This verse has been one that I have repeated over and over these past months. It is also one of those things that is easy to say and hard to do or believe! But I wanted to share some quick thoughts on this verse and hope that it encourages you today!
So if God does not give us a spirit of fear, what does He give us?
POWER - God has given us His power through the Holy Spirit dwelling in us. When we are tempted to fear, we can know that the Holy Spirit will give us exactly what we need to help us through. We cannot go through these hard days in our own strength. We have to rely on God’s power and the Holy Spirit working in us!
LOVE - The Bible talks about love being the greatest thing among faith, hope, and love. God gives us His amazing love. Again, we cannot love like we should in our own strength. We have to rely on God and His love in us, to love others. We are living in some very stressful and trying times, and now more than ever we need to rely on God to give us His love to love our children, our husbands, our friends, and neighbors well.
SOUND MIND - This one is last I think for a reason. If we do not tap into God’s power within us, and His love, we cannot have a sound mind. We will not be able to think clearly. We are living in a time when so many are not thinking clearly and appear to not have a sound mind at all. Many are being deceived by listening to the world around them, and are not seeking the Lord for wisdom, guidance, and understanding. We need to understand the times we are living in, so we can be discerning and not be led astray.
As I close, I just want to encourage you. If you find yourself in a place of fear, stop and read this verse. Spend time in prayer, asking God to empower you with His Holy Spirit power, with His love, and with a sound mind. God is the only one that will bring you to a place of peace and understanding and give you the strength to live fully for Jesus!
God gave me this verse early on in Covid when all the news was becoming too overwhelming for me. I am so thankful God speaks to us through his Word and that he is always with us.