2 Timothy 1:7 – For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
“The presence of hope in the invincible sovereignty of God drives out fear” – John Piper
The dictionary meaning of fear is ‘panic’ or ‘horror’ threatened by danger, pain, or harm but the spiritual meaning of fear is absence of faith. Fear paralyzes our body and mind. Neurologists define fear as the circuits in the brain that give feedback from the ‘thinking brain’ to the ‘emotional brain’. Fear is the defense mechanism of the brain and is an inbuilt reaction of the body to fight or flee from danger. However, when we are obsessed with anxiety, it becomes the tranquilizer of faith.
Faith is the antidote to fear. There are three fear-resistant tools to overcome panic-attacks namely power, love and sound mind. The power of the Holy Spirit who resides in us gives us the tenacity to overcome fear. A good understanding of the love of God drives away fear. Trusting that our good Father will make all things work together for good delivers us from all stress. Finally ‘sound mind’ is a controlled soul. Our soul is like an untamed horse. It needs a bridle to direct and manage it. If we allow our thoughts to wander wildly we will find ourselves in the deep dark marsh of fear and evil foreboding.
Anyone can be attacked by anxiety if we don’t use these tools to combat fear. The great Prophet Elijah who brought fire from heaven was struck by fear when Queen Jezebel sent letters to threaten him. Hence we are no exceptions. Counter attack and debilitate fear by using the tools in 2 Timothy 1:7.
Fear anesthetizes faith:
1. Foolish: Fear pushes us to make foolish decisions. Prophet Elijah allowed intimidation to steal his faith when he prayed “I have had enough, Lord. Let me die (1 Kings 19:4). Sounds familiar? Many of us have jabbered the same dialogue under stress. Fear forces us to make foolish statements and make silly decisions. The left side of the logical brain is paralyzes by fear and the right side of the brain which regulates emotions takes over. So, when you are overwhelmed with fear, stop, calm down and call upon the Lord.
2. Flail: Fear makes us flail and unstable with our words and actions. Fear was the driver of ‘panic buying’ during the pandemic. It makes us wobbly and wimpy. We don’t mean a lot of what we say when we are belabored with fear. Many faulty self-proclaimed prophecies are blabbered under the gun of fear. So, zip your lip and meditate on a promise. There are 365 “Fear Not” promises in the Bible. One for each day. Fear makes us flail but faith makes us firm and sturdy.
3. Focus: The root of fear is the subject matter of our focus. If our focus is on the words of the doctor about a bad medical report we will be gripped with fear but when we focus on the promises of God, faith will extinguish fear. Redirect fearful thoughts into faith-filled confessions.
Fear sedates faith.
Psalm 56:3 “So do not fear, for I am with you.
Prayer: God of Heaven and Earth, help me to focus on your awesomeness and might when I’m attacked by fear. Amen
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