God has not given us a spirit of fear... regarding what?

Reading through the books of 1 and 2 Timothy in one sitting, I ran across a very familiar verse:

2 Timothy 1:7 (NIV)For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline.

I remember hearing this verse often as a child, quoting it to myself when I was afraid.  I tell it to myself as an adult when I am having anxiety driving through heavy traffic, or any other situation that makes me feel the grip of fear seizing me.  But something I have realized lately is that a lot of people memorize verses, which is great, but they do not go back and look at how those verses come in context.  Today I was struck by the context of this verse.  Take a look at the verse that comes before it:

2 Timothy 1:6 (NIV)For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands.  

 Then comes 2 Timothy 1:7 (NIV):

2 Timothy 1:7 (NIV)For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline.

When looking at these verses in context, it appears that Paul was writing to Timothy and telling him not only to be unafraid, but to be unafraid to use the "gift" he received through the "laying on of hands".  Since I had read 1 Timothy just moments before, I realized Paul mentions this gift in his first letter as well:

1 Timothy 4:14 (NIV)Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through a prophetic message when the body of elders laid their hands on you.  

Using Strong's Concordance, I looked up the word for gift in Greek, since the translation from the original Greek into English can lead to a word that's vague.  I also looked up the word for gift in English to compare the two.

The New Oxford American Dictionary defines the English word "gift" as a noun, a thing given willingly to someone without payment; a present; or a natural ability or talent.

Strong's says the word used in both 1 and 2 Timothy is the Greek word "charisma", perhaps where the "charistmatic" label comes from in our language.

The NAS New Testament Greek Lexicon defines "charisma as":

• "a favour with which one receives without any merit of his own

• the gift of divine grace

• the gift of faith, knowledge, holiness, virtue

• the economy of divine grace, by which the pardon of sin and eternal salvation is appointed to sinners in consideration of the merits of Christ laid hold of by faith

• grace or gifts denoting extraordinary powers, distinguishing certain Christians and enabling them to serve the church of Christ, the reception of which is due to the power of divine grace operating on their souls by the Holy Spirit"

This word "charisma" per Strong's is also used in Romans 1:11, Romans 5:15-16, Romans 6:23, Romans 11:29, Romans 12:6, 1 Corinithians 1:7, 1 Corinthians 7:7, 1 Corinthians 12:4, 1 Corinthians 12:9, 1 Corinthians 12:28, and 1 Corinthians 12:30-31, 2 Corinthians 1:11, and 1 Peter 4:10.  A majority of these verses are listed below for ease of looking them up (I've listed the ones I feel are pertinent):

Romans 1:11 (NIV)I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong-- 

Romans 11:29 (NIV)for God's gifts and his call are irrevocable.

Romans 12:6 (NIV)We have different gifts, according to the grace given us.  If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. 

1 Corinthians 1:7 (NIV)Therefore, you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. 

1 Corinthians 7:7 (NIV)I wish that all men were as I am.  But each man has his own gift from God; one has this gift; another has that. 

1 Corinthians 12:4 (NIV)There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. 

1 Corinthians 12:9 (NIV)to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 

1 Corinthians 12:28 (NIV)And int he church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues. 

1 Corinthians 12: 30 -31Do all have gifts of healing?  Do all speak in tongues?  Do all interpret?  But eagerly desire the greater gifts.  And now I will show you the most excellent way. 

 1 Peter 4:10 (NIV)
Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms.

As can be seen, it seems as if in context, Paul is telling Timothy to not have a spirit of fear regarding the use of "grace or gifts denoting extraordinary powers, distinguishing certain Christians and enabling them to serve the church of Christ, the reception of which is due to the power of divine grace operating in their souls by the Holy Spirit", which Timothy received through prayer from elders in the church.

It makes me wonder which gift Timothy received.  The verses above indicate that spiritual gifts can be prophecy, faith, healing, working miracles, healing, the ability to help others, administration, tongues, interpretation of tongues.  There may be more listed not mentioned here, since this is not a study on gifts but on not being afraid to use them.  The context of the familiar verse 2 Timothy 1:7 really strikes home, however, as in our modern post-Christian day and age, where people eat food prepared in factories and live in big cities, I really feel as if some parts of the church have come to neglect the spiritual gifts that are Biblical.  Like Timothy, we have become afraid of them, so afraid, in fact, that we use the verse about fear and do not talk about what comes before it.

I wonder if that is why the church has seemingly lost its power.  I hear many young people speaking about how they wish we could go back to the days of Acts when the early church experienced power when the holy spirit came upon them, why we cannot see miracles such as in the days of Jesus or even in Old Testament times.  I believe we have forgotten that God has not give us a spirit of fear in regards to these things, but of power to use our gifts, of love to motivate our use, and of self-discipline to learn how to use them.

I believe that 2 Timothy 1:7 is ok to use out of context when it comes to any fear, for all fear except the fear of the Lord (which is essentially reverence or respect) is not from God.  The verses that come to mind are the many times in the Old Testament, such as in Deuteronomy, where God tells his people to be strong and courageous.  We also walk by faith, not by sight, as said in 2 Corinthians 5:7, which indicates we act on what we know God to be and how we know him to operate, not by the dangers we know that are out there.  This is pleasing to God (Hebrews 11:6). 

The New Oxford American dictionary defines fear as a noun, an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat.

So actually fear is a normal human response based off of what we perceive with our senses, such as our sight.  But since we are to walk by our faith-- our beliefs-- and not our sight or senses, I believe the Word of God teaches that God does not want us to be ruled by our fears.  So I think it is a correct use of scripture to remind oneself that God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and self-discipline.  But I believe we are missing so much of our spiritual walk if we neglect the gifts of the spirit.  We won't truly be as Jesus was without this empowerment.

Paul writes that each man has his own spiritual gift in 1 Corinthians 7:7, and it is implied in the letters to Timothy that we can receive gifts through prayer.  I encourage you, as a Christian, to seek God as to what your spiritual giftings are and to use them with power, for love, and to discipline yourself in the use of them.  If you do not know your gifts, or wish to receive one, I encourage you to ask for prayer.  For God has not given us a spirit of timidity in regards to them, but of power, of love, and of self-discipline.

God Had An Opinion On My Outfit

Isaiah 30:21 (NIV)Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you saying, "This is the way; walk in it."

You probably think by the title of my post that I am writing about modesty.  While I am a firm advocate of modesty, the opinion that God voiced one cold wintery morning had nothing to do with a shirt that was too low cut or anything of the sort.  In fact, because it was so cold out, I put on a long sleeve shirt with a high neckline.
It was always hard at the office to decide whether it would be warm or cold that day.  The day prior to the particular morning God had an opinion, it was extremely warm in the office.  So I decided to not wear long johns under my pants because I would roast and subsequently be tempted to nod off after lunch, all warm and toasty.  I fixed my hair and make up and turned on my heel to go to work.
God said: You'll want warmer clothes today.
My response was to go extreme.  You want warm clothes, God?  I pulled out the largest, most heaviest sweater ever made and layered that over long johns.  I also selected my warmest coat and boots.  I hate wearing headwear during the winter, but I made sure I had that as well, and also gloves.  I was certain I would roast in the office that day and that I would show God a thing or two about having an opinion about my outfit!
Needless to say, as I was driving to work that morning, I thought that the music on the radio had a very annoying beat.  I turned the music up to hear it because it did not match the rhythm of the words at all!  Oddly enough, the rhythm of the beat did not correspondingly increase in volume.
I noticed then that the car was driving strangely, but it being a snowy morning, I had to wait to pull over.  Finally I cleared the intersection, pulled over in the snow, and found that I had a flat tire and the "odd beat" that I thought I heard on the radio was me driving and crunching the rim of the tire into scrap metal!  Yikes!
Needless to say I had to pull all my summer tires out of the back of the car to try and find a jack, which took a while.  The car did not have a jack so I stood out in the snow like a very lost person for some time before someone pulled over to see if I needed help.  He did not have a jack that would fit my car, but returned home to get one from his other car that would fit.  I waited outside in perhaps thirty or forty below-zero weather.
Finally, once my flat was swapped out with a winter tire, I drove to work and found that I had been outside so long that I was cold the entire day.  Had I not listened to God, heard his still small voice, that morning, I would have lost my toes and ear tips to frostbite and perhaps frozen my thighs and other parts susceptible to cold damage.
I don't believe that a follower of Jesus must pray over whether or not they should wear warm clothes or lighter clothes in the morning in any season, or whether or not they should put ketchup or mustard on their hotdog, however I do believe that in the day-to-day, we need to be open to hear God's voice whisper in our ears his opinions, requests, and commands.  He may utter something vital, such as, "This is the one you are going to marry," or he might tell you to not eat that ketchup because it's spoiled.  Or, he might tell you that you'll want to change your outfit for the day.
I encourage you to cultivate your relationship with God so that you can recognize his voice.  Also, don't be so busy or occupied or blasted with media that you do not have the opportunity to even hear his voice if he spoke.  Often times we miss the quiet voice telling us to go to the right or the left because it's drowned out by distractions.
I know I must strive to be open to hearing.  I know it's worth it-- I still have my ears and toes to prove it.

Attempted Kidnapping

Psalm 91:11 (NASB)
For He will give His angels charge concerning you, to guard you in all your ways.


When I was 14, I went on a few-week mission trip to the Philippines with the organization Reap International.  I was really young, naive, and thought good of most people at that point in my life.  I went wherever without a thought of what was going on and was completely unaware of any potential danger.
Apparently while we were there, there was a communist group called the New People's Army or NPA which was watching our team the duration of our time on one of the islands.  The Filipinos would not let us sleep in certain villages because of kidnapping danger and I think the NPA lit off a bomb near the Bible School that Reap helps with to intimidate the American presence or something of the sort.  I was completely oblivious.
I went from one place to the next smiling at everyone, leading worship at the churches, engaging in any activities that the other youth on our team were doing. One thing that I tried was riding on the outside of one of their local modes of transportation-- the tricee which is like a golf cart attached to a small motorbike.  All the passengers ride in the "golf cart" side.  It was really fun because my parents would never let me do anything risky like that (they did not come on the trip)... all until a Filipino man reached out and hooked his arm around my waist and tried to pull me off the tricee.
It didn't occur to me that I was in danger, I just didn't think it was very polite to rip people off tricees.  I didn't struggle, I was too small then to have fought him and he was too large that I am not exactly sure how he had not succeeded.  All I know was that one minute I was riding on the outside and he hooked his arm around my waist and pulled and the next minute I was flying/scrambling into the very full golf cart onto the laps of many people on our team.  They asked me what the meaning of it was, thinking I was perhaps acting up, but I told them what had happened, so they let me ride on the inside.
I didn't fully realize the significance of this until I became older, for now I know of all the things that can happen to a 14 year old girl that gets kidnapped.  I thought the worst that could have happened was that they might ransom me if it was the NPA that tried, but it could have been one of those people that steal children to sell them.  Whichever was the case, I realize that God's divine hand was protecting me, because surely the man should have succeeded in kidnapping me to whatever end.  But God's angels watched over me and kept me safe. 
I know most people don't have stories like that, so I have really seen the incredible work of God in my life.  I am sharing it here so that others can see that God truly is at work in the world, alive and active.  My life has been evidence of it numerous times.

Trampling? Try Sitting and Sleeping On "Snakes And Scorpions"!!!

Luke 10:19 (NIV)
I have give you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.


When I was 19, I went on a 6 months missions trip to the Philippines.  The organization I went with, Mercy In Action, divided groups of students into teams and sent them out into various villages and places to conduct primary health care and educate on hygiene and the spread of disease.  I happened to be an honorary member of the team because I never went through the schooling, so sometimes I had things to do such as count out pills as the "pharmacist" and other times I had to sit and observe.  It was during one of  the "sitting" sessions that I "sat" on a poisonous centipede.
In the Philippines, they frequently lay flooring in sheets loosely over concrete to make the floors look nicer.  Because the sheets are not secured, things like creepy crawly insects and ants can crawl under them and make a nice little home for themselves.  At one particular church, they had a small platform that was covered in this manner and I, in a skirt because it was so hot, decided I would sit on the edge of this platform and watch the pharmacist count pills.
I had gotten used to the feeling of an occasional ant or two crawling on my legs or my arms and sometimes up the back of my shirt.  So long as they didn't bite, it wasn't worth the effort of finding it .  It was so hot, too, that you really didn't care if a water buffalo came and sat on you.  Actually, that might have been preferred, it was that hot and miserable.
I had one such feeling-of-an-ant crawling on the upper part of the inside of my leg and thought nothing about it.  I made a joke to myself about having ants in my pants but I didn't care.  The feeling continued on lot longer than normal, and I then felt concerned that it was not just an ant but perhaps I had sat on a nest of ants.  Or maybe it was something else, like a cockroach.  Or even worse, a spider.  I had to do something, and fast!
It is not polite to reach into your skirt in any social setting, but because I was behind a table, I very quietly and sneakily did so only to find that my hand grasped something a LOT larger than an ant.  I pulled it out, and my hand was full of a ginormous centipede which had found a nice, warm home in my skirt.  There was one second of shock and then I threw it, shouting.  A Filipino man saw what I threw and immediately became alarmed.  He pulled off his sandal, for that is how Filipinos kill insects, and tried to kill it, but it was too fast.  It got away and crawled under the flooring, back to where it had probably come from.  The man tried to rip up the flooring to get to it but did not find it.
Meanwhile, a team member observed this exchange and came over to see if I was ok.  The Filipino man informed us that it was poisonous and could kill with one bite.  Or, it would cause so much pain that you would wish you had been killed.  The team member told me that another missionary had seen a Filipino man cut off his arm rather than endure the pain of a bite of one of those centipedes.  And it had been crawling in my skirt, and momentarily in my hand!
When I thought it through further, our whole team had all been sleeping on that floor in mosquito nets.  The centipede had had multiple opportunities to find someone to bite (or to make a home in someone else's skirt), but we had never seen it before then.  How blessed I was to have God's protection just as Jesus said in Luke 10:19!!!  When we are in God's will we can not only trample on snakes and scorpions (or poisonous centipedes), but we can also sit on them or sleep on them... and no harm will come to us.
Be encouraged to do what God tells you to do, for he has given you authority to overcome the power of the evil one.

Room Of Images

Ezekiel 8: 10 - 12 (New Revised Standard Version)
So I went in and looked; there portrayed on the wall all around, were all kinds of creeping things, and loathsome animals, and all the idols of the house of Israel. Before them stood seventy of the elders of the house of Israel, with Jaazaniah son of Shaphan standing among them. Each had his censer in his hand, and the fragrant cloud of incense was ascending. Then he said to me, "Mortal, have you seen what the elders of the house of Israel are doing in the dark, each in his room of images? For they say, "The Lord does not see us..."

This is a vision that Ezekiel had of the elders of Israel worshipping idols, "each in his room of images" according to God (he's the one addressing Ezekial by calling him "Mortal"). I challenge you to consider this: If your life had a "Room of Images", what could someone find if they were invited in? What are you offering your worship too, your time, your thoughts, your inner most being? Who are you when no one else sees you, when you are in "the dark"? We live in the world, so there are things we have to do in order to live in the world like school, work, eat, shower, breathe, interact with other people. Each of us is also a unique reflection of God, and so we have God-given talents and activities that we like that reflect God's nature. But if someone walked into your "Room of Images", would they find God reflected there? If so, great! If not, what are you willing to do about it?

Prayer To Save A Marriage

One night a few years ago, I woke up in the middle of the night with the thought that I needed to pray for a friend's marriage.  I had this very strange vision of what could have been a camera zooming in on one spouse shouting into the camera that they did not want to be married to their spouse anymore.  It was so strange because I didn't think that they were having any marriage troubles.  So I prayed until the image of the spouse shouting at the camera faded.  I fell asleep.  As with all visions and strange nightly wakings, I hoped to myself that I was not crazy and that it was truly God.  I didn't think much about it after.
About a year or so after this incident, one spouse shared with me the fact that the other had left without intention of returning (or at least the mention of it).  They ended up returning stating that God had convicted them, and the couple is still married today.  The timing was crazily about the time I had woken up in the middle of the night to pray!
While it seems weird to our Western minds, I am so thankful that God trusted me enough to wake me up to pray for my friend.  It makes me wonder how many times God has woken up someone else with thoughts of me.  It also makes me wonder how many other people God tried to wake up to pray, such as if he tried to wake up others and they dismissed it as eating pizza too close to bedtime.
I challenge those that read this to be available to God... you never know what is at stake.  I challenge you to be able to answer like Samuel:

1 Samuel 3:4... the LORD called Samuel; and he said, "Here I am." 

The Ultimate Job

Mark 11:24 (NIV)
Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.


It was the day before Thanksgiving.  We, my coworkers and I, were given our pink slips.  Yes, we were laid off.  The day before Thanksgiving.
I needed a job.  That much was for certain.  I spent a month looking, searching, praying.  I dressed up in interview clothes every day and walked around with my resume, just in case I might see a job opportunity.  The town I live in is a smaller town, so it's possible to find a job opportunity in line at the grocery store.
One thing I learned was that you don't go to the unemployment office in interview clothing because heaven forbid that you should actually want to work that day if you were hired.  Instead you ought to roll around in dirt and not comb your hair, because if you don't, people in line at the unemployment office look like they want to kill you because you (a rich person because you are dressed rich when in actuality you are wearing your best clothing because you are becoming increasingly poorer each day and need a job) dare stand in line to take a job that they could get.  I have never been looked at like that in my life.  The way someone gives a sideways glance to a person who is acting inappropriately.  Unlike some people, I was actually actively (key word: actively) searching for a job.
I prayed for a job that would provide a good income, have benefits, be close to my home at the time, where I would be able to use my knowledge of the medical field, where I'd have good coworkers, and where I'd have a good supervisor.  I received two job interviews at two tax places, needing temporary workers for the tax season.  The first tax place wanted to hire me.  I was scared to say no because there wasn't much out there.  But I felt like the pay I was offered was too low to live on.  Then I got called for the second job interview.  And then one of my other applications, at a clinic, came through.  They wanted me to interview on the same day.  The clinic interview came first.  They wanted to hire me on the spot for a job that I did not apply for.  After much inner debate, I decided to take the job and let the other place know I was not interested in the interview.
Over the next four and a half years, the job proved to be exactly what I'd ordered and more.  Not only has everything been better than I asked for, but the job unexpectedly provided for me in a very tough place, and I am still seeing the provision from it.  Last year I went through a very rough time in life, one I might be able to blog about twenty or thirty years from now.  We'll see.  I had to make many adjustments in living and I went hungry sometimes (although miraculously food turned up at convenient times... more on that later), and I cried a lot because I didn't have enough money to pay for some medical things I needed (and other hard things that were going on in life).  The job that I prayed for, thinking only in the short term, ended up carrying me through the hard times and once I adjusted my living, it allowed me to save up for the next adventure in life.  It also helped provide for medical expenses through a good insurance program so that actually a lot of my crying about medical expenses proved to be fruitless because most of them were already provided for.  I wish I could go into detail, but that is for another time.
I wish I could have found a better scripture for this post, because I do believe that some people treat God like a vending machine.  It's not like that.  Insert prayer, receive blessing.  In this case, I did believe that God would provide me with what I asked for, only he not only provided for my immediate needs, he also provided ahead of time for things in the future.  He went above and beyond what I asked for.  It is so awesome to be in relationship with a God like that!  When you are in relationship with him, then you can do Mark 11:24.  That way you are asking things within God's will, coming before God with clean hands and living a life pleasing to him so that He can't help but bless you.  Anyway, God is awesome.