2 Timothy 1:7 (NKJV)
For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
First, I want you to notice that God has not given you a spirit of fear. Therefore, God is not the author of fear, and God is not the one tempting you to be afraid. Now I want you to notice that fear is not something that comes from inside you; fear is something that comes from outside of you, trying to get you to invite it in.
A little background on what was going on (when Paul wrote this to Timothy) will help us understand how the word fear is used here. The Apostle Paul was writing to his protégé Timothy about the need to stay encouraged in the midst of opposition to the gospel message that was entrusted to him. Paul wrote this letter to Timothy to warn him about the danger of false teachers who were infiltrating the church. Paul urged him to be bold in the face of opposition to his message, and to himself as a leader. Timothy’s youth, his association with Paul, as well as his leadership, had all come under fire from believers and nonbelievers alike. The footnote in the NIV Study Bible says this: “Apparently lack of confidence was a serious problem for Timothy.” So here in 2 Timothy 1:7, Paul reminds Timothy that God had not given him a spirit of fear (fearfulness), but instead God had given him a spirit of power, love, and a sound mind.
Let’s define the word fear. There are two primary uses of the word fear in the Bible. One refers to “being frightened or alarmed,” the other refers to “being in awe of” as in “reverential fear of God.” Neither of those is the way the word fear is used in 2 Timothy 1:7.
The Greek word for fear (in 2 Tim. 1:7) is deilia (Strong’s #1167) and it is defined as “fearfulness.” This word denotes cowardice, timidity, and a lack of confidence. The NLT (of 2 Tim. 1:7) reads, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity…” The NIRV says, “God didn’t give us a spirit that makes us weak and fearful…” Darby’s Translation says, “For God has not given us a spirit of cowardice…” Incidentally, this is the only time this particular word (for fear) is used in the New Testament.
The word fear (as it is used here) includes the fear of failure. The NCV footnote (of 2 Tim. 1:7) says: “If you have many fears, all you have to do is rid yourself of one fear, and that’s the fear of failure.” One motivational speaker said: “I’d rather attempt something great and fail than attempt nothing and succeed.” Here’s why: Even if you fail you win because you have overcome your fear of failure by trying. As someone once said: “Failure is never final.”
As Kingdom citizens grow in Kingdom faith, they will develop a healthy degree of fearlessness with regard to present circumstances and future potentialities. A new creation person can have confidence that the power, love, and sound mind that reside in their re-created spirits will be manifested in their lives when they live by the principle of faith working through love. The Kingdom of God is a fearless Kingdom!
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