2 Timothy 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound mind.
Oh Friends, oh Friends, our God is a great God! Please never dispute or forget that! The latest example is this: I found a quote on fear that I wanted to share and began searching the index of the Good Book for a suitable Bit; and there were many, both as a noun and as a verb, so it took me some time to go through them. Now time was running out for me to start writing, and though several seemed promising, none really hit the spot, and being a stubborn, hardnosed fool – now all of you don’t smile and agree- I was adamant that I wouldn’t quit until I found the right one. Deep in my heart I knew that it would speak to me when I saw it. Finally I got to 2 Timothy…and voila, there it was! But there was one problem; though it wasn’t highlighted, meaning I hadn’t used it before, it seemed too familiar, so I checked my records, and unfortunately it showed that I’d already used it. But that stubborn streak drove me to check further, where I saw that it was used way back in December of 2008, a year and a half ago. And I went Whoopee! That was long enough for it to be used again. Anyway Friends, this verse is one of the most important in the entire Bible, so it can never be repeated too often. It’s possibly the most encouraging and edifying verse Bruh Paul ever wrote, because it focuses on the basic aspect of our faith, the emotion that keeps us solidly grounded, that keeps us trusting in and holding on to the will and power of Almighty God. And having written such a long intro, (smile) here at last is the quote. It’s from John Kennedy, the former U.S President assassinated in Dallas, Texas in 1963. He says that ‘We should not let our fears hold us back from pursuing our hopes.’ Now isn’t that an awesome truth mih people! But unfortunately it’s something too many of us allow to happen. We let our fears keep us back from pursuing our hopes and dreams by either using false reasoning or other people’s negative talk to make us feel that we can’t accomplish those goals and dreams the Lord’s placed in our hearts. Truthfully though, as some astute person once said, there’s nothing to fear, but fear itself. But what’s fear, this dreaded, unpalatable emotion we’re talking about? The dictionary defines it as ‘a painful emotion caused by impending danger or evil; a state of alarm; a state of dread, of anxiety for one’s safety.’ And Friends, all of these are genuine possibilities, but the problem is that many of us live in a state of CONSTANT fear. We are afraid of almost everything. Sadly, what ever shows up on our mental radar or in our hearts, produces immediate fear, which results in us fearing to do anything at all. Now that’s what we have to fight against my brethren. That’s what Bruh Paul is talking about in this exhortation of endurance. ‘For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound mind.’ Wow! What a neat scripture! However my people, it’s that element, that spirit of fear that the heathen, the criminal element amongst us, in association with many of our governments are trying to force on us, to inculcate into our tired, misfortune filled lives. And sadly, too many of us are buying into the lie. In the last decade or so, the world has been consumed with threats of doom and abundant fear mongering. But my Friends, I’m here to remind us today that the true followers of Jesus Christ do not have to live in fear. In fact, we are definitely not supposed to live fear-filled lives. Why? Because to quote again those immortal words of Bruh Paul!’ For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound mind.’ Oh mih people, please make sure to etch those words deep in your hearts, minds and souls, because they are the lifeblood of the believer. They are words that give purpose and meaning to our lives, to our faith, belief and trust in the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and in His Son Jesus, and also in the Holy Spirit, the guiding light and enabling power that dwells within us and keeps us keeping on. Bruh Paul put it thus to the Romans: ‘For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.’ (Rom.8:14-15) Yes my people, our God is definitely not in the fear business. And if you don’t believe me or Bruh Paul, then listen to the words of the Master Himself on fear. Our Lord and Saviour, Prince of Peace, High Counsellor and Advocate, Jesus Christ said them to His disciples, and consequently to us too. ‘Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.’ (John 14:27) Oh Friends, what a promise! A promise that all of us can safely and faithfully accept in these wicked, ungodly and fearful times. And mih people, I certainly hope that what I’ve written here today makes sense, because the Word has the ole fella on such a natural high, yes it’s natural (smile) that the pen can’t write fast enough to keep up with the mind. And if it doesn’t make sense, then hopefully, you all are wise enough to pick sense from nonsense. (smile) So till next time, the Lord willing of course, when we’ll continue this topic, Much LOVE! …fear is a normal human emotion… but the LOVE of God conquers it…EVERY TIME…
Oh Friends, oh Friends, our God is a great God! Please never dispute or forget that! The latest example is this: I found a quote on fear that I wanted to share and began searching the index of the Good Book for a suitable Bit; and there were many, both as a noun and as a verb, so it took me some time to go through them. Now time was running out for me to start writing, and though several seemed promising, none really hit the spot, and being a stubborn, hardnosed fool – now all of you don’t smile and agree- I was adamant that I wouldn’t quit until I found the right one. Deep in my heart I knew that it would speak to me when I saw it. Finally I got to 2 Timothy…and voila, there it was! But there was one problem; though it wasn’t highlighted, meaning I hadn’t used it before, it seemed too familiar, so I checked my records, and unfortunately it showed that I’d already used it. But that stubborn streak drove me to check further, where I saw that it was used way back in December of 2008, a year and a half ago. And I went Whoopee! That was long enough for it to be used again. Anyway Friends, this verse is one of the most important in the entire Bible, so it can never be repeated too often. It’s possibly the most encouraging and edifying verse Bruh Paul ever wrote, because it focuses on the basic aspect of our faith, the emotion that keeps us solidly grounded, that keeps us trusting in and holding on to the will and power of Almighty God. And having written such a long intro, (smile) here at last is the quote. It’s from John Kennedy, the former U.S President assassinated in Dallas, Texas in 1963. He says that ‘We should not let our fears hold us back from pursuing our hopes.’ Now isn’t that an awesome truth mih people! But unfortunately it’s something too many of us allow to happen. We let our fears keep us back from pursuing our hopes and dreams by either using false reasoning or other people’s negative talk to make us feel that we can’t accomplish those goals and dreams the Lord’s placed in our hearts. Truthfully though, as some astute person once said, there’s nothing to fear, but fear itself. But what’s fear, this dreaded, unpalatable emotion we’re talking about? The dictionary defines it as ‘a painful emotion caused by impending danger or evil; a state of alarm; a state of dread, of anxiety for one’s safety.’ And Friends, all of these are genuine possibilities, but the problem is that many of us live in a state of CONSTANT fear. We are afraid of almost everything. Sadly, what ever shows up on our mental radar or in our hearts, produces immediate fear, which results in us fearing to do anything at all. Now that’s what we have to fight against my brethren. That’s what Bruh Paul is talking about in this exhortation of endurance. ‘For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound mind.’ Wow! What a neat scripture! However my people, it’s that element, that spirit of fear that the heathen, the criminal element amongst us, in association with many of our governments are trying to force on us, to inculcate into our tired, misfortune filled lives. And sadly, too many of us are buying into the lie. In the last decade or so, the world has been consumed with threats of doom and abundant fear mongering. But my Friends, I’m here to remind us today that the true followers of Jesus Christ do not have to live in fear. In fact, we are definitely not supposed to live fear-filled lives. Why? Because to quote again those immortal words of Bruh Paul!’ For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound mind.’ Oh mih people, please make sure to etch those words deep in your hearts, minds and souls, because they are the lifeblood of the believer. They are words that give purpose and meaning to our lives, to our faith, belief and trust in the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and in His Son Jesus, and also in the Holy Spirit, the guiding light and enabling power that dwells within us and keeps us keeping on. Bruh Paul put it thus to the Romans: ‘For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.’ (Rom.8:14-15) Yes my people, our God is definitely not in the fear business. And if you don’t believe me or Bruh Paul, then listen to the words of the Master Himself on fear. Our Lord and Saviour, Prince of Peace, High Counsellor and Advocate, Jesus Christ said them to His disciples, and consequently to us too. ‘Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.’ (John 14:27) Oh Friends, what a promise! A promise that all of us can safely and faithfully accept in these wicked, ungodly and fearful times. And mih people, I certainly hope that what I’ve written here today makes sense, because the Word has the ole fella on such a natural high, yes it’s natural (smile) that the pen can’t write fast enough to keep up with the mind. And if it doesn’t make sense, then hopefully, you all are wise enough to pick sense from nonsense. (smile) So till next time, the Lord willing of course, when we’ll continue this topic, Much LOVE! …fear is a normal human emotion… but the LOVE of God conquers it…EVERY TIME…
SCRIP-BITS 