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.”
‭‭II Timothy‬ ‭1:7‬ ‭NKJV‬‬


As I've spent my time here in Uganda I've come to really see the Holy Spirit working through me and overpower my fleshly instincts. I never saw it so clearly before, but for me personally, when I've been in fear about certain things or thoughts, it's because I'm choosing to remain in a fearful mindset instead of a righteous one. I’ve come to realize that fear is just an act of the flesh. Instead of thinking on the true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, praiseworthy, Heavenly things, and trusting in my all-powerfull God, I, in my flesh, decide to think on the things that are without light, hope, or joy. When I'm acting in the flesh, I fall so easily into those worry some moods, and if i continue to stay in that mindset, I will fall deeper into the pit of fear that Satan hopes to keep me in. And if I'm frozen in worry and fear, I will only worry about myself and my desires. I won't want to help others or do the will of Abba, and I'll begin to fall into a loneliness that only God’s righteous right hand can pull me out of. I will not be able to escape that dark place until I cry out to God, asking Him to direct my eyes back on Him, and forgive me for the selfishness of my thoughts. But as soon as I do, He always pulls me back. Sometimes I have to go into a deeper prayer, depending on how far I've slid down into the depths, but He always brings me back into this world, and takes my focus off of myself. He's shown me how far I can fall, and how dark my world can turn when I think of myself. It's so easy for me to worry about Thalia and how she's doing, about my parents at home, and the future that honestly at times can seem terrifying. But none of those thoughts progress my walk. None of them draw me closer to God. None of them draw me to the needs of others. All they do is have me focus on myself. And it brings me to a point of such fear. But praise the Lord, because The Spirit fills me with power to overcome all my fears. He fills me with love and compassion and allows me to focus on the needs of others. And he fills me with a sound mind, because Jesus Christ died on the cross for my sins, and my God, the creator of the universe, the star-breather, is in absolute control of my life. This week, I'm going to reread this verse every morning, to remind myself that The Spirit is living in me, and that I have nothing to fear as a slave of Jesus Christ.

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