No Fear in Love, Power, and Self-Control

Our pastor recently taught a series entitled “How to Handle Troublesome Emotions”. Emotions wreck havoc in the Christian's life. If they are not brought under the control of the Holy Spirit, they can render you helpless. One of the most difficult emotions to control is fear. It rares its ugly head when you least expect it. The moment fear grabs you, it has you.

Fear convinces you that God is not going to take care of the concerns of your heart. Fear states that your children will not return to God. Fear tells you that those you love are doomed. Fear informs you that your life is always going to be the same, and that God will not rescue you. Fear convinces you that you can't hear God. Fear fills your heart with dread that your financial loss will starve you. Fear makes you believe that your broken family will never be restored. The list can be endless, but it doesn't have to be. That list can be empty.

God has not given you a spirit of fear, but He has given you a spirit of power, love, and self-control (2 Timothy 1:7). Both faith and fear are an rock-solid beliefs in what is coming in the future. Faith and fear are not just emotional. They are beliefs controlled by totally opposite spiritual forces. Faith is controlled by God, and fear is controlled by the enemy. Faith believes that God will always do the best for His children. Fear believes He never will. But God has given you powerful weapons to fight your fear. He has given you love, power, and self-control. Without these alive, exercised, and applied in your life, you cannot defeat fear. But with His perfect love, His power, and self-control alive and well in your life, you can walk in faith free from the bondage of fear.

Your weapon of love.......“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear” (1 John 4:18, NIV).

Your weapon of power..... “Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to  stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world,  and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor  so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil” (Ephesians 6:10-13, NLT).

Your weapon of self-control....“The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:4-5).

His Love, His power, and self-control. Against these no weapon of fear can prosper.