Living in Victory!
2Tim 1:6-8
Before September 9th, 2001, the vast majority of Americans didn’t really have a clue when it came to terrorism. Oh, we had seen the news reports on TV and in the newspapers, but it never really meant all that much to us because we were largely unaffected by it. Physically isolated as we are from the middle east, we felt safe. It would never happen to us, and then, it did. When those planes flew into the Twin Towers, as a nation who thought they were sitting on the sidelines, we were given our wake-up call.
The devastating blow that landed on us on 911 did far more than take thousands of lives, it struck at the psyche of our nation. That’s exactly what terrorism does, its main intent isn’t so much large body counts, it’s psychological warfare. It is designed to disrupt a nation by shredding its collective sense of security and to cause panic, and from what we saw in the immediate aftermath of 911, they succeeded in their mission. They caused terror to rise in the hearts of many, which is exactly what they wanted to do. Terrorism is far more than just an attack on buildings, people, or economies; it’s a war on our minds.
And that is what the greatest terrorist to ever live has always done. He targets our minds so that we’ll live in defeat and surrender to him without a fight. Now, I’m not talking about Bin Laden, I’m talking about the devil, Satan himself. All of the earthly terrorists that we have are simply pawns in Satan’s power play. He has always tried to bring nations to their knees and make them tremble in terror.
Satan is the ultimate terrorist, and he keeps his people under his thumb through fear. He gives them a spirit of fear. The one who weakens nations and shakes kingdoms does it through the power of fear, but Jesus came to this earth to save men and destroy Satan’s power. The Bible tells us…
Heb 2:14-15 Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, (15) and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.
Folks, if Satan can put fear in your heart, then he has his chains on you, and you are in bondage. He’s got you. You are his. You are his slave if you live in fear. But God has commanded us; He didn’t make a suggestion, He commanded us that Php 1:28 …in nothing terrified by your adversaries Satan wants us in bondage to fear and God tells us to fear nothing! As a matter of fact, He tells us 62 times in the Bible to “fear not!” And in our verses today, He tells us…
2Ti 1:6-8 Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. (7) For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. (8) Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God,
Oh friend, God doesn’t want us to live in fear; He wants us to live in victory! He wants us to live confident that we are His and He is ours. Knowing that the God of the Universe loves us so much that He would send His only begotten Son to reconcile us to Himself, brother, sister, that should give you confidence to face whatever may lie ahead and embolden you to walk in faith and do whatever God has commanded you to do.
Now, before I go any further, I’ve got to say that God doesn’t want us to live in fear, but some fear is of God. Some fear can be a healthy thing because there are a lot of things to fear in this world. Snakes, for one. Spiders, sharks, drunk drivers. The list could go on and on. There are a lot of things to be fearful of in this world, so we use wise caution in order to minimize our coming into contact with them. Now, that’s a good thing. It’s just smart, right? We don’t fear them so much that we’re immobilized, but we continue on, exercising caution. And that’s good.
There’s also spiritual fear. The Bible tells us that Psa 111:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: So, we’re to have a fear of God, but this isn’t speaking of the shaking in our boots kind of fear, it’s more like great respect and reverence out of love. But, in a very real sense, our fear of the Lord does involve a little boot shaking as well, because Jesus told us to Mat 10:28 …fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
Now, if that isn’t speaking of shaking in our boot’s kind of fear, then I don’t know what is. Friends, anytime anyone might come into contact with the holy One or Israel, God Almighty, the great I AM, Yahweh Himself, there is going to be a measure of trembling in our boots involved. Even Isaiah cried Isa 6:5 …Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.
So, some fear is normal, it’s of God. You might say that it’s a clean fear, not a dirty fear. Psa 19:9 The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever It’s a fear out of reverence for God, but the spirit of fear that Satan would cast upon us can do all sorts of bad things to us. For example, it can cause us to overlook blessings.
Paul told Timothy 2Ti 1:6 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. And then notice that he connects that with verse 7 which says 2Ti 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear;
You see, Timothy had a great spiritual experience. He had a great spiritual heritage, but somehow he had begun to lose sight of that. He had forgotten what God had done for him and fear had taken hold of him. And I’m telling you folks, fear can take all the blue out of your sky; it can lick all the red off your candy. When you focus on fear, you can focus on very little else and so you forget all the things that God has given you.
Fear can cause you to overlook blessings, but it can also lead you to failure. So, it’s not only fear and forgetfulness, but it’s also fear and failure—you will fail to do what you ought to do if you are filled with fear. Paul told Timothy 2Ti 1:8a Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner,
Paul was in prison, and this was going to be the last letter he would ever write. He was awaiting his execution and Timothy could have been thinking that he might end up there as well, because he might have spent some time in prison himself just like Paul, and maybe even with Paul. The writer of Hebrews wrote Heb 13:23 Know that our brother Timothy has been set free, with whom I shall see you if he comes shortly. So, to encourage him to stay the course, Paul wrote 2Ti 18b … but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God,
“Timothy, don’t be ashamed of the Lord or me, but join with me in spreading the gospel because you’ve got the power of God within you!” You know, fear is the main reason why people don’t witness for Christ as they should. Fear! They’re afraid of getting it wrong. They’re afraid of not having all the answers. They’re afraid they might offend someone. They’re afraid they might look foolish. They’re afraid, so they don’t witness. Satan’s spirit of fear has gotten hold of them and shut their mouths!
Fear will cause you to overlook blessings, you’ll be forgetful. It’ll also lead you into failure, and it will also lead you to frailty. It can literally make you sick. In his first letter to Timothy, Paul mentioned that he suffered from a chronic illness of some sort. He wrote 1Ti 5:23 No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for your stomach's sake and your frequent infirmities.
Timothy had some kind of stomach thing going on. It could have been an ulcer I suppose, but no one really knows. But the thing is that many, many stomach issues or digestive tract problems are emotionally induced. One internist said that 90% of people who go to see a doctor for chronic stomach illness, that their problem did not start with a cough, chest pain, or hyperacidity, he said that in “90% of the cases, their first symptom was fear.”
Friends, the Bible tells us that God did not give us a spirit of fear. His desire is that we live in victory over evil, temptation, and our lusts. So, enabling us to live victorious lives, He…
1. Endues us with Power
2Ti 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power Beloved, the devil is the sinister minister of fear, but God is the glorious giver of power. Jesus said Luk 24:49 Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high."
You know, most often we are afraid because we feel inadequate or weak. For years and years, my greatest fear was public speaking or playing guitar and singing in public. Whenever anyone suggested I stand in front of a group of people to give my testimony, to preach, or for any kind of speech, or if they would try to convince me to sing a song in church by myself—not with the choir, but by myself, I’m telling you that it would just paralyze me with fear. I wouldn’t just shake in my boots I would shake all over. Literally!
But God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power! When I realized that God had called me to ministry—to preach the gospel or to sing his praises with the people of God, it freed me, and His Holy Spirit gave me a boldness that not only overcame my fear, but He also gave me the confidence to actively seek out opportunities to preach or to play and sing in public. And folks, I have sung His praises and preached His Word to groups of over 200 to as small as 2 or 3 because the power of God resides within me.
Think of it like this. I’m sure you’ve all seen the pictures or memes on social media of something like this, or maybe one of a believer being faced with the devil, but behind, looming and nearly overshadowing the believer stands a great lion—the Lion of Judah. Or maybe you can remember a time when a bully was targeting you in school, but when your big brother heard about it, he was right there with you when you walked to school, went out to the playground, or were standing at the bus stop. In both of these examples, the believer or the younger brother gained confidence and courage because someone greater was there to protect him.
Well friend, when you are facing temptation or when the devil is coming against you hard, remember that you have been endued or filled with power from on high, and remember 1Jn 4:4 You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
We have been given power to live victoriously, but it doesn’t stop there. The Spirit of God also…
2. Enriches us with Love
2Ti 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love… Now this is the second key—He enriches us with love! And you might wonder what love has got to do with it? What does love have to do with fear? Well, 1Jn 4:18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.
Friends, God loves us with perfect love and so, we should have no fear when facing the enemy. The enemy of God is the enemy of the saints, but that enemy is a defeated enemy because when Christ died on the cross for our sins, and then rose for our justification, He led captivity captive and gave gifts to men! He destroyed the power that Satan had over us through fear and set us free and gave us His gift of salvation and the Holy Spirit.
Beloved, the Lord has given those who believe in Him the power of God to overcome the world. 1Jn 5:4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. He gave us the spirit of power, but He also gave us the spirit of love, Rom 5:5 …because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. So, the next time you’re afraid remember that God loves you perfectly and perfect love casts out fear.
Think about a mother who has a child who’s being attacked by some animal. I can guarantee you that as imperfect as her love is, it is still great enough to jump onto that animal and wrestle her child out of its grip. She will put her own life in danger to save her child, because her love has cast out all fear.
In a similar manner, the love that God has poured out in our heart will cast out fear and embolden us to act. He has filled us with power and enriched us with love, but He also…
3. Enlightens us with a Sound Mind
2Ti 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. Three keys to living in victory! The spirit of power. The spirit of love, and a sound mind. Now, when he says sound mind, he’s not talking about the ability to think logically. As great as that ability is, the Greek word used here means self-control, moderation, wise discretion. It means that you are able to see things as they truly are.
The Bible tells us that Pro 28:1 The wicked flee when no one pursues, But the righteous are bold as a lion. So, when our hearts are not right with God, we’re afraid of imaginary fiends and foes, but when our heart is right with God, our boldness can’t be beat!
You know, I can remember as a kid, I experienced a lot of fear. Once I walked down to the street to the movie theater to watch a horror movie that scared me to death. It was the Curse of the Mummy’s Tomb. I’m telling you, when I walked back home after that movie, it was beginning to get a little dark. I only had two or three blocks to go, but I was seeing mummies and monsters behind every bush! If I remember right, I ran the last few blocks and rushed into the house as quickly as I could, slamming the door behind me.
I can also remember that after watching vampire movies, when I went to bed, I would pull the covers up and wrap them tightly all around my neck. I didn’t want to cover my head or my eyes, because I wanted to make sure the vampire in the closet didn’t come out. So, I made sure my neck was protected.
But you know, there were no mummies or monsters in the bushes. The vampire I though I saw in my room after the lights went out ended up being some clothes draped over a chair the next day in the light. That’s what usually happens when the lights come on, isn’t it? What we were so afraid of ends up being nothing at all. Pro 28:1 The wicked flee when no one pursues,
Oh friend, when the Holy Spirit turns the lights on in your life, then you can see the reality of all the things that scared you in the dark. You are able to see things as they truly are. Your mind doesn’t run away with you anymore because it’s a disciplined mind, you’ve gotten hold of yourself. Kind of like the prodigal son who was in that foreign land, poor, hungry, and destitute. But then the Bible says that “He came to himself” or he got a hold of himself.
When you come to yourself in that foreign land, and turn to the Lord, He will turn the lights on. You will see that you no longer need be afraid of anything because Rom 8:31 …If God is for us, who can be against us? Like the big brother who is always watchful over his little brother, our Lord is always watchful over us.
If you are dealing with a spirit of fear today, understand this—God didn’t give that to you, Satan did. So, you need to get on your knees or down onto your face before the Lord today before you leave this place and call out to Him to endue you with power, enrich you with love, and enlighten you with a sound mind. Then, and only then, you can go out and face the day, and live in victory He has called you to.
Would you pray with me?
