“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
Mom: “If you have to do something, do it nervous, do it afraid; but not doing it is not an option. Your fears will be forgiven and your obedience will be rewarded.”
God didn’t give you a spirit of fear, but chances are the world did. That doesn’t mean we must remain fear’s victim. God gives us everything we need to defeat timidness – power, love, and a sound / disciplined mind.
Fear is loud. Fear is crippling. Fear makes things that are not real – like the pile of clothes you “forgot” to fold – appear as they are a serial killer who broke into your house. This is true. However, courage is the opposite.
Courage is a byproduct of the spirit of power, love and disciplined mind that God did give us. Courage quiets the the noise and disorientation that fear creates, and replaces it with clear set of instructions and motivation to overcome the adversity.
How do you tap into courage when fear strikes? It’s really hard when you haven’t prepared for the adversity. The key to courage is to nurture the gifts that God gave you before incident strikes. Your spiritual muscles must be stronger than that of what you are facing. Same principles apply as your physical:
- Prepare
- Practice
- Pray
- Just do it. – Nike
In the face of adversity you don’t have to be fearless, but with preparation you can fear less. God has given you everything you need.