by Dr. Paul Chappell

“Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands. For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”

2 Timothy 1:6–7

Fear displays a lack of trust that God is in control.

I remember as a young boy working many summers on our family farm in Colorado. I enjoyed working, driving the tractors, and hoeing the bean field.  But what I really loved were the raspberries my grandmother would handpick, place in a Mason jar, and set on a shelf in her cellar. At the end of a meal, she would often look at me and say, “Paul, why don’t you go get some raspberries.”

When I got to the basement, however, my excitement began to fade momentarily. The cellar ahead was a scary space by itself. There was a moose head on one side of the basement and an elk head on the other side. As a young boy, I thought those animal eyes followed me everywhere I went! I would sneak past the moose and the elk and put my hand on the cellar door to open it. Just about that time is when I would remember that all the ghosts and goblins in Colorado lived in that cellar.

There was a painfully obvious problem with the cellar—there wasn’t a light switch. The engineer who designed that particular room designed it in such a way that you had to take five steps into the room to pull a string hanging from the ceiling in order to turn on the light. Those were the five scariest steps I had to take in my life! (A few times I walked in and the string hit me right in the face—I thought for sure I was a goner.)  I would creep into the cellar and pull that string as quickly as possible. The light would come on, and the fears I had were suddenly gone. I would then grab a bunch of those raspberry jars and run upstairs to enjoy a wonderful dessert.

The fear I felt in that cellar was nothing more than a figment of my imagination; there was nothing to be afraid of! Yet many people live in a constant state of fear—fear of death, disease, loss, etc. Fear is a form of bondage for many people. It hinders their lives. Yet as we see in 2 Timothy, faith in Christ casts out all fear. Verse seven tells us, “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” God doesn’t fill us with fear; fear comes from the devil. But God gives us a spirit of power, love, and a sound mind. He wants us to live in faith not fear.

We all face uncertainties and unexpected situations, and it is natural to feel some fear during those times. But that is when our faith must replace the fear. We must stop, spend time with God about the matter, and leave it in His hands. Fear displays a lack of trust that God is in control.

What fears do you have right now? It could be fear of losing a job, fear of an illness, fear of not being able to provide for your family, fear of failure, or fear of the future. That fear does not come from God, for as 2 Timothy 1:7 shows us, God gives power, love, and a sound mind. Refuse to live a life of fear. When something unexpected happens, seek God immediately. Lay the situation before Him. Tell Him of your fear or uneasiness in the situation. Then commit the matter to Him, and trust that He is in control. Don’t dwell in fear, but live in faith, knowing that God will take care of you.

To learn more about Pastor Chappell's books, Sunday school curriculum, and spiritual leadership resources, please visit strivingtogether.com.

To learn more about Pastor Paul Chappell and his ministry, please visit paulchappell.com or follow him on twitter.

Daily Bible Reading
2 Chronicles 17-18 • John 13:1-20