Eliminating the Spirit of Fear

 

"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).

The spirit of fear – Strong’s definition of "fear" is G1167, Deilia: Defined as timidity, fearfulness, and cowardice (Blue Letter Bible). Strong’s definition of “a spirit” is described as something that possesses the power of knowing, desiring, deciding, or acting and have been referred to in scripture as being used of demons or evil spirits who inhabit the bodies of men (Blue Letter Bible). We know from the first few words of 2 Timothy 1:7 that there exists a "spirit of fear," and we also know based on Strong's definition of "fear" is that it is not of God.

Spirit – Strong’s definition of "Spirit" is G4151, Pnuema: This definition of spirit means the Holy Spirit, and is referred to in a way that emphasis his personality and character, and is also referred to in a way that emphasis his work and power (Blue Letter Bible). The personality and character of the Holy Spirit is described in 2 Timothy 1:7 as “love” and “a sound mind.” The work and power of the Holy Spirit is described in this verse of scripture as “power.” Therefore, the evidence of the Holy Spirit in us is the demonstration of power, love, and a sound mind.

Power – Strong’s definition of "power" is G1411, Dynamis: Defined as strength, power, and ability. 1. Inherent power; power residing in a thing by virtue of its nature, or which a person or thing exerts or puts forth; 2. Power for performing miracles; 3. Moral power and excellence of soul (Blue Letter Bible). Through the Holy Spirit we inherit God’s nature, including supernatural power for miracles, morality, and excellence of character. This means that we have been given power over sin. Therefore, we must conclude that when we sin, we sin willfully.

Love – Strong’s definition of "love" is G26, Agapē: Defined as affection, goodwill, love, benevolence, and brotherly love (Blue Letter Bible). This love is demonstrated through the Holy Spirit, and is further evidence of the Holy Spirit in operation in us. Jesus says in John 13:35, "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another."

Sound Mind – Strong’s definition of "sound mind" is G4995, Sōphronismos: Defined as sound mind. 1. An admonishing or calling to soundness of mind, to moderation and self-control; 2. Self-control, moderation (Blue Letter Bible). It is important to note here that a sound mind can be described as one having “moral power and excellence of soul” as described in the definition of the word “power” listed above. For example, the scriptures describe David in similar terms. 1 Samuel 18:14 reads, “And David behaved himself wisely in all his ways; and the LORD was with him.”

2 Timothy 1:7 describes the personality and character of the Holy Spirit as power, love, and a sound mind. Paul writes to the Galatians, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance . . .” (Gal. 5:22-23). For those suffering with a spirit of fear, the personality and character is the opposite of these.

In Galatians 5:19-21 Paul describes the works of the flesh, which are the oppposite of the fruit of the Spirit. Paul writes, “Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like . . .” The spirit of fear is the root cause of many of the works of the flesh mentioned here.

The spirit of fear is a master of disguise and hides itself behind negative behaviors. For example, people adopt certain behaviors as a defense to protect themselves from being hurt by others. They develop behaviors that prevent them from having a lot of interaction with others. Often times what is believed to be an introvert personality is nothing more than a spirit of fear.

The spirit of fear can be eliminated from one's life by changing how they relate to others. They can start by being more open and transparent with those closest to them by sharing about things that are going on in their lives. Approaching people more and engaging in conversations that involve more than just the usual pleasantries will break down barriers and make it easier for people to approach them. This may be uncomfortable to do at first, but the more it is practiced, the less the anxiety will be.

As stated before, the spirit of fear is the root cause of many negative behaviors. For example, someone afraid of change will demonstrate hostility toward their new supervisor because of the changes that the supervisor has put in place. Someone who is afraid of losing their influence among a group of people will try to destroy the reputation of the person or people that triggers their feelings of inferiority. Someone who is afraid of negative opinions of others will make bad decisions to fit in with the crowd. In all of these examples, fear is the culprit, and is responsible for the resulting negative consequences.

The works of the flesh mentioned in Galatians 5:19-21 above and any other negative behaviors are the works of the devil, and should be eliminated from one's life. If you desire to experience the presence of God in your life, you must be born again according to Acts 2:38 where it is written, “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” 

Thank you for taking the time to read this article. Please share your comments or questions in the comments section below. We would love to hear from you.


Written by: Diane Margo Penny; author, content creator, social media specialist, and Web designer.

Works Cited:

The Holy Bible, King James Version. Giant Print Reference ed. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990.

[BlueLetterBible.org] 

Image Citation:
Ronsa06-4746864. Ronald Sadino. Pixabay.com. Web. 31 Aug. 2023.