For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. (2 Tim. 1:7)
Everyday life can be filled with many opportunities to get anxious and worry. When you are faced with adversity or challenges, consider the following principles to help find the right perspective and manage your emotions:
- My spirit determines my attitudes.
- My attitudes determine my approach.
- My approach to my daily tasks or difficult circumstances can be sourced by spirit of the world or with the Spirit of God.
What does God say about difficult circumstances that can give you faith for a Spirit-led approach? The Bible says that there is no circumstance that you will face but such as is common to man, but God is faithful and He will not allow you to be tempted beyond that level of testing that you can bear (1 Cor. 10:13). Through His faithfulness and love, God will provide a way of escape for you. We do not have to give in to the temptation to fear.
If the adverse situation involves someone else, your focus should be on the person in distress, moving with compassion to help them. Let God deal with their oppressor or opponent. His justice will prevail. In all circumstances, your speech should be the Word of God as it applies to the situation to activate the power of God. Most importantly, your confidence should be that the Lord can and will give you answers.
The Investigator’s Study Notes:
Devotions 1 and 2 in the Living Water’s Devotion & Study introduces the power of the Holy Spirit, who Jesus described as water and the living water that He will give (John 7:38-39). The Holy Spirit holds the empowerment of the believer for daily living.
Before you can understand the principles and power that 2 Timothy 1:7 holds for the believer, you must first understand what it meant to the first recipient of this statement. This letter is written to Timothy, a young man whom Paul had been mentoring (2 Tim 1:2). The research shows that Paul is in prison, and he perhaps is sensing that his death sentence is pending. Secondly, he wants Timothy to visit him (2 Tim 1:4), which is a potentially dangerous request to fulfill. Why? Timothy’s association with Paul could be life threatening. Others had already forsaken Paul and the Gospel because of the persecution of Christians during that time (2 Tim 1:15). Persecutors demanded Christians to deny the name of Christ to spare their lives. Therefore, to the natural mind, the temptation for fear that Paul is discussing with Timothy should be great. However, Paul admonishes Timothy to remember the mentoring in the faith, which he received from him, his mother, and grandmother. Most importantly, Paul reminds Timothy of the empowerment of the Holy Spirit that will keep him faithful and give him courage to follow his calling in Christ.
Every believer has been given access to the Holy Spirit by the work of Christ. The Spirit keeps us in all adversity and challenges and keeps us faithful to our assignment in Christ.
Reference tool: Paul & His Letters by John B. Polhill, 1999.