For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.
This is a popular verse. Most people love the part that says, “God has not given us a Spirit of fear.” This is highly relevant in a world where worry, anxiety, and fear seem to dominate the lives of many. We also tend to quote the part that represents the balance and opposite of fear: power. Whether it involves fear and power in societies across Africa, Asia, and the Americas or the anxiety-riddled generations in the Western world, no one relishes fear, and everyone seeks power over it. In our minds, power equals control, and all humanity struggles with the sinful desire for total control. We imagine ourselves as the hero of our story, as the one who bravely faces impossible odds and overcomes them with our powerful personality.
God has indeed delivered us from fear; He commands us not to be anxious, and He gives us power in Christ to trust Him and be freed from the sinful grip of fear, shame, and worry. But He has given us much more than a Spirit of power. We need to read the rest of that verse and let our hearts marinate in those truths. He not only gives us a Spirit of power, but He gives us a Spirit of love and self-control. Love and self-control are both fruits of the Spirit, and they are truly the definition of power. I don’t have the power to call the shots in my life, but I do have the power to submit to His Lordship and exercise self-control; doing the things that please Him and avoiding those that don’t. I don’t have the right to dominate others around me, but I have the Spirit of God in me, who enables me to love everyone, even my enemies. God’s Spirit makes you brave; He makes you brave enough to do what’s right even when it’s hard. He makes you brave enough to love others regardless of whether they deserve it or whether they love you in return. That’s the Spirit of Power.
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