“Therefore, I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but one of power, love, and sound judgment.”

2 Timothy 1:6-7 CSB

I’m sitting here writing this on a beautiful October day; rain, cloudy skies, and the leaves look like they are on fire. I love this time of year and love how fun it is to get into the spooky mindset, and ultimately eating lots of sweets. This month plays with testing your fear, now I am not a super scary season person, but I do enjoy the Scooby-Doo levels of fear that this time brings with it. I think about fear much more during this season, which is why I have been writing about it. We have fears about stepping out in faith and stepping into the life that Christ ushers us into, there is fear of the unknown and fear of failure.

What this season does, though, is reminds we that we give fear too much power in our lives.

Fear can truly paralyze us into being good with where we are, when God wants to move us into a life of deeper meaning. The thing is, we give fear too much power, when the truth is, Christ gives us a spirit of power.

When we choose to live a life of power, love, and discipline, we no longer allow fear to control our minds and begin living the way Jesus calls us into.

I see this time of year bring to the forefront of conversations of what believers should and should not participate in. I don’t want to get into that, because I believe these conversations do two things. It casts judgement on those who don’t do what you think they should do, which leads to pride. And second, it creates an environment where following Jesus is viewed as an unappealing life based on the pride of those who claim to follow Jesus. My view, is that you should listen to the Holy Spirit personally as you are convicted and you should live as Jesus did and point people to truth not judgement.

What I do want to talk about, is how we give fear too much control over our lives. There is a normal amount of fear that we all have, it’s what keeps us safe and avoid what could harm us, but when it begins to hold us back, that’s when it has gone too far.

Paul’s encouragement to Timothy tells him that God doesn’t gift us with a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and sound judgement (or discipline). This is what we are given, this is what our identity in Christ is rooted in. You should not avoid the world, you should be in it with confidence, caring for others, and making the right decisions as the spirit leads you.

A spirit of power means that your kindness is louder than judgement.

Christian, your job is not to be a close fist of hatred, but an open hand of love for God’s creation. Be a light to those around you, be someone in your community that others point to for an example of Jesus alive and at work. Christ made a way for you at your lowest, why would you cast hatred on those who have not yet found freedom? As funding runs out in the next month, what a blessed opportunity for you to stock a food pantry in your city. As divisiveness runs rampant, what a good time to be an encourager who fosters diversity. As people lose hope in a fallen world, what a moment to be a light that opens their home for rest of the weary.

Your spirit of power gives you what you need to be Christ in your community.

A spirit of power means you remain confident and joyful in the face of the unknown.

As I continue to read through the early church leaders, I am encouraged by the women and men who choose to follow the way, even when it meant that they were not safe in doing that. Today, we do not have that same threat over us, but we still face the unknowns of life. Things will come up that hurt and that we were not prepared for, but God gives us power in the midst of it all. The biggest strength that you have, is remaining joyful in every circumstance, because you can allow your situation not to define your worth as a child of God. You were created in His image to do good works, and He made a way in order to restore you and have you choose to enter into that relationship with Him.

Fear doesn’t have to control you any longer, because the God of the universe chose you and called you by name, giving you a spirit of power, love, and discipline in every season and circumstance.

I love spooky movies, but I love them even more when the protagonist no longer runs from the enemy, but decide to face them with power. It’s a turning point where the victim chooses o let go of that title and defeat the fear head on. That’s what God provides us with, He provides us with the power to face fear head on and win.

Because, He in fact already defeated the enemy.

We are not just following a good God, but a good and victorious God. Why allow yourself to be controlled by an enemy that already lost?

You are no longer a victim, you are a child of God who has been given a spirit of power, one that can face fear and remind it that it already lost and has no hold on you any longer.

Live victorious and know that God has given you a spirit of power; nothing can control you any longer.

-Your pastor and friend, Joshua.

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About the Author: Joshua Thomas is a husband, father, and pastor doing what he can to love others the way Jesus did. You can find him reading a good book, sipping warm tea, taking pictures, or dreaming. He may not have it all figured out, but the journey is the best part. You can find him on the social media he uses Tik Tok, Bluesky and Instagram