A Spirit Of Power Love And A Sound Mind
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.
There are hints in Pauls letters that Timothy was naturally more timid. But Paul, as his father in the faith and mentor, wanted to encourage and strengthen him.
This summary verse gives an overview of the working of Gods Spirit in us. God gives us power through the Spirit, but that power must be controlled by that essential characteristic of God, love. God is love, and He wants us to love one another as I have loved you, that you also love one another .
The third element, a sound mind, is also translated self-control and self-discipline. In doing Gods work often the deciding factor between success and failure is the matter of self-discipline .
What Does It Mean To Have A Sound Mind
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7
In moments of stress, pressure, or fear or when youre so exhausted you cant think straight, have you ever been tempted to say, Dear God, what is wrong with me? I feel like Im losing my mind?
If youve ever felt this way before or if youre tempted to think like this right now, let me assure you: Youre not going crazy! Gods Word declares that you have been given a sound mind that works even in the craziest and most difficult situations!
Let me give you an example from the Bible. When Paul wrote the book of Second Timothy, it was a very difficult time for the Early Church. Due to Neros insanity, he was persecuting believers everywhere and his methods of persecution were gruesome and cruel. At that time, Timothy was the pastor of the church of Ephesus. He knew that Neros secret police would take special pleasure in killing him in some barbaric way if they ever got their hands on him.
As Timothy considered the threat against his life, a spirit of fear tried to grab hold of him. Thats why Paul told Timothy in Second 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 word sophroneo in Second Timothy 1:7 could be translated:
Say Yes To Power Love And A Sound Mind
2 AM, the baby is crying to be fed. Yes.6 AM, the alarm goes off to get up and go to work. Yes.2 PM, the boss requires a report at the last minute. Yes.6 PM, the family wants dinner. Yes.8 PM, the friend needs you to listen to her. Yes.10 PM, the husband wants you to be a wife. Yes.
Yes. We say it all the time to our family, to our friends, to our employers. But how often do we say yes to God?
Yes . . . to humility, when with all our being we want to be recognized for our work, talents, and gifts.Yes . . . to joy when we are grieving.Yes . . . to strength when we are so exhausted we can barely put one foot in front of the other.Yes . . . to peace when there is chaos in our family, in our churches, in our world.Yes . . . to love when we have been hurt and wounded.Yes . . . to hope when all seems to be lost.
Saying yes to completing a task can be done in my own strength, but usually not with a song in my heart. Saying yes to being who God called me to be can only really be accomplished by the power of the Holy Spirit.
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How The Holy Spirit Isand Isntlike Wind
In what ways is the Holy Spirit like those windstormsand in what ways is it not like that?
For one thing, as Jesus pointed out to Nicodemus, the Holy Spirit is invisible like the wind. You can see its results, but you cant see the air itself . You might even say its kind of a play on words, because the Greek word translated Spirit also means wind, as it says in the notes of the NKJV Study Bible.
So the Holy Spirit is like the wind, in that it is invisible and it is powerful. But now lets look at what makes the Holy Spirit different from the raging, uncontrolled, destructive power of a tornado.
Power And Love And Sound Mind
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The Holy Spirit Of Power Love And A Sound Mind
God has a wonderful plan for us, but it takes the Holy Spirit to open our mind and reveal it to us. Since our biggest battles take place in our mind, how can we use the holy spirit to reach our full potential?
Scott Moss
Scott Moss is an elder serving in the Fort Wayne, Ind., congregation of the United Church of God with his wife Peggy. He graduated in 1977 from Ambassador College in Big Sandy, Texas, with a degree in Communication Arts, and works as magazine newsstand manager for a national publishing company based in Berne, Ind. He was ordained in 2007, and the couple has two grown and married children and four grandchildren. Scott and Peggy enjoy reading, traveling and meeting new people.
Conquering Through The Spirit
Whatever the source of your anxieties and fears, you dont have to be controlled by them. Gods spirit working inside us can replace fear with power, love, and sound mindedness.
I dont want to make it sound like poof! youre a Christian and your anxieties all go away. That isnt what has happened for me or a lot of other Christians I know who struggle with anxiety. But God does give us a way to work through our anxieties and take control over them through Him.
God is more than enough to handle anything life can throw at us. He shares the power, love, and sound mindedness that is inherent in His spirit with us as He indwells us. He can take the lies of fear and anxiety and replace them with His truth. And because He is loving and kind, Hell keep doing that for us whenever we struggle with fear as we continue to walk with Him.
Music is one way that the Lord speaks encouragement to my heart, so Ill leave you with a song that Ive found very comforting when Im fighting anxiety. I hope it encourage you as well. God bless you, dear readers.
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How Should 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 it the proper response? I want to present to you a simple three-fold response to fear in your life. You need to cast, fill and trust.
1. Cast
Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you .
The first thing to do is to cast. Everything you fear, everything you are worried about, everything that makes you anxious or nervous, give it all to Jesus. He is not against you. He is for you. Most importantly he is ready, willing and able to help you in your time of fear or anxiety. When that fear hits you immediately, pray and starting casting all of that fear on Jesus.
2. Fill
And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit .
Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit .
The disciples overcame their fear not by trying harder but by getting more. They were constantly being filled with power and strength from the Holy Spirit allowing them to overcome every fear they could ever have. When fear comes you can tap into the reservoir of the Holy Spirit that God has given us. Remember he is our comforter and helper and he will help us when we are afraid.
3. Trust
When I am afraid, I put my trust in you .
Gods Spirit Of Power Love And Sound Mind
2 Timothy 1:7 For God has not given a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
God gives us the power to do what He asks us to do. Paul also says that the gift of the Spirit brings power for us to control our minds, to control our thoughts and actions. This gift of God provides the strength of character that we need. When we do Gods work such as, proclaiming His Word or representing His kingdom, we have all Gods power that supports us and thus, we are safe in His hands.In the church, the leader serves his people. In church or outside, those who have authority must use it with love they must love God and His people. God has given us His Spirit, the power of love. It may be difficult for us to love like this but because the gift of God is love, we love as God intends us to love.The world thinks that power means how much we can control others. However, Jesus power is expressed through how much we love and serve others. When God gave all things to Jesus hands on the night before the cross, Jesus washed his disciples feet. God has given us a sound mind, which means a calm, self-controlled mind. This is in contrast to what we experience when panic and confusion rushes in a fearful situation.
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Other Translations For 2 Timothy : 7
For God hath not giuen vs the spirit of feare, but of power, of loue, and of a sound minde.– King James Version – View 1611 Bible ScanFor God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.– New American Standard Version For God gave us not a spirit of fearfulness but of power and love and discipline.– American Standard Version For God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of self-control.– Basic English BibleFor God has not given us a spirit of cowardice, but of power, and of love, and of wise discretion.– Darby BibleFor God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. – Webster’s BibleFor the Spirit which God has given us is not a spirit of cowardice, but one of power and of love and of sound judgement.– Weymouth BibleFor God didn’t give us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-control.– World English BibleFor whi God yaf not to vs the spirit of drede, but of vertu, and of loue, and of sobrenesse.– Wycliffe Biblefor God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind – Youngs Literal Bible
Power Love And A Sound Mind
Paul tells Timothy Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:67
Timothy was living in a time where there was open oppression and resistance to the message of the gospel. With Paul in prison people were getting bolder and speaking out against him it was an embarrassing time with your spiritual leader locked up. In this environment of antagonism and persecution, it was easy to draw back and just lay low. Its in this context that Paul tell Timothy these words for God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
These three things are interesting because they are well balanced. Its not all just power. Its not all just love. And its not all just a sound mindbut all three of these things describe the spirit God has given us. Its natural to draw back in fear but God tells us thats not how his spirit works. Instead of Timothy drawing back in fear as oppressors increased, Paul tells him to stir up the gift of God!
Power = force, power, strength, might.
Love = agape = purposeful love. By choice and by doing.
Sound mind = discipline, self-control, soundness of mind.
If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him! Luke 11:13
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Love Power And A Sound Mind
Ephesians 6:23-24 Peace be to the brothers, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with love incorruptible.
The Lord does not call us to a perfect life devoid of problems and difficulties. Rather, he desires that we experience the fullness of his presence and power in the midst of the many circumstances of life so that we can be effective and fruitful in our jobs, families, and communities.
Have you noticed that fear is on the rise? Given the challenges and issues facing our nation, many people are experiencing high levels of fear. The emergence of COVID variants, growing racial tension, intensified political division, conflicts in education, and economic uncertainty all contribute to an atmosphere of anxiety.
It is no surprise that many people are struggling with mental health issues. The severity of the mental health crisis is reflected in the skyrocketing number of suicides.
Into the midst of this era of anxiety and fear, the Lord proclaims a message of hope and healing: There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.
This is another reason why we must not follow the worlds definition of love. As I write the phrase the fullness of Gods love, I can sense how the world interprets it as mystical, religious, sentimental, and soft.
Coram Deo
Jesus Power Over The Wind
We can see more about Gods power in . In this passage, after a long day of preaching to the crowds, Jesus and His disciples were sailing across the Sea of Galilee, and Jesus fell asleep even though a terrible windstorm came up! The disciples, several of them seasoned fishermen, were terrified and thought they were all going to die! They woke Jesus up, amazed He could sleep through this, and yelled to Him in essence, Dont you care that were all going to drown?
Then Jesus said: Peace, be still! And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.
God wont give us His incredible power if we are going to misuse it.
The disciples were even more afraid nowin awe of Jesus Christs power over the strongest forces of their world, the wind and the sea. This was another example that shows that Gods great power is always under His control. And He wants us to be like Him. He wants to give us power, but only power to be used for right reasons. He wont give us His incredible power if we are going to misuse it.
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Power Love & Sound Mind
On Daily Faith, Pastor Buddy Meloy is back on our program to share Biblical parallels from the scriptures to prepare Gods people for whats happening around us. Pastor Buddy Meloy is the lead pastor of New Life Christian Fellowship in Lake City, FL. There is a demonic spiritual assault against the mind of the believers. A spirit of fear and panic has been released globally from the devil, and the main assault is directed against God Himself. When we become isolated by our thoughts, fear beings to creep in our minds forming strongholds. Strongholds are made up of ones opinions, thoughts, and knowledge, and fear directly opposes God, undermining His dunamis power, love, and sound mind. The greatest enemy of a sound mind is fear, and when we allow fear to dominate our mind, we cant expect to grow in our relationship with the Lord. God has already set a path before us, making the way to walk in freedom. All we have to do is begin to walk. Gods promise for you is found in 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. Dont allow the enemy to isolate you and plant a seed of darkness in your mind. Stand on the word of God, declare His truths over your life today! For more information about New Life Christian Fellowship with Pastor Buddy Meloy, please visit www.nlcflc.com.
