Daily Devotional for July 7, 2005

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power

BIBLE MEDITATION: For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.? 2 Timothy 1:7

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT: God has endowed us with His power and enriched us with His love. Not only that, He has enlightened us with a sound mind. Now, this phrase ?sound mind? does not mean the opposite of insanity. It actually means discipline and self-control. Along with that, it is the ability to discern between truth and falsehood. So often, the devil gets us running from shadows. Proverbs 28:1 says, ?The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion.? Have you ever heard of phobiasí This is what this verse is talking about.

We must pull back the mask of darkness from the devil?s ploys and expose them for what they are and see the things that count in eternity. God has given you a sound mind by trusting in His Word, not in the devil?s schemes.

ACTION POINT: Do you ever get defensive? Has someone ever told you that you had a chip on your shoulder? If you answered yes to either question, one reason you may respond this way is that you are afraid of someone taking advantage of you. You have a spirit of fear. Reread today?s Bible meditation and ask God to give you the faith to believe and apply this truth in your life today.