For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-control.For God didn’t give us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-control.For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.For God gave us not a spirit of fearfulness; but of power and love and discipline.
22 sermons cite this verse
… And God's word tells me that he has not given me a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. That's mine. What's yours? Some of you it's control. Some of you fear like me. Some of you it's pride. You're doing what you want no matter what. Some of you it's unforgiveness. it's the sin of lust, greed, materialism, loving money, not forgiving someone, pleasing people, some sin that you've been justifying along the way. What I want you to do is just give it a second for God to show you, is there some area in your life where God's not leaving you in that area and something else is? I want you to name it, if you will, and then I'm gonna pray for you. If you have something like that, just raise your hand Raise your hand. Raise your hand. All of our churches, raise your hand. I hope God's speaking to more of you online. You can say, God, show me what it is. …
… And we're standing still in the same place. But I came to tell you, according to 2 Timothy 1, verse 7, it says, For God has not given us a spirit of fear. And I love the second part of it. You ain't supposed to be scared or timid. He said, no, no, no, no, no. Walk up in there like God's on my side. Somebody asked me, what's one of your greatest qualities in your opinion of your leadership? I said, I divorce the fear of failure. Like, like, I'm just going to do it. If I'm 55 percent sure it's happening. When are you ever 100 percent sure about something? 95 80 no if i'm 55 we gonna do it because i've realized who's on my side and if god before me who we serve the greatest redeemer in history he's the only one that can take a situation that's broken and repair it and bring it back together again but the problem with the church And the problem with people is we're so afraid of losing a little that we won't even step out in faith. …
… And we're standing still in the same place. But I came to tell you, according to 2 Timothy 1, verse 7, it says, For God has not given us a spirit of fear. And I love the second part of it. You ain't supposed to be scared or timid. He said, no, no, no, no, no. Walk up in there like God's on my side. Somebody asked me, what's one of your greatest qualities in your opinion of your leadership? I said, I divorce the fear of failure. Like, like, I'm just going to do it. If I'm 55 percent sure it's happening. When are you ever 100 percent sure about something? 95 80 no if i'm 55 we gonna do it because i've realized who's on my side and if god before me who we serve the greatest redeemer in history he's the only one that can take a situation that's broken and repair it and bring it back together again but the problem with the church And the problem with people is we're so afraid of losing a little that we won't even step out in faith. …
… that didn't come from God this is for God has not given us a spirit of fear but of love, power and a sound mind soundness of mind my mind is sound and if your mind is sound your body will be sound that's how powerful the brain is isn't that powerful I've never seen that before until we're talking about right now God didn't give us a spirit of fear but of love power and a sound mind and we know that sometimes what's happening in your knee started in your head the physiological grace of receiving the word from God. Some of you are limping from memory Not reality because you haven't received that you're healed. If you need an envelope, lift your hand. We're going to sew into this. Those of you watching via live stream, the instructions are on the screen. If you have your seat, I want you to stand. We're going to present it to the Lord. Anybody grateful to God tonight, just grateful to the Lord? …
That's my word. God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind. That's my word. Let me go ahead and quit. So, so, so I think I told you about you show up, watch God show out, and then God will inspire you at the place of injury. But then here it is and I'm done. Text shouts me because the text says that they remembered his words and went and told the 11 and everybody else. sisters were the last at the cross and the first to share the good news no let me say it right to preach the gospel that Jesus was alive and well women were the first to preach the gospel which lets me know that and I'm gonna say this and I'm asking you to receive it prayerfully. God is so amazing that the source of your deepest pain can be a setup for your highest purpose. okay I'm gonna talk to y'all over here because they didn't get that thing but the source of your deepest pain can be a setup for your highest purpose why because when you've been hurt in certain ways it gives you a sensitivity you're not judgmental you don't look down your noses at people who've been through what you've been through because you know what it's like you know how it feels and God says I didn't cause that to happen, but I'm going to use what happened in order to use you as an instrument for …
… He is a God who knows how to deal with giants. God has not given us a spirit of fear. Do you believe that? He has not given us a spirit of fear. Listen to this. Giants are big. Giants are loud. And giants have powerful weapons. It's amazing. Every time the scripture paints a picture in different places in the Bible of a giant, it goes into details of what weapons they have. It talks about Goliath and he had a shield of brass. It talks about his armament and how that he had a coat of nails. It talks about how he had a spear and he had a shield that another man, an armor bearer, had to carry for him. He had a massive sword, the scripture said. And then we read about Ishbenab and how that he carried a new sword. Very detailed. The enemy loves to intimidate us with weapons of warfare that he brings against us and his shield. Notice the detail. 300 shekels is how much it weighed. …
… And then he says this, for God has not given us the spirit of fear, but a power of love and of a sound mind. We often quote that, but we ignore its context. The context is a young man who's dealing with fear, insecurity. He's hesitant. He continues in the very next verse, Therefore, do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me, his prisoner. And then in 2 Timothy chapter 2, You, therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Jesus Christ. I think Timothy was experiencing fear. I think he was beginning to be ashamed of Paul as a prisoner of Rome. Ashamed of the ministry. Hesitant. And I just think that was his natural inclination. So when he writes to the Thessalonians, he uses this kind of super endorsement. and our fellow laborer in the gospel of Christ to establish you, encourage you concerning your faith. Now you see those two words, your faith? This is what you do when you read the Bible. …
… The buzzard of fear. He has not given you the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. The buzzard of faith, hallelujah, in circumstances more than God. Drive it away. I don't walk by what I see. I walk by faith, not by sight. Those vile vultures, old buzzards, try to trip you up in your trust. They tried to make you start to doubt the promise of God. Abraham declared a battle on those vultures. He said, you're not going to steal and create an atmosphere of death when God said we would have a promise of life. And he began to drive those buzzards away. If he got a stick or a torch, I don't know what he used, but he drove them away. They kept coming trying to steal what God had promised. God wants to give you a revival of your confidence. A revival of knowing that what he promised, he is able to perform. I believe that God will do it. …
… Every single one of us, the truth is that we face a wall in our life. But I love that the Bible says that he has not given us a spirit of fear, but of love, power, and a sound mind, a spirit of peace to face the things that we think are bigger than us. But when God speaks, wars can collapse in Jesus' name. Joshua 6, though, is not primarily just about wars collapsing, even though this is a big and huge part of it. This is about, as I've studied this scripture, it is about a people being formed by worship. A people being formed by worship and overcoming what they face by the power of worship. Hebrews 12, 28 says this, let us be thankful and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe. You know this and I know this. The worship is not just what we do when we come in for the first 15 minutes of our gathering. And we sing our songs and then we check that box and then we go about our business. …
… we are not going to be timid. For our God has not given us a spirit of fear, but a power of love and a sound mind. So what we're going to do today is we're going to do something just a little bit different. Normally, I'd say close your eyes and pray, but you could actually pray with your eyes open. Jesus said, watch and pray, which is a good model if you're ever praying and driving at the same time. So we're going to watch and pray. God, we ask that you'd make us bold. Would you just say it? God, make me bold. If you're a Christian today, I'm just speaking to Christians and you would say, yeah, Craig, I've been like you sometimes. I wasn't as bold as I know I could be, should be, and I want to be bold. Let's just call it what it is right in front of everybody. Say, God, I need you to help me be bold. Raise up your hands just all over the place. …
Let's go to work. In a minute, I'm going to read 2 Timothy 1, verses 6-7. But I want it to be known that this text, this scripture in 2 Timothy, really it's powerful all on its own. And for many of you, it's not unfamiliar. but I really want to take a minute and paint a picture of what's happening at the time that this text is written. Paul, who was one of the most devout Jews who persecuted believers of the way or what we now call Christians, has this encounter with the Spirit of God, this encounter with Jesus that radically changes him. And all of a sudden, the one who was once persecuting Christians has now had an encounter with God that instantly changes him. And now he is the most well-known evangelist. He's written half of the New Testament. He begins to preach the gospel all throughout Asia and all throughout that Middle Eastern Greco-Roman region. He begins to preach the gospel. And he's in this unique position because he has Roman citizenship. …
… I hear the Lord say this now. For he has not given us a spirit of fear. Don't fear the future. Don't fear the health. Don't fear old age. Don't fear any of that stuff. He has not given us, don't fear the economy. He has not given us a spirit of fear. but of power and of love and of a sound, healthy mind. Shout. Shout. Fear must back up. Fear must move. Fear cannot dominate this year. I close with this. Just stand to your feet for a moment. There's a dream fast. Acts chapter 2, they fasted, and then the word of the Lord came. In the last days, sayeth God, I'll pour out my spirit on your sons and your daughters, and the old men will dream dreams, and the young men will see. You cannot fast. Listen to this preacher. Young people, listen to me very, very carefully. I started fasting when I was a teenager. you cannot fast and seek God and God not give you a dream and a vision for your life. …
… You don't belong here. God has not given us a spirit of fear, but a power and love and of a sound mind. If anxiety comes in, peace says, oh, no, no, no, no. I cast my anxiety on him because he cares for me. You don't belong here. Anytime shame tries to come in, peace stands guard. No, you can't come in here, shame. There is now, therefore, no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Peace literally stands guard against the outer workings of the enemy in your hearts. It is the peace of God. and perhaps one of the most profound examples of this kind of peace that I experienced was in a moment on earth that we never wanted. I've got six kids. People say, you must love kids. Yeah, I really like their mom a lot, a lot. 35 years of, I mean, just like really godly blessed marriage. And that results in kids until we figured out what caused it. And then we didn't want to quit. …
… But I want to remind you that God has not given us a spirit of fear. He has given us a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline. and he has put his spirit inside of us. So let's give ourselves to what he's called us to do. We hope you've enjoyed this week's episode of David Platt Messages. For more resources from David Platt, we invite you to visit Radical.net.
… Fear doesn't just exaggerate, but fear lies. And God has not given us a spirit of fear, but a power of love and a sound mind. And right now there's a lot of people listening to the enemy who is spreading fear. And it can be just personal. Like you didn't get the job. And so you think, well, I'm screwed for the rest of my life. I'm never gonna amount to anything. I've tried the best I can. I'm never gonna get ahead. No one's gonna see my gifts. I'm gonna add no value. you. No one's going to respect me. I'm not going to be able to make a life. Or you have a secret addiction and you find yourself looking at something that you know is not pleasing to God, is not helpful to you. And you've tried to stop and you can't stop. And so you think, I'm going to be addicted to this pornography for the rest of my life. I've got no hope. or you pray and you worship and you talk to God and you call on God and you don't hear from God and you feel like he's distant and you wonder, God, are you even there? …
… If you find yourself angry, hurting, afraid, God says, I have not given you a spirit of fear. but of power and of love and of a sound mind. Don't look at what you see, believe and live in what he says. Now, I wanna slow down and I'll show you something in his word that might be a little bit different from what you may typically think. Watch what happens. God says, I'm gonna send the water. But before I send the water, I want you to dig a ditch. In other words, we can say it this way. Only God can send the water, but sometimes he asks you to dig a ditch. Why? Because many times God wants us to join our faith with his powerful power when he does a miracle. Many times he literally wants us to participate in his miracle. And you can see it over and over again with Jesus. There was a guy with a crippled hand. And Jesus could have said, poof, in my name, be healed. …
… As soon as the nightfall came, the spirit of, just like Saul, an evil spirit of fear. For God has not, 1 Timothy 1, for God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. And when you give yourself over to witchcraft and all of those kinds of things, and even idols of this world, you lose your peace and you lose your rest, you lose your security. I don't talk. I'm not talking about just physical security. I have spiritual security. I know who I am in Jesus Christ. I know where I'm going. I'm not insecure. I am eternally secure. I'm not eternally insecure. I am secure. I know that I have my past forgiven. I have a reason for living. and I have a future in heaven. And I'm secure in that. I lay down my head and I know if I take my last breath while I lay on this pillow, it is well, it is well, it is well with my soul. …
I'm after trying to kill that spirit of fear from off of you. God has not given us a spirit of fear. but of love, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. Amen. We don't govern ourselves because of fear, and fear will cause you to get sick. It'll cause you to be embarrassed. It'll cause you to be defeated. God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of love, power, and mind. So what do we do? What do we do when we find ourselves when we don't know what to do? What do you do when you don't know what to do? Jehoshaphat gives us an example and in verses 6 through 12 here's what he does he prays thank all 15 of y'all for that rousing affirmation we are people of prayer prayer is a weapon yeah prayer is a weapon we have the privilege God has given us the privilege to be able to commune directly with him we don't have to go through nobody we ain't Catholics we ain't got to go through no priests We serve a God who will hear your personal prayer when you talk to God about your personal situation. …
… And that's some kind of fear And God has not given us a spirit of fear But of love of power and a sound mind So I don't know what you're scared of But listen here If they leave because you are honest about what you need If they cut you off because you are honest Then maybe it's the season for them to cut you off if anybody walks away because you're being honest about what you need, if they walk away because you're being honest about what you need in order to have a flourishing, healthy relationship, is that the kind of person you want in your life? I can't be honest. I'm not cussing at you. I'm not ready to fight you. I'm not pulling out Vaseline, taking off earrings. we having a conversation not a confrontation a conversation because the difference of conversation and confrontation is the goal of confrontation is to win the goal of conversation is to understand so if you go to somebody honestly your family your life and have a conversation and they don't have the mature capacity to take what you got to say and they cut you off stop talking to you hmm at some point your goodbye may be a gift ka domin empata We've cut people off and we've blocked people and we've stopped having conversations with people. …
… children and my fears ultimately don't have the final say. I've got some Bible for that. Where's Paul when I need him? For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but the spirit of power, love, and a sound mind. Is there anybody in this place who say as long as I hear God's voice, I'll face my fears because if God called me to it, God will see me through it. When you're living in that tension between what you've learned and what you've lived, you must first discern God's voice and face your fears. But secondly, and then I'm going to go, and please don't run me out of here. I want to come back in Jesus' name. The last thing that the text shows me tonight, this afternoon, is that when you're living in that tension between what you've learned and what you've lived, You may cause us to rebel out of reverence for God. Turn to somebody next to you and say, sometimes rebellion is reverence. …
… I'd like to just to tease you with what it actually means to live as sons and daughters of the King. In Galatians chapter 4 and in Romans chapter 8 it says, the Spirit has not given us a spirit of fear, God has not given us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of sonship whereby we cry to the Father, Abba, Father. And when the Bible says in Galatians 4 and in Romans 8 that the Spirit's job is to show us that we're his children and to get rid of our fear, I think we have got a key to the Christian life right there. If you have any fears, if you have any anxieties, it's because you're not listening to the Spirit who tells you you're his children. think of this metaphor, and let me give you a couple tests. The metaphor goes like this. In Galatians chapter 4, it says that there's two kinds of people living in the household. There's the servants, the slaves, and there's the son. I imagine, you have to remember these big households had lots and lots of people in them, lots of people. You had all kinds of stewards, and you had all kinds of workers and you had all kinds of managers. Some of them were slaves, some of them were servants, some of them were indentured servants, some of them were employees. So you had a whole house and there was lots to do. You can imagine a big plantation, you see. Lots and lots to do. …
… and they are infected and infested with the sinister minister of fear. Now Paul told young Timothy in 2 Timothy chapter 1 and verse 7, God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. Are you a fearful person? Have you been paralyzed with fear? You will never, ever be a man of God as you ought to until you become a man of valor. Until you're no longer afraid. One of the most pitiful things on earth is to see a preacher preach with fear in his eyes. And there are a lot of preachers like that. Now, what do we do to deal with fear? God has not given us the spirit of fear. There's normal fears. Of course, you'd be afraid of rattlesnakes and traffic and all of that. That's the gift of God for self-preservation. but there is a spirit of fear that comes from the devil. Now, what does God do to counteract that, my dear preacher? …