Paul says to Timothy and to us, “Stir it up!” You have the power needed to confront the spirit of fear you have the ability to bring love to unloving situations and you have discernment, good judgment and the ability to have disciplined thought patterns that will produce health in your life. Instead, He has given us a spirit of power, of love and of a sound mind. At surface level, in the world we’re living in, it’s easy for a spirit of fear to influence the decisions we make. We’re trying to live and make decisions based on what we see on the surface. I submit to you, perhaps we’ve been sitting still like a bottle of salad dressing. How many times in the last year or so have you, or someone you know, suffered because you were walking in fear, struggling with your thought patterns, feeling foggy in your ability to make right decisions? And honestly feeling like, “Where did all the love go?” There is so much hatred all around us! It’s been that kind of a year. “Sound mind” can be translated safe thinking, good judgment and disciplined thought patterns. We don’t have to live our lives in fear of anything because He has given us a spirit of power and of love and of a sound mind.
“God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” We’re told in 2 Timothy 1:6 (MEV) to, “Stir up the gift of God which is in you…” In verse 7, Paul goes on to tell us both what those gifts are and what they are not.