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"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, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control" (2 Timothy 1:6-7).
Fear's many forms | Everyone is afraid of something. It might be something as small as the fear of spiders. It might be something a bit bigger, like the fear of heights or confined spaces. Maybe it’s a changing fear, one where you are watching the news with worry and waiting for the day when the civil unrest, the social upheavals, and the political divisions will take an irreversible turn for the worst. Maybe your fear takes the form of daily anxiety, where you are constantly worried about finances, work, health, and relationships. Or maybe it’s a core fear. Core fears are fears rooted deep down in our hearts and minds, stemming from early life and experiences: fear of failure, fear of the unknown, fear of the future, fear of abandonment, fear of losing identity, and even the fear of death. All of these fears trigger us mentally, emotionally, physically, and psychologically. You know the feeling — your pulse races, your breath quickens, your muscles tense, your body trembles, your stomach turns upside down, your judgment flies out of your mind, and your mind is sucked into a vortex containing just that fear. It’s nauseating, constricting, disorienting, and terrifying in and of itself. And yet, when you are confronted with your fear, you can’t escape. No matter how hard you try, it always seems to trap, confuse, and paralyze you. Fear is an aggressive emotion that can quickly take over everything if left uncontrolled.
Paul’s courageous faith | Paul had many reasons to be afraid. He was alone in prison, abandoned by most of his friends. Paul’s second letter to his friend Timothy is his last known letter, and it is jam-packed with encouragement, warning, and prophecy. Paul wrote this letter with complete certainty, even as he was faced with a terrifying situation. The words in 2 Timothy 1:6-7 were written to encourage Timothy and all believers: “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, for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.”
Fear not — daily | It is a common thought that there are 365 fear nots in the Bible, one for every day of the year as a reminder to constantly trust in God; however, that number isn’t exactly true. There is no Bible version that has the exact words fear not 365 times, but it is still one of the most repeated commands in the Bible, if not the most. Fear is a common human storm and is a testament to the tendency of sinners to distrust God and to be anxious. Therefore, the Bible addresses this concern with the command of fear not to remind people of God’s presence (Isaiah 41:10) and perfect love (1 John 4:18). Fear causes paralysis and keeps us from obeying God’s will and going out to courageously proclaim the Gospel. These verses tell us, however, that the Spirit gives us the (free!) gift of courage, which is the opposite of fear.
God's power | God casts out fear, and we are given a spirit of “power and love and self-control.” We often need more than just a simple pep talk to deliver us through the storms of life, especially a life lived as a child of God (2 Timothy 3:12). But there is good news: Jesus has overcome our storms (John 16:33), and we are given tools to overcome fears. We need the power only God can give. This gift of power isn’t one of superhuman strength like Samson, but rather one that empowers us to endure suffering and take hope into our everyday lives and battles. We have the power, through faith, to move mountains. This power draws us closer to God and enables us to trust in His promises. A spirit of love is what keeps us going and what gets poured into our hearts as we face our fear. God’s perfect love not only allows us to help our neighbors through their own times of trouble but also fills the gaps fear leaves in our hearts and lifts us up when we can’t fight on our own. Christ, when He died in our place, showed us this perfect example of love and gave us the gift of peace.
Self-control and courage | The spirit of self-control is also important to overcoming fear. Self-control is restraint and performing God’s will with sound reasoning. It’s doing something contrary to what we would normally do. The order that comes with this spirit can help calm our minds when afraid and deliver us to a calm state of mind in the midst of panic. Power helps us face our fear, while love helps us endure it, and self-control changes how we react to the situation of fear. All of these components lead to the spirit of courage, where we face our fears and come out the other side of the storm.
God’s fire | Fanning the flame is also an important aspect in overcoming fear. God appears as fire multiple times throughout the course of the Bible, but the most memorable times are when that fire doesn’t destroy. A fire that produces light but doesn’t consume is a miracle only God can do. Take the story of the burning bush: a whole bush (something highly flammable) caught on fire in front of Moses, and yet it didn’t crumble to ashes. Or take the story of the pillar of fire, leading the Israelites out of Egypt in the night, not charring the ground underneath it. In both cases, the fire is not meant to decimate and terrify people; it is a source of light and a way to lead people closer to God and His promises. Additionally, tongues of fire came down on Pentecost, a fire meant to fill and empower disciples, not to harm or consume them.
Fueling the flame | Fanning this flame — a fire of power, glory, and God’s everlasting presence — means giving it fuel to keep it burning. Daily prayer, reading and meditating on the Word, showing gratitude and kindness to others, and praising God are all like oxygen being fanned into a dying fire. This fuel can awaken our regenerated spirit of faith in Christ (our gift from God) and keep us close to His promises. We cannot simply just have this gift; we need to continually rely on the Spirit and fully embrace and activate the strength and courage we possess in Christ. Overcoming fear is as simple as trusting in the One whose cleansing, glorious, miraculous fire is alive and active in our hearts.
Courage through Christ | Fear can be a hard emotion to overcome, and unfortunately, it is an emotion we, as sinners, will never be able to escape. Fear is when we let something other than God take over our life. But we have something that defeats fear — a spirit of courage given by God through the grace of Christ. By His suffering and dying, we are given the Holy Spirit, who makes us fearless in troubling times, empowers us in weakness, stirs up love in our hearts, and grants us self-control to live differently. Our source of unlimited strength is also the One who is always with us.
Anchored in peace | By fanning the flames within our heart and soul, we can draw closer to the One who saves us from our fears. By stirring ourselves up, we can go out and proclaim our King and how He delivers us to perfect peace in the midst of anxiety and fear. God is our anchor and the way we are steadied through the storm of fear. God, in these verses, has called us to cultivate courage, not only in the midst of fear, but also in our everyday lives to share the Gospel and suffer for it. By using our spirit of courage, we can go out and live for God with no regrets. We may come out of the other side bruised and hurting, but we are not broken, and we are not alone. We can trust that our Lord will keep us steady through all the storms that terrify us and deliver us to peace.
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