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

Fear is a weapon in the hand of the enemy of our souls. It is a tool he can use to control us. There is an entire study in psychology devoted to fear because it is so pervasive.

But God says He hasn’t given us the spirit of fear. The word for “spirit” in this verse can refer to a mental disposition, but also to the Spirit of God. Paul defines the spirit we have been given. It’s a spirit of:

Power: The word means, “miraculous power”. It’s the same word Paul used to the Ephesians when he said God has given us the power that raised Jesus from the dead (Ephesians 1:19-20). That is a lot of power we’ve been given!

Love: This is agape — the selfless love of God as described in I Corinthians 13. It’s the same love Jesus spoke of when He told us to abide in His love (John 15:10).

A sound mind: This word is used only here, but seems to equate to verses like Romans 12:3 where Paul admonishes us to, “think soberly.” Pastor John MacArthur explains that it “refers to a disciplined, self-controlled, and properly prioritized mind” which is the opposite of fear and cowardice.

This is the spirit God has gifted to each of us as believers in Jesus. We are human beings growing into the image of Jesus, so we’ll likely grow in this, too. It amounts to recognizing fear in our mind and heart in any given situation and confessing it to our Father, trusting Him to replace it with complete confidence in Him. This exercise will build our faith and trust in God, and that is very important to Him.

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