God's Spirit of Power and Love and a Sound Mind
God has not given us a spirit of fear, of craven and cringing and fawning fear, but He has given us a Spirit of Power and of Love and of a Sound Mind (2 Timothy 1:7, KJV and Amplified Bible).
No, God has not given us a His children a spirit of fear. That spirit of fear is from satan. It is his method of operation. Fear is more than being afraid. It is having faith in satan’s ability to harm you and take away from you. We are instructed here with a very specific instruction. God has not given us a spirit of fear.
Here is what God has given us. He has given us His Holy Spirit of Power. He has given us His Holy Spirit of Love. He has given us His Holy Spirit of a Sound Mind.
Let’s look at these three forces we have been given: power, love, a sound mind.
God has given us His Spirit of Power. The Greek word for power here is dunamis. It is the same word as Paul used in Ephesians 1:19 to describe the working of God when He raised Jesus from the dead. It is resurrection power. It is the pure power of God. There is no power greater than His power. It is the mighty power of God that is inherent in Christ, that is fixed in the Anointed One and exists in His anointing. It is the same power that has been given to us, that resides in us.
In Romans 8:11 we are told that the same Holy Spirit that raised Christ Jesus from the dead dwells in us. He is in us. He lives in us as Christians. Christ is in us, the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27). God’s power is in us. So what is the problem? Why aren’t we seeing more of the demonstration of God’s power in us on this earth like His power was demonstrated in Jesus? As with everything with God, it takes faith; we must believe His power is available and operating in us; we must have confidence His power is working in us. Nothing will happen until we choose to believe that God’s power is personally working in us.
In Ephesians 3:20 we see that God will do exceeding abundantly above all that we can ask or think, infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes or dreams in consequence of or according to the action of His power that is at work within us. It is our choice. We can choose to believe that we are dynamic powerhouses for God, or we can choose to believe that we can’t make it. God gives us choices all the time.
God’s power is there in us and is available for us to walk victoriously.
Secondly, God’s Love is in us. Romans 5:5 tells us that the love of God has been shed abroad or poured forth in our hearts by the Holy Ghost. In 1 John we are told that God is Love. His Love is His power source. He is all Love. We are all Love if we are His child. We are Love if we are His child. God has given us a Spirit of Love, His Love.
Thirdly, God has given us a sound mind. He has given us the mind of Christ, to hold the thoughts, feelings and purposes of His heart (1 Corinthians 2:16). When we look at the words “sound mind,” they come from root words that mean to fence or enclose, stop, silence, to rein in or curb. Figuratively, they mean feelings or understanding. God has given us His mind to silence and stop the thoughts of the enemy that continually bombard us. He has given us His mind to rein in or curb, cast down, and bring into captivity every thought that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. When we take on His mind, we are in obedience to Him. We align our feelings and understanding with Him.
There is only one way to take on God’s mind. He has given us this Word of His, which expresses His whole way of operating His Kingdom. It is the direct opposite to everything we see in this world. We must come into obedience to His Word and to Him in order to thrive in this present world. We can either being just surviving with our head barely above the water, or we can thrive in spite of what is going on around us. Once again, it is a choice, not just daily, but sometimes moment by moment. Choose you this day whom you will serve: We choose God and His Word.
No, God has not given us a His children a spirit of fear. That spirit of fear is from satan. It is his method of operation. Fear is more than being afraid. It is having faith in satan’s ability to harm you and take away from you. We are instructed here with a very specific instruction. God has not given us a spirit of fear.
Here is what God has given us. He has given us His Holy Spirit of Power. He has given us His Holy Spirit of Love. He has given us His Holy Spirit of a Sound Mind.
Let’s look at these three forces we have been given: power, love, a sound mind.
God has given us His Spirit of Power. The Greek word for power here is dunamis. It is the same word as Paul used in Ephesians 1:19 to describe the working of God when He raised Jesus from the dead. It is resurrection power. It is the pure power of God. There is no power greater than His power. It is the mighty power of God that is inherent in Christ, that is fixed in the Anointed One and exists in His anointing. It is the same power that has been given to us, that resides in us.
In Romans 8:11 we are told that the same Holy Spirit that raised Christ Jesus from the dead dwells in us. He is in us. He lives in us as Christians. Christ is in us, the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27). God’s power is in us. So what is the problem? Why aren’t we seeing more of the demonstration of God’s power in us on this earth like His power was demonstrated in Jesus? As with everything with God, it takes faith; we must believe His power is available and operating in us; we must have confidence His power is working in us. Nothing will happen until we choose to believe that God’s power is personally working in us.
In Ephesians 3:20 we see that God will do exceeding abundantly above all that we can ask or think, infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes or dreams in consequence of or according to the action of His power that is at work within us. It is our choice. We can choose to believe that we are dynamic powerhouses for God, or we can choose to believe that we can’t make it. God gives us choices all the time.
God’s power is there in us and is available for us to walk victoriously.
Secondly, God’s Love is in us. Romans 5:5 tells us that the love of God has been shed abroad or poured forth in our hearts by the Holy Ghost. In 1 John we are told that God is Love. His Love is His power source. He is all Love. We are all Love if we are His child. We are Love if we are His child. God has given us a Spirit of Love, His Love.
Thirdly, God has given us a sound mind. He has given us the mind of Christ, to hold the thoughts, feelings and purposes of His heart (1 Corinthians 2:16). When we look at the words “sound mind,” they come from root words that mean to fence or enclose, stop, silence, to rein in or curb. Figuratively, they mean feelings or understanding. God has given us His mind to silence and stop the thoughts of the enemy that continually bombard us. He has given us His mind to rein in or curb, cast down, and bring into captivity every thought that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. When we take on His mind, we are in obedience to Him. We align our feelings and understanding with Him.
There is only one way to take on God’s mind. He has given us this Word of His, which expresses His whole way of operating His Kingdom. It is the direct opposite to everything we see in this world. We must come into obedience to His Word and to Him in order to thrive in this present world. We can either being just surviving with our head barely above the water, or we can thrive in spite of what is going on around us. Once again, it is a choice, not just daily, but sometimes moment by moment. Choose you this day whom you will serve: We choose God and His Word.
posted by Rev. Kialeen Potterton @ 8:13 AM
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