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Paul tells us in, Timothy 1:7 , 7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
Fear Is Not From God
We are told first of something that God has Not given us.
God has Not given us a spirit of fear.
That means this has come from satan and not from God.
Our God wants us to be brave and strong spiritually.
Over and over in the Bible, we find that we are told not to fear.
God has told us 365 times in one way or another, not to be afraid.
That definitely gives us the understanding that God does Not want His children living in dread and fearfulness. He wants us instead to forge ahead in His service and love doing good without fear.
We are to trust and put our fears at the feet of Jesus and live in joy and purposeful service to God.
All Good Gifts Are From God
All good gifts come from God. We are told this also, over and over in the Bible.
All good comes from God. Do we fully get that?
God has given us EVERY good, pure, true, and righteous thing that exists.
So many blessings of provision greet us every morning. Every bite of food, every breath of air in our lungs, every cell that functions properly, and every second of life comes from the Hand of Our Almighty and Generous God.
Power
Firstly, our verse today tells us that He gives us the power to work and do His Will. He gives the spiritual fuel to power our bodies and minds. It is His Joy that gives us strength. (See Neh.8:10.) He gives us power from Himself to work in ways that serve and honor God and mankind.
So, God gives us Power.
Love
Secondly, He gives us His perfect love. God IS love so He gives us of Himself. The love is so strong that it caused God to send His Son to die for us.
Allow me the following illustration for a moment:
As a widowed mother, I had six children before I married the also widowed Pastor Bruce last year.
Our marriage brought my six children to join his four children in our family.
All that to say, I may love you and want to see every one reading this to be saved.
But I do Not love you enough to allow any one of our 10 children to die for you.
My love is therefore imperfect and incomplete.
God, however, has LOVE so perfect within Him, that He put you and me first.
His Perfect Son for Us
He gave His Perfect Son to DIE for our sins.
I cannot even fathom that degree of love.
His Love is so amazing and beyond comprehension. It is truly mind-boggling that the Father would give His Only Begotten Son for us.
Yes, beyond question, God gives us Love.
A Sound Mind
Lastly, we live in a world that man has spoiled with greed, sin, corruption, selfishness, and vice.
God made it good and pure and right. However, man, following after satan instead of God, turned much into things of evil.
We have turned our minds from God and that which is pure and good and of virtue to think about things of the world. (See Phil.4:8.)
In place of holy thoughts, we have filled our minds with things of evil and sin to dwell upon. We have read and watched scenes that were disgraceful and robbed us of our purity as well as our time. We have dwelt upon things that were unsound and impure. Our minds and bodies were filled with this unholy fare.
God tells us that He did not give us an unsound mind but a sound one.
We are the ones who chose to corrupt the fine mind that we were given.
God through Christ can forgive and clean up our thought life.
The gift of a SOUND MIND is definitely from God.
In Conclusion
Finally, the spirit of fear was never from God. God is the Giver of all good gifts. He has given us power, love, and a sound mind.
Thank Him and praise Him for all these glorious gifts in our lives.
Then spend your life using these gifts to do the work He has for you. Live the joyful life with which God has blessed you.
Love God, love each other, and live the way He shows us in His Word.
It is truly a glorious life, if only you will do so. It will be filled with power, love, and soundness of mind and, with Him, fear will be gone.