God has not given us a spirit of fear or cowardice, explanation, written preaching
God has not given us a spirit of fear or cowardice (2 Timothy 1:7)
God has not given us a spirit of fear, verse
With this in mind, what does the verse “God has not given us the spirit of fear” mean? Let’s start by looking at the full verse found in 2 Timothy 1:7: “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, of love, and of a sound mind.”
God did not give us a spirit of fear… because God has not given us a spirit of fear or fear
God did not give us a spirit of fear. The word cowardice comes from the Greek deiliao (From doos, terror), it means to be timid, afraid. As it is well translated, the word denotes cowardice, fear and timidity. Clearly, fear means something else, so let’s dig deeper to understand what it means that “God has not given us a spirit of fear or cowardice”
Who wrote God has not given us a spirit of fear?, God has not given us a spirit of fear
The letters to Timothy were written by the Apostle Paul. They are part of what are commonly called the Pastoral Epistles, which include 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus. Timothy was Paul’s youngest protégé and was a pastor in the church at Ephesus. Paul’s message to him was to encourage him in his role, which is why he reminds him that God has not given us a spirit of fear or cowardice.
In the first letter to Timothy, Paul gives him detailed instructions on how the local church should look and function. By the time we get to the second letter, which is the last letter written by Paul, Paul is aware that the end of his own life is near. He is writing to Timothy again as a final encouragement to keep the faith and move on. In this letter Paul tells him “because God has not given us a spirit of fear.”
Timothy is told that God has not given us a spirit of fear, because he was young and could fight this
By the time we get to verse 7, where it says that God has not given us a spirit of fear, we notice a struggle Timothy had. He fought with a spirit of fear or fear. It seems that Timothy had a timid personality and Paul encouraged him to speak the truth of the gospel boldly, for God has not given us a spirit of fear or cowardice but of power, love and self-control.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN THAT GOD HAS NOT GIVEN US A SPIRIT OF FEAR OR COWARD?
God has not given us a spirit of fear
Because God has not given us a spirit of cowardice. This brings us back to the question, what does the verse “God has not given us a spirit of fear” mean? Remember that the word in Greek is deiliao and that it means cowardice or timidity.
A person with a spirit of fear or timidity may avoid proclaiming the gospel or defending the truth of God’s word. This happens due to an imminent sense of threat or danger, whether real or imagined; however, we are told “because God has not given us a spirit of fear or fear.”
Another way to think about it is that they fear the consequences of their actions. When this fear takes control, doing God’s kingdom work, while still important, fades into the background. This person becomes paralyzed and ineffective, not because he has no power, but because he stops acting, out of fear.
Paul reminds Timothy that God has not given us a spirit of fear or cowardice.
Paul reminds Timothy, and us, that when it comes to preaching the gospel or working for the kingdom of God, we must do it with courage and boldness, because God has not given us a spirit of fear or cowardice. If you remember in the early church in the book of Acts, they often prayed for courage and daring.
In Acts 4:29 we are told: “And now, Lord, behold their threats, and grant to your servants that they speak your word with all boldness.” God does not want us to back down from proclaiming the gospel, but to boldly declare it, even in the face of opposition or persecution; because God has not given us a spirit of fear or cowardice.
If the spirit of shyness takes over you, you will take a step back. But when the Spirit of God takes possession of you, you will go forward with the power to do the will of God, for God has not given us a spirit of fear.
God has not given us a spirit of fear or cowardice, for this does not come from God
It must also be recognized about this verse that the spirit of fear does not come from God. When he takes the Greek word to mean cowardice or timidity, these character traits do not describe God in any way.
God is not timid, cowardly, fearful, scared, nervous or worried about anything, so you shouldn’t feel afraid or all these things mentioned either, because you have the Spirit of God living inside of you, and God has not given us a spirit of fear but power.
What other versions of the Bible say about God not giving us a spirit of fear or cowardice
The New International Version says: “For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power, of love, and of a sound mind.”
The God Speaks Today version says: “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power, love and good judgment”
As believers, this internal struggle is going on, and Timothy was experiencing the same thing. If you focus on your abilities or the potential threat that may arise from doing God’s work, fear or timidity will arise. However, if you are constantly filled with the Spirit of God (Ephesians 5:18), then he will help you overcome the spirit of fear or cowardice, for God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power through the Holy Spirit of he.
GOD HAS NOT GIVEN US A SPIRIT OF FEAR OR COWARD, BUT THERE ARE MOMENTS OF FEAR OR SHYNESS
No matter the circumstances, God has not given us a spirit of fear
So far we have addressed the question of what the verse “God has not given us a spirit of fear” means. Now let’s turn the tables and see what this verse does NOT mean. When you look at the pages of Scripture, one of the things you will notice is that God never tells someone to stop being afraid altogether but rather to be courageous despite the fear that we as human beings can feel. Fear or shyness can be a normal human emotion, especially given the circumstances.
Do not be dominated by fear, for God has not given us a spirit of fear or cowardice.
In chapter 1 of Luke, for example, the angel Gabriel visits Mary and one of the things he tells her is not to be afraid. I am sure that for most of us, if an angel also appeared to us, it could cause us a certain emotion of fear as Mary could have felt. In those circumstances, fear is a natural human emotion.
If you are facing persecution, a misdiagnosis, an uncertain future, the loss of a job, financial challenges, or if you are about to step into a new ministry, fear or shyness may arise.
God doesn’t want you running around with a big S on your chest, trying to be superman or superwoman, acting like you’re not afraid of anything; but you don’t have to be overwhelmed by fear either, because remember that God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power.
GOD HAS NOT GIVEN US A SPIRIT OF FEAR OR COWARD, BUT WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT THE FEAR AND MOTIVATION OF GOD?
God wants to motivate us, because God has not given us a spirit of fear or cowardice.
As you search the pages of Scripture, you will often find God encouraging his people not to fear or not to be afraid. There are many verses in the Bible that encourage us not to fear. This lets you and me know that God understands our human character and human emotions. Look at some of the verses in the Bible that encourage us to “Do not fear”:
Verses that motivate us not to fear, because God has not given us a spirit of fear or cowardice
“Do not be afraid, because I am with you; do not faint, because I am your God that I strive for you; I will always help you, I will always uphold you with the right hand of my righteousness” (Isaiah 41:10).
“For I am the Lord your God, who holds you by your right hand, and says to you: Do not be afraid, I help you” (Isaiah 41:13).
“Jehovah is my light and my salvation; of whom shall I be afraid? Jehovah is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?” ( Psalm 27:1 ).
“But also if you suffer anything for the sake of justice, blessed are you. Therefore do not be intimidated for fear of them, and do not be troubled’” (1 Peter 3:14).
“Are not two sparrows sold for a quarter? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father. For even your hairs are all numbered. So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows” (Matthew 10: 29-31).
God tells us not to be afraid, because God has not given us a spirit of fear or cowardice.
I think that at some point in our lives we have all faced these kinds of fears. Worried about supply. Concerned about protection. Worried about other people and what they will say, think, or do. Wondering if God will help.
Sometimes we doubt if God is with us. We question whether God really cares. These are all different expressions of fear that he may experience at some point in his life. It is important to recognize that these are natural human emotions, and because God understands who we are, he encourages us not to be afraid; therefore, let us always keep in our mind that God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power, for which he constantly in his word tells us Do not fear.
GOD HAS NOT GIVEN US A SPIRIT OF FEAR OR COWARD, BUT HOW CAN WE RESPOND TO FEAR?
We have established that at some point in your life you may have to deal with fear. When this happens, what is the appropriate response? I want to present to you a simple answer to the fear in your life.
1. God has not given us a spirit of fear or cowardice, therefore let us cast our anxiety on him
“Cast all your cares on him, because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7).
The first thing to do is put everything on our God. Cast out all our anxiety. Everything you fear, everything that worries you, everything that makes you anxious or nervous, give it all to Jesus. Jesus is not against you. Most importantly, he is ready, willing, and able to help you in his moment of fear or anxiety. When that fear hits you right away, pray and start casting all anxiety and fear on him.
God has not given us a spirit of fear, we cast all our burdens, fears, anxiety on him because he cares for us.
2. God has not given us a spirit of fear or cowardice, therefore we must seek to be filled with the Holy Spirit
“When they had prayed, the place where they were assembled trembled; and they were all filled with…