April 20, 2008 · 2 Timothy 1:7

2 Timothy 1:5-7

“The word here translates to timidity. It can also be rendered cowardice. God did not give you the spirit of a coward. For fear and timidity, this is not in the Spirit style. It's not the his style. You're thinking what? Meekness, self-sacrifice? Yeah, that is the Spirit style. But to be meek, you can't be afraid, and to sacrifice yourself, you cannot be timid. They're different. Meekness and fear are not the same thing. Now the Spirit of God, he's not a spirit of fear, and fear destroys the ability of a person to act. That's what the problem with fear is. It makes you complacent. It makes you stand still to be where you're at. You don't want to act for fear of feeling the blank, and God requires that we don't just talk about things. He requires that we act them out, and fear stops that. Paul shows us that the Spirit, the Holy Spirit is directly opposed to fear. In fact, he actually gives us three characteristics that prove the Holy Spirit is the exact opposite of the spirit of timidity. Power, love, self, discipline. I said it before, but I want to repeat it. God has not given us the spirit of a coward. He's given us the Spirit of power.”