In the natural, the opposite of fear is courage. I mean...how often do we hear people talk about the need to be courageous when facing a fear. However, in the Spirit, the opposite of fear is faith. If you look at this verse in the original language, the word translated as "fear" literally means "faithless." If you want to come out from under fear then you must operate in faith.
By faith you must understand that the Spirit of God within you is POWER:
- This is the inherent power available through the life of Christ within us. The enemy would love for us to believe that we are not powerful. The Spirit of God tells us something different. Scripture teaches us that the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead now dwells within us. We have the VERY power of God available to us for every task, every need, and every situation. Fear would love to keep us from every tapping into the power of God. That's why you must operate faith in what God has already granted you.
By faith you must understand that the Spirit of God within you is LOVE:
- Fear would always keep you from putting yourself out there or paralyze you with the thought that you could never be loved. Since you have the very nature of God in you then you must understand that His nature is love. You have all the love of God that you could ever want or ever need. You also have the ability to draw upon His love in your daily life. In John's letter to the church, he teaches us that perfect love casts out all fear and that the one who fears is not made perfect in love. So there is a need in our lives to be rooted and grounded in the unconditional love of God.
By faith you must understand that the Spirit of God within you is SELF-CONTROL:
- This one is huge! I'm continually reminding myself (and my children) that the Spirit of God within us is self-control. Therefore, I never have to be out of control. This doesn't mean that I can control every situation that I enter into but that I can control myself. I can control my responses, my behavior, and my attitudes. Self-control is also listed as a fruit of the Spirit. When you and I choose to partner with the Holy Spirit in our lives then we are always in control.
In case you didn't notice, I started every heading statement with "By faith..." Remember, the opposite of fear in the Spirit is faith. That means the only way that we can counter fear in our lives is by choosing to believe what God's Word says about us. We must allow our identity to be rooted in God's definition. Initially, until we become renewed in our thinking, we will have to accept these statements by faith. We must choose to believe. The good news is that the more accustomed we become in accepting God's definition then we will also learn to refuse anything that would come from the voice of fear.
The Spirit of God is also the Spirit of Truth in our lives. He cannot and will not lead us in error. He works to keep us established in the righteousness of God that is in Christ. He calls to remembrance the words of Christ in our lives. He will continually guide us into even more truth. In this way, you never have to live in bondage to fear. Even if God is directing your life in an area that you are unsure of you can be confident in His heart for you. Never allow your life to be dominated by fear. Instead, choose to partner with the Holy Spirit's power, love, and self-control.
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