted and worship the only true God. As a result, he wrote Daniel 4. Daniel 4:17, Nebuchadnezzar says, “The most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever He will, and setteth up over it the basest of men.” The God-given power in Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego influenced the conversion of one of the most powerful pagan king in history.

When Joseph was a slave in Egypt, He was under the authority of Potiphar. Genesis 39:3 says, “And his master saw that the Lord was with him, and that the Lord made all that he did to prosper in his hand.” Despite being an unbeliever, Potiphar saw that God was with Joseph, so he testified about God. As Christians, can non-Christians see that God is with you without you telling them that you are a Christian?

Before David killed Goliath, he said, “Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God (1 Samuel 17:36, KJV).” That is a speech of faith despite the fearful circumstances. “We should not talk of our own weakness and inability. This is a manifest distrust of God, a denial of His word. When we murmur because of our burdens, or refuse the responsibilities He calls upon us to bear, we are virtually saying that He is a hard master, that He requires what He has not given us power to do.“ – Christ Object Lessons, Page 363.2, Ellen G. White.

Faith should be in all our conversations and all our actions. But faith can never exist where there is fear. John 14:15 (KJV) – “If ye love Me, keep My commandments.” Disobedience to God’s commandments translates to hatred for God. And when we display hate for the one with immeasurable power, we shall indeed have fear. Consistent disobedience results in less power and less love. Therefore, the more we continue in sin, the less power and love we will have because one sin usually leads to another sin, entrapping the sinner. That is why Jesus’ work is to set the captives free (Isaiah 61:1). Christ sets us free from powerlessness, hatred, a dilapidated mind and fear.

Exodus 20:1-2 (KJV) – “¹ And God spake all these words, saying, ² I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.” God tells the Israelites, “Look, I have freed you; don’t take yourself back to bondage by going back to sin.”

Fear results from sin. After Adam and Eve sinned and their eyes were opened, they ran from the presence of God and hid (Genesis 3:8). Before they sinned, they didn’t have to run. Proverbs 28:1 (KJV) – “The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion.”

Sin enslaves. It deprives people of freedom. Ellen G. White writes in the book Ministry of Healing, Page 208, “It is wrong to waste our time, wrong to waste our thoughts.” For instance, you are a student; you fail to study because of time mismanagement, and exams catch you unawares. Because you are not prepared, you choose to cheat. You convince yourself that you will cheat only once and you will prepare adequately for the following exams. Things go according to your wish, and you don’t get caught. Therefore, you gain confidence to cheat on the next exam, which becomes a complex cycle to stop. That is how all sins work.

The problem with fear is that fear breeds more fear, the same way sin breeds more sin. John C. Maxwell says, “By avoiding what we’re afraid of, our fear breeds lack of experience. In turn, inexperience breeds ignorance, which results in even more fear. It’s a vicious, downward cycle.” He also says, “Fear removes focus from a person’s life. Like worry, fear divides the mind and perverts concentrated thinking.” That is why the Bible says a fearful spirit does not result in a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7). Former United States President John F. Kennedy said, “There are risks and costs to a program of action, but they are far less than the long-range risks and costs of comfortable inaction.” The spirit of fear is more dangerous than the worst danger you can ever think of. It is more hazardous than all your phobias.

John 14:12 (KJV) –  ^“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.”

Lastly,

Genesis 2:1-3 – “¹ Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. ² And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had made; and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had made. ³ And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it He had rested from all His work which God created and made. God created the world in six days and rested on the seventh day.

“If you observe carefully, the first six days of creation, on day one, we have light. On day two, the firmament. On day three, separation of water from the land and vegetation. On day four, the sun, the moon and the stars. Day five, the fish of the sea and the birds of the air. On day six, land animals and humanity. On each of these days of creation, our five senses enable us to make sense of them. We interact with them through our senses. We feel the warmth of the sun; we see the stars twinkling at night. We enjoy the flight of the birds, the sounds of the trees, and the aroma of the flowers. We see people, we enjoy animals, we keep some as pets. All creation between days one and six appeal in some form of fashion to one or more of the senses that God has given us. But what God did on day seven does not appeal directly to the senses. But what He did appeals to a higher sense: the sense of faith. On that day, God blessed, He sanctified, He set apart, He hallowed. That’s what He did for the seventh when He made the Sabbath. Therefore, the Sabbath requires faith. I need no faith to feel the heat of the sun. I need no faith to see a fish swimming. Then I need faith to accept that this day, which has as many hours as Monday, Tuesday, or Thursday, is somehow special. And it is special not because of anything I see, touch, or feel. It is special because God said so, and I have to believe the Word of God. Sabbath observance is an act of faith. What God did on the Sabbath day is appreciated only through faith.” – Pastor Randy Skeete.

Sabbath observance is an act of faith, and where there is faith, fear cannot exist.

GOD BLESS YOU!

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You for giving me the spirit of power, love and a sound mind. Please help me to be diligent in studying Your Word and to walk in constant obedience to Your Word. Please help me to always put the sense of faith above all my other five senses. Eliminate all forms of fear from my heart, mind and life and help me to always walk in faith, by faith, on faith and to do all things through faith. Give me a loving heart Father. I pray this in the mighty name of Jesus through the Holy spirit, amen.

Activity

1. What are the things that God is telling you to do that you are afraid of doing? Ask God to eliminate the fear and give you faith to do them.
2. Prayerfully reflect: How can you have faith in your thoughts?
3. Prayerfully reflect: How can you have faith in your words?
4. Prayerfully reflect: How can you have faith in your actions?

Author: Mark Alex   

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