Tuesday Reading: 2 Timothy 1:7
Key Verse: 2 Timothy 1:7
7 For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
Devotion:
God has not given us the spirit of timidity or cowardly fear. That is something that we got from doing things wrong, from doing things against God’s rules. He did not put in us a spirit of fear because we were to rule over all the beasts of the earth. He did not put in us a spirit of rebellion; that came from someone who had already rebelled against God. He did not put in us the spirit of judgement, false teaching, nor many other parts of our lives. But that sort of spirit has with it a trap, a snare.
He has instead given us the Holy Spirit as our power and might. A power that is above all and that alone can fight the evil of the devil. It is that power that will guide us from those evil places and duties. It is that power that will guide us to do His will rather than Satan’s. It is that power that will give us the strength to resist the temptations. It is that power that will give us the strength to endure the hardships that we may have to face because we dare to follow Christ.
He has given us the spirit of love. A love that transcends all others. A pure love. A gentle love. That love will bear fruit in ways that we can only imagine. That love does not seek it’s own through pride nor vanity but seeks to help others in every need. That love works towards the glory of God alone. When we are fired up with that love, it seems so easy to resist so much and work for God without ceasing.
And finally He has given us a sound mind. A mind that can distinguish between good and bad. A mind that can identify what is God’s will and what is not. An honest mind that works toward making us glorify God.
We are the ones that have invited all manner of things into our lives that continue to erode at the spirit that God gave us in the beginning. We are the ones that work against God. We are the ones trapped in a word that needs people to stand up and proclaim God so that they can find their true spirit again.
Points to Ponder:
Who do you look up to in life?
How much do you work with God’s Spirit?