The Spirit within helps us to overcome
For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. So never be ashamed to tell others about our Lord. And don’t be ashamed of me, either, even though I’m in prison for him. With the strength God gives you, be ready to suffer with me for the sake of the Good News. For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time—to show us his grace through Christ Jesus. 2 Timothy 1:7-9
From our text, the Apostle Paul is reminding Timothy that God did not give us a spirit of timidity but “of power, love, and self-discipline” (v. 7). This means that you can do the task God has set for you. There are times that we feel overwhelmed by the responsibilities and lead us to think that we are inadequate. The tendency to feel inadequate can lead us to become immobilized that it prevents us from doing the Lord’s work. Consequently, this now becomes an excuse convincing oneself that the responsibility is too great and that God should not presume so much. When this feeling lingers on, we can miss out on doing some wonderful God-given opportunities. There will be times where God will call you in a situation that is just right for an opportunity to demonstrate God’s love by serving a coworker, family member, or a friend. Instead you back off and ending up wasting an opportune because you are fearful that you don’t know if you are doing a good job. The feeling of inadequacy grows out of relying to one’s own abilities. You look at yourself and you conclude that you are unqualified. When you become conflicted you allow fear to overcome you. The apostle Paul told Timothy that God is not the source of such emotion so it should not be an excuse for avoiding responsibility. A growing believer understands that part of our being in Christ is to demonstrate His love through our actions. “Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think” (Ephesians 3:20). It is God’s power working within us that will make us more than adequate to do the task. Paul’s prayer expresses this available power for every believer; “I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit” (Ephesians 3:16). It is not by having tremendous personality or great qualifications that will make us suitable for the task God is calling us to do. All God wants from us is a willingness to allow Him through the Holy Spirit to work His will to our lives. “For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him” (Philippians 2:13).Step out of faith and yield to the Holy Spirit’s strength and let God’s power be manifested in all you do.
Blessings,
Noel De Guzman
www.my-wbc.com
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