Fear

2 Timothy 1:7 (KJV)
7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.


The Apostle Paul writes to Timothy letting him know that he is remembered in Paul’s prayers. Paul remembers Timothy for his faith, and the faith he shared in God with his mother and grandmother. Paul wanted to remind Timothy to use the gifts God gave him that he would share the Gospel of Christ with others. Then Paul wrote the words above to encourage Timothy not to be afraid, but instead keep a sound mind that depended on the love and power of Christ.


Fear is a powerful emotion. Fear can be both healthy and destructive to our lives. The healthy benefit of fear is to let us know when we need to be alarmed. Fear motivates us to avoid harmful situations and keeps our senses aware of pending danger. However fear without reason can be unhealthy in our lives. This type of fear comes from the depths of our imagination. We begin to believe unsubstantiated thoughts that we do not turn over to God. As we dwell on these thoughts alone to ourselves they begin to grow until fear starts to overwhelm us. I’ll use myself as an example. There was a time I went for a medical test. I got a call from the doctor’s office saying they wanted me to come in and talk to the doctor about the results. My mind started to imagine all the possibilities of what could be wrong. When I finally saw the doctor he said nothing was wrong, but he did want to run a couple of more tests just to make sure there were no other problems. In my mind I had already imagined the worst because I was not trusting God to see me through the experience. I learned a lesson, wait on the facts and keep a sound mind until those facts are understood. In the mean time ask God to take away the fear and allow God to love you through the emotions you are feeling. God wants to take away your fear.