Defeating the Spirit of Fear

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and
of a sound mind.” 2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV

For a young mom it is a shocking realization that in spite of the overwhelming love she feels for her child she has repeated the pattern of abuse she herself suffered. This verse has become a source of hope and comfort as we share with her and her husband in counseling and study of God’s Word.

A young, professional woman struggles with depression and anxiety, yet she is trusting God for her healing and has experienced significant improvement. She and her husband are currently stepping out in faith in the areas of their careers and ministry. However, meeting with an “expert” last week, our friend received advice filled with fear and pessimism that threatened to pull her back into the hole she has been climbing out of. As we met with them and reflected on this verse, she recognized that what she knows now in her heart to be true defies any professional wisdom that ignores the reality of faith in God and His plan for their lives.

Another friend, married for 14 years, has come to realize there are major problems in her marriage. Through meditating on this verse together in a counseling session, she is taking courageous steps to overcome the fear of making decisions to provoke change while at the same time trusting God to rescue and restore her family.

We are aware that right now fear permeates much of people’s thought processes, decision making, and attitudes. Especially given the current political and social climate and events occurring both here and around the world, people are in a word—scared. Even followers of Jesus Christ (including the friends mentioned above) are not always aware when we allow fear to dictate what we think and feel and how we react. Incidents of violence, we run and hide. Talk of a flu virus; we lock ourselves in our homes, put on surgical masks, close schools, businesses and even churches. Economic problems, we panic and worry about if we’ll have enough. What do all these reactions have in common? They isolate us, tempt us to depend on our own wisdom and efforts to ride out the storm, and cause us look inward instead of outward.

As a family and as a community we are taking steps to reject the spirit of fear and step out in the spirit of power, love and of a sound mind that are ours in Christ. We are seeking to help those in financial need, praying together for the safety and healing of our city and our land, taking on community projects that have been sidelined as those who have historically helped are staying home; and speaking boldly about the truth that can set us free in any and every circumstance.

We are excited and optimistic about the opportunities that are opening up precisely because of these more challenging times. More and more people are considering their need for God and we want to be available and prepared to help meet needs and share the hope we have in Jesus. Please continue to pray for us and thank you for partnering with us in this spirit of power and love.