"NO FEAR!!!"

2 Timothy 1:7                 (KJV)
"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."


This mornings devotional from Dr. Charles Stanley began with these two paragraphs:

For us as believers, contentment should be governed by inner attitude and the decisions we make rather than by external circumstances. Because Paul HAD LEARNED THIS SECRET, he was able to experience joy and peace in any kind of situation--whether he was surrounded by friends or isolated in a Roman prison; whether he had plenty or was in great need.

The apostle understood what it meant to live in Christ and to have Christ living in him (John 15:1-9; Gal. 5:22-23). He had made a simple but profound faith decision to draw his life from the Lord and, as a result, had the calm assurance that what he possessed inside could never be stolen. He was confident in his identity as a child of the Almighty, with full access to the abundant life Jesus offers.


Our "CONTENTMENT" is often replaced with fear!  Fear that we won't meet expectations of others, or fear that we won't meet our own expectations, can be the most common anxieties.  If the enemy can instill fear in us, he has us defeated already.

GOD IS LOVE.  Since GOD is LOVE, and JESUS and GOD are ONE, and JESUS lives in me (John 17:23), and there is NO fear in love (1 John 4:18), I should have "NO FEAR" in me!  If GOD designed a plan before the foundations of the world for CHRIST to indwell me, why would I allow the enemy to deceive me into worry and doubt?  GOD is not an inexperienced novice Creator learning on on the go.  HE is the ONE who simply spoke into existence ALL of Creation, and HE is the ONE who sustains that Creation.

A few years ago there was a marketing strategy by a company whose big push was on the "NO FEAR" logo.  I don't know if their emphasis had anything to do with JESUS living in a person?  But when JESUS exists in a person, "NO FEAR" can grow because "perfect love casteth out fear"!  Anxiety, doubt, and turmoil cannot grow where fear is removed.

FATHER IN HEAVEN, I pray that I will be an earthly example of how a person should live with "NO FEAR"!  I pray that I would exude a spirit of POWER, and LOVE, and a SOUND MIND that will be a witness for YOU!