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

July 14th, 2022 by Pastor Ed in devotional

Conquering our fear is not a matter of determining not to be afraid or trying harder not to be afraid, but of being completely dependent on our Father in heaven, in whom we can completely trust. When we think biblically, by daily looking at life through the lens of Scripture, we develop a “sound mind.” And when we have a sound mind, fear just doesn’t make sense. The dictionary definition of intimidation is “to make timid or fearful.” And it is a strategy our enemy, Satan, uses to control us, creating fear in us to keep us from fully following God.

When we truly believe that Father God will take care of us, it relieves our fears and we see things in the light of eternity. That sounds simple until a real difficulty comes crashing into our lives, like one of the 3 dreaded d words: disease, divorce, or death. But as Corrie ten Boom, who was sent to a Nazi prison camp for helping Jews escape the Nazis, once said, “If God sends us on stony paths, He provides strong shoes.” If we will trust God in difficult, painful moments, He will carry us through. God is fully capable of safely guiding our steps through this life.

A missionary in India was teaching a Hindu woman, whose life had been haunted by a constant dread of countless evil spirits, the Lord’s Prayer. When he got to the end of the first clause, “Our Father which art in Heaven,” she stopped him and said, “If God is our Father, that is enough. There is nothing now to fear.” Having even just that small amount of truth from God’s word was enough to give her a sound mind and change her life.

“LORD, help us to surrender everything to You again this day, accepting Your path along with Your promise ‘of power and of love and of a sound mind.'”