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| (photo from walesonline.co.uk) |
“God has not given us the spirit of fear;
but of power, and of love and of a sound mind.” – 2 Timothy 1:7 (KJV)
I
personalize this by receiving the good news that, God has not given me
a spirit of fear (another scripture points out that perfect love casts out all
fear). But, God HAS given me His spirit of power, His spirit of Love and the
spirit of a sound mind.
Fear
has reigned in my heart for a good deal of my life, even when I thought I’d
tackled it. But, yesterday it jumped out at me, that the word for fear in this
verse is also translated timidity.
God
has not given us the spirit of timidity.
Timid
– lacking in self-assurance, courage, or bravery; easily alarmed; timorous;
shy. Characterized by or indicating fear. (dictionary.com)
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| (photo from onepeterfive.com) |
I
immediately recognized that I’ve allowed a spirit of timidity to overcome me
and my daily actions and conversations. It dawned on me that I’ve allowed the
opinions of others to cloud or overshadow my own thoughts and convictions. Not
so much to the changing of my thoughts and convictions, but, limiting and
inhibiting my expression of these beliefs. Since these are beliefs that I hold
dear, I now challenge myself; why? And how have I let this self-doubt or
apprehension creep into my thinking?
Are
my thoughts and beliefs any less valid than the thoughts and beliefs of those
around me? No.
Have
I fallen prey to the notions of political correctness that would intimidate me
into silence for fear that I’ll offend someone? Perhaps.
Am
I so concerned with what others might think of me, that I’m hiding the very
core of who I am? Is my ego that shallow? I think so. What a crushing blow!
I
choose to live my life as I believe God leads me.
I’ve
chosen to surrender my life to the God of the universe, the God that created us
all and everything we see, as well as plenty we don’t see.
I
believe that all life is sacred, that God loves us all, with His love that
knows no limits and cannot be removed from us. Whether we want His love, or
feel we deserve His love or not – He loves us, without end and without
conditions.
I
believe that to live in peace with God, we must go through Jesus Christ, His
Son, Whom He sent to redeem us from a fallen state.
I
believe what God says in His Word, I receive His promises to me, knowing that
most of them are conditional upon submission to Him. I choose that submission.
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| (picture from maulshri.com) |
Today,
I choose to shake off that spirit of timidity; it’s not from God.
Today,
I choose to take up that spirit of power, God’s spirit of Love and the spirit
of a sound, confident mind and wear them boldly.
Might
I fumble? You bet.
Might
I fall flat on my face, and even get angry with myself for doubting my
relationship with God or for doubting the power of the spirit of Love that
wants only the best for me? Of course.
Continuously,
life is choice after choice. Most of the daily choices we make, we make
subconsciously, not even recognizing that a choice has been made. Whether we
give in to old patterns, or whether we step out into new boldness; whether we
see why we do the things we do or not, choices are being made.
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| (picture from pinterest.com) |
Today,
I choose boldness.
Today,
I choose to trust God with all my heart.
Today,
I choose God’s generous, rewarding will over my own selfish, limiting will.
Check
back with me tomorrow. The spirit of fear is sneaky, I’ll likely need your
prayers.
