For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.

Have your eyes ever played tricks on you? I love optical illusions. Our eyes were crafted to work in a three-dimensional world, but two-dimensional drawings trick our eyes because they don’t get the same information without depth, shading, etc. It’s so strange.

Fear is like that. It’s been said that fear is an acronym for false evidence appearing real. We’ve all experienced it: we get all worked up because fear causes us to doubt, worry, be confused, and creates a desire to control. Maybe it’s a worry about not being able to perform at work, or that you don’t have what it takes to succeed. Perhaps we don’t feel we have enough information to make good choices or the ability to bring about a positive end. Our adversary, the devil, is good at making us believe false information. Our introduction to him, his first words, were lies. In fact, he is the “father of lies” (John 8:44).

The truth that confronts this false evidence appearing real is the Spirit that God has put inside each of us. It is one of power - his power replaces our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9). This happens as he molds me to be more like him, as he places people in my life that encourage and build me up, when he affirms in me what the world rejects, and certainly when he makes the supernatural happen.

I have a spirit of love. 1 John 4:18 says, “Perfect love casts out fear.” Knowing I am secure in my relationship with God melts other worries away. Just like the confidence of going home, someone there loves you and will receive you and offer you rest. There is no fear when God is sovereign over our lives.

I am given a spirit of discipline. Many translations say a spirit of a “sound mind.” We are in control of what we believe. Stephen Covey says the thing that makes us different from other living creatures is that we own the space between stimulus and response - we have the ability to choose. That is discipline. I am not captive to every thought that comes into my head. That is why we permeate our minds with Scripture; we discipline ourselves to know truth so lies are drowned out. This is discipline.

Father, fear fills my mind with illusions that are meant to keep me from seeing you. Please remind me of your truth. Let me feel your power and see it at work in the world around me. May I rest in your perfect love and use the sound mind you gave me to discern your truth and not the devil’s lies. May I be a bold witness for your goodness. Do your work in me, that you might also work through me. Amen.