The Spirit God has Given Us

UV 4223/10000 The Spirit God has Given Us For God did not give us a spirit of timidity or cowardice or fear, but (He has given us a spirit) of power and love and of sound judgment and personal discipline (abilities that result in a calm, well-balanced mind and self-control). 2 Timothy 1 v 7 God has given us in Christ the spirit of power or His strength throbs in us and works all things out for His glory and our good. Our spirit of fear that dominated us in the natural has been replaced by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit has given us the anointing or the power to be all that the Lord intends us to be, enables us to do all that the Lord empowers us to do. The magnitude of this power is beyond measure, beyond our imagination or our asking. It is able to do in us exceedingly, abundantly more than we think, ask or imagine. All the earthly and spiritual powers are subject and below this power. It is by means of such power that He has placed all powers and dominions under the feet of the believers. Hence, we have no reason or need to fear anything or anyone. We are to be brave, bold, fearless, courageous, confident. We should not allow fears to affect our inner peace or well being. We can be short of anything but we should not be short in faith, hope and trust in the Lord. Being people of faith, we should not however lose sight or hold of sound judgment, sound mind and self-control. We need to be wise in our decision making, heeding the guidance of the indwelling Spirit and the Word of God. We cannot be hasty, impulsive, angry or hatred-driven. We need to balance the unlimited, infinite spiritual power and responsibility placed in our hands with a sound mind, control of our emotions, constant self examination and regulation in the light of the word, not departing from the dictates or directions of our own spirit of discernment, self- restraint, wisdom. The third dimension that Paul emphasizes in his writing to the young mentee and future bishop of the early church is the need for personal discipline. We are to submit our various organs and faculties to the discipline of the Holy Spirit- our mouths, our appetite, our emotions, our speech, our desires. Control by the Spirit of God is central to exercising self-control in our lives. We need to run our words through the filters of the Word of God so that every word uttered is wholesome, edifying and beneficial to the hearer. We need to allow the Spirit to examine the motives behind every action of ours and accept constant and continuing instruction and correction.