The Fear Within Us

For God has not given us a spirit of fear,  but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
2 Timothy 1: 7 NKJV

All of us have fears of one kind or another, whether we want to admit them or not.  As I write this I'm anticipating yet another excellent hike with my friend Dennis in the beautiful Columbia River Gorge.  These are good times for us, fellowship and nature.   Dennis has walked the trails of the Northwest for years, I'm a Minnesota transplant.  However, I love the scenery that we've enjoyed up to this point.  I love the scenery, just not the cliffside trails where walking on such terrain can bring instant death.  See, that's my fear, heights.  It's my belief that man was never meant to fly unassisted, and I hold fast to that theory!  So, what is it that makes us have a spirit of fear?  I would venture to say that alot of it has to do with the unknown, we fear what we do not know will happen.  I haven't asked Dennis as of yet what his fears are, but I can bet that he has a few.  If we look at 2nd Timothy, we can clearly see that fear is NOT sent to us from God.   So, if God does not send us a spirit of fear, is it safe to assume that satan may be responsible for our fears?  Galations 2:20 assures us that our Jesus now lives in us, which can reassure us that fear is not our natural state.

I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Galations 2:20 NKJV

So, if Christ lives in me,  I naturaly have his spirit in me,  which is NOT a spirit of fear,  enter 2 Timothy :7.   Yet, we still have those nagging fears inside us.  However, we can rest in the knowledge that Jesus is within us, and Christ is not a spirit of fear.  Dennis had good answer for my fears as he told me "You're too good to die."  I am inclined to agree!

~Scott~