“God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of sound mind.”       2 Timothy 1:7

 

This verse reminds me of one of my favorite poems from growing up—Our Greatest Fear by Marianne Williamson. “Our deepest dear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest dear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. As we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people the permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

Our light makes us powerful. That light is our bond with God. The closer you are to Him, the brighter you shine. The more you embrace yourself and your purpose, the brighter you shine. The more you connect to others, the brighter you shine. Our deepest dear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest dear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.

Fear is not of God. He made us powerful, even in our moments of weakness. We have the power to touch, to heal, to love, to choose, to be, to help, to witness.

POWER OVER FEAR.

One could argue that love is the most powerful emotion of all. It is more powerful than surprise or dislike. It has the power to both cause and end conflict. It can happen instantaneously. It can be given to more than one person and not lessen.

We are called to love. It’s in our DNA. We were formed with love to be in love with all creation. Look for God in all you meet. When I’m feeling exceptionally hard-hearted or bitter, I ask God to break my heart so that I may love like him. It helps me to remind myself that we were all created with a purpose. It isn’t our job to judge others. It’s our duty to love them.  As followers of God, it is our duty to choose love even when it’s easier to hate.

LOVE.

There are so many stressors in this world. There are rumors, exaggerated stories, and oh so many lies. Evil is not of God. It’s so easy to fall victim to our emotions and forget God. We must make it a point to see lies for what they are, and not accept them into our minds or spirit. Turn to God in scripture, in prayer or meditation, in song. Do not allow false statements to ring true. Fill your spirit with pure and lovely thoughts as advised in Philippians 4:8. Be of sound mind.

SOUND MIND.

Father God, help us weed out the negative in our lives and seek what is honorable, what is lovely, what is worthy of praise. Remind us of our strength through you. Let us love like you in all that we do. Amen.