I Have Power, Love & a Sound Mind
About 10 years, I decided to start the ‘46ers’ adventure with my sons. For context, this is hiking all 46 of the Adirondack High Peaks in update New York.
To tell you the truth, I was nervous to start. Would we get lost? Would we encounter a bear? Would we pack enough food… be warm enough… get injured… survive? It might not have helped that I read a book about historic disasters in the High Peaks!
That nervousness drove me to prepare. I planned by studying maps, reading packing lists, researching gear, and reading blogs. I also invited a friend. Then, we took action and hit the trail.
After five years of hiking approximately 800 miles and summiting all 46 peaks (15 of them a second time and 2 of them a third time), the fear of the unknown is gone. It’s been replaced by the joy of memories, beauty, and time with loved ones.
I’m so glad I didn’t allow my fear to prevent me from stepping out and trying something new. I would have missed out on valuable relationship time with my sons enjoying the beauty of God’s creation. I would have missed out on teaching them persistence in the face of difficulty, and so many other life lessons.
Did you know that “God has not given us a spirit of fearfulness, but one of power, love and sound judgment”? (2 Timothy 1:7, HCSB).
The NASB translates it this way: ”For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.”
Fear is a God-given, natural response to a real or perceived fear object or stimulus. It is a protective mechanism God built within us to help provide for our safety and well-being.
The problem comes when our response is out of proportion to the fear object, or we respond to an illegitimate fear object (something that doesn’t actually have any power over us). If we allow our fears to control our lives, we give them more power and position in our life than the Lord.
For a fear object to be legitimate, it must be both present and powerful. If either one of these attributes is removed, then we no longer need to fear it. This is why the Lord God is the only legitimate fear object: He is the only One who is all-powerful and omnipresent! Christ has overcome sin, death, and Satan so that we can experience life with Him right now and for eternity.
We no longer need to fear failure, rejection, disapproval, suffering, even physical death… you name it, we don’t need to fear it!
But let's keep context in mind here (this is important any time we read the Bible). In this chapter, the Spirit of God is using Paul’s words to Timothy to encourage us to keep our faith strong (see 2 Tim 1:3-6) so that we are “not ashamed of the testimony about our Lord… but (willing to) share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, who saved us and called us to a holy calling… through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.” (2 Timothy 1:8-10, ESV)
Here’s a quote from one of our staff before she started leading another online class to help others find freedom in Christ: “I find it amazing that as I step out in faith according to the Lord's plan (not my agenda), my old strongholds of insecurity and doubt seem nowhere to be found. Praise God!”
Dear Saints, what illegitimate fear object has been preventing you from following God on the next adventure? What have you sensed him calling you to do that you haven’t done due to timidity?
Remind yourself of this: “God did not give you a spirit that is lacking in courage, boldness or determination. Rather, he gave you a spirit with the strength of dynamite, full of sacrificial love, and clarity of thought with the ability to put a decision into practice.” (DJSV – Daniel John Studt Version)
So, get prepared, grab a friend, and step out in faith to share the goodness of God with others.
What do you have to fear? You name it… Christ has overcome it!