It was a defining moment when it seemed scripture leaped off the page and straight into my heart. “…for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control”. 2 Timothy 1:7 (ESV) (Instead of self-control, the NKJV version says, ‘sound mind’.)

The question is, if God did not give us a spirit of fear, where does it come from? Being shy and introverted is a form of fear. It can be the fear of people in general, but also the fear of rejection. This fear is increased as the intimidation around others is fed by what is perceived as someone not wanting anything to do with us. But in reality, they may be thinking we don’t want to know them. I was that person. The one intimidated by others. But I married a man the complete opposite. He was outgoing and loved meeting new people. He could talk to anyone about anything. God used him to push me out of my comfort zone. And God used scripture to teach me how to overcome fear.

Consider 2 Timothy 1:7 as an overcoming verse. It is one we can pray back to God for overcoming fear until it is no longer needed when fear has diminished. The answer to ‘Where does fear come from?’ is the inner man. That part of us that ruled us before Christ entered by His Spirit. It is a fear that is defined as timid. Being afraid of rejection and of what others will think. It is also defined in the Greek language of the New Testament as cowardly. Knowing this caused me to realize I was acting cowardly, and who wants to be a coward? 

Both timid and cowardly can describe us when we have a paralyzing fear. But then we see the last part of the verse. God gave us a spirit of power, love and a sound mind. It is the power of the Holy Spirit, the love of God in sending His Son to sacrifice Himself for us, and the mind of Christ Jesus that enables us to overcome fear. 

God has gifted every believer in a way to be used by Him for the benefit of others and His glory.

In the context of this verse, Paul was telling Timothy to fan the flame of the gift of God given him. This gift is faith, eternal life, and God’s call to ministry. God has gifted every believer in a way to be used by Him for the benefit of others and His glory. But we hinder the gift with fear. Yet, He gives what we need to overcome by His power, love and a mind fixed on Jesus.

There is another kind of fear we read about in scripture. It is the fear of God. We misunderstand what this means when we are not familiar with the Bible. This doesn’t mean to be afraid of God. This fear is a reverence of who God is and the mighty things He has done. It is a holy awe of recognizing the God of the universe who created the world in which we live. The privilege of belonging to Him as His creation knowing He is sovereign over us is awesome. It is the fear of God knowing He loves us so much that He sent His Son to make a way for us to spend eternity with Him. (from John 3:16) I stand amazed. 

We have promises from God and instruction for releasing our human fear.

“Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10 (ESV)

“For I, the LORD your God, hold your right hand; It is I who say to you, “Fear not, I am the one who helps you.” Isaiah 41:13 (ESV)

What is said about the right hand? If God’s right hand is holding our right hand, this gives us an image of God facing us. He doesn’t drag us around behind him. He sees us eye to eye. This is a metaphor to teach us that, not only is God with us, but He also sees us and guides us. 

So, we can confidently say, 

“The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?” Hebrews 13:6 (ESV)

“There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.”  1 John 4:18 (ESV)

In 1 John 4:18 we find another nugget of truth to help us overcome fear. It is when we realize God’s love is perfect. If we fear punishment for our past actions, or future punishment, the writer of the book is telling us our trust in the love of God is weak. When we trust Him fully and completely and accept the love of God through Christ Jesus, this love is perfected in us with the power to overcome anything. In this case, fear. We can trust God to remove any fear from us that is not fear (awe) of Him.

The prayer that enabled me to overcome fear is something like this:

Lord, I thank you that the fear within me is not of you, therefore, I can overcome it. Thank you for the Holy Spirit within me sent out of love to fill me with your word. I ask your forgiveness for fearing mankind over trusting you. Please remove the fear from me that I may be more effective in my service to you. 

It still amazes me how God answered that prayer. He not only removed fear but replaced it with boldness to speak and teach His word. Thank you Jesus for setting me free from fear.