“For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self control.”
—2 Timothy 1:7
I did a little medical research on fear, and I discovered that fear has been associated with a wide variety of illnesses and diseases including heart disease, hypertension, digestive tract diseases, ulcers, head aches, even skin disorders. Studies demonstrate that fear can cause a decreased immune response, which can lead to frequent infections and even the development of dread and deadly disease.
Excessive fear, anxiety, and worry can kill you. A time or two in my life I’ve been in the presence of someone who had a heart attack because of fear.
Fear can lead to irrational phobias and unusual obsessions. It can crush your spirit, ruin your disposition, and your relationships. Fear can consume your mind, obsess your thought life and control your body. It can shut you down. Fear is a chain that can hold you back from becoming all that God wants you to be and to become.
And therefore we must overcome our fears. The way to overcome our fears is in the exact way that the Apostle Paul tells us here in 2 Timothy 1:7. Don’t be consumed, controlled, chained by a spirit of fear but overcome with “power, love and a sound mind.”
So ask God to give you the power of the Holy Spirit to resist the temptation to dwell on your fears and have an unshakable faith. Trust in the character of God. He is the great I AM which means “I am everything and anything you need.”
