“For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.” (2 Timothy 1:7 NLT)

 

One day, when I was a small boy living in New Jersey, I was walking around my neighborhood with a newly acquired pair of cowboy cap guns. I was feeling pretty tough. I had my little belt on with my holsters and guns. As I walked, I practiced my fast draw, pulling out my pistols and firing away.

Before long, a couple of hoodlums saw me and said, “Hey, you, come over here.” They started pushing me around and laughing at me. And then they did the unthinkable. They took my guns. All I could do was go home crying with empty holsters.

When I got home, I found my half-brother, who was five years older and a lot bigger than I was. I asked him, “Would you help me get my guns back?” Together, we went back to the scene of the crime, where the hoodlums were still playing with my guns. With great courage, I stepped forward and said, “Give me my guns back!” I was feeling tough again. It wasn’t because I was suddenly stronger. It was because my brother was with me. If those guys gave me a problem, my brother would take care of them. I had courage not because of who I was, but because of who was with me.

As we get older, we may outgrow certain fears, but we never outgrow fear itself. We just become frightened by different things. Fear is an overwhelming emotion that takes hold of us and causes us to act with complete irrationality. In fact, we’re often more devastated by the experience of fear than by the thing we’re afraid of.

But God says that we don’t have to be afraid—because He is with us. In fact, He says it in several different places in the Bible. Someone once calculated that the words fear not, or some variation of them, appear 366 times in Scripture. That’s one for every day of the year, plus leap year day! Joshua 1:9 is a perfect example: “This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (NLT).

For believers, those words are literal. The Holy Spirit dwells within every Christian. He never leaves us. The apostle Paul wrote, “Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16 NLT). You don’t have to go get Him and bring Him back with you to confront what’s scaring you. He’s always there, inside you.

That’s why the apostle Paul was able to write with confidence, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline” (2 Timothy 1:7 NLT). If we embrace the Holy Spirit’s presence and measure God’s power against whatever it is that frightens us, we can overcome any fear.

Reflection Question: What is your best strategy for dealing with fear? Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!

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The audio production of the podcast "Daily Devotions from Greg Laurie" utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known."

All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie.

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&ldquo;For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.&rdquo; (2 Timothy 1:7 NLT)
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One day, when I was a small boy living in New Jersey, I was walking around my neighborhood with a newly acquired pair of cowboy cap guns. I was feeling pretty tough. I had my little belt on with my holsters and guns. As I walked, I practiced my fast draw, pulling out my pistols and firing away.
Before long, a couple of hoodlums saw me and said, &ldquo;Hey, you, come over here.&rdquo; They started pushing me around and laughing at me. And then they did the unthinkable. They took my guns. All I could do was go home crying with empty holsters.
When I got home, I found my half-brother, who was five years older and a lot bigger than I was. I asked him, &ldquo;Would you help me get my guns back?&rdquo; Together, we went back to the scene of the crime, where the hoodlums were still playing with my guns. With great courage, I stepped forward and said, &ldquo;Give me my guns back!&rdquo; I was feeling tough again. It wasn&rsquo;t because I was suddenly stronger. It was because my brother was with me. If those guys gave me a problem, my brother would take care of them. I had courage not because of who I was, but because of who was with me.
As we get older, we may outgrow certain fears, but we never outgrow fear itself. We just become frightened by different things. Fear is an overwhelming emotion that takes hold of us and causes us to act with complete irrationality. In fact, we&rsquo;re often more devastated by the experience of fear than by the thing we&rsquo;re afraid of.
But God says that we don&rsquo;t have to be afraid&mdash;because He is with us. In fact, He says it in several different places in the Bible. Someone once calculated that the words fear not, or some variation of them, appear 366 times in Scripture. That&rsquo;s one for every day of the year, plus leap year day! Joshua 1:9 is a perfect example: &ldquo;This is my command&mdash;be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go&rdquo; (NLT).
For believers, those words are literal. The Holy Spirit dwells within every Christian. He never leaves us. The apostle Paul wrote, &ldquo;Don&rsquo;t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you?&rdquo; (1 Corinthians 3:16 NLT). You don&rsquo;t have to go get Him and bring Him back with you to confront what&rsquo;s scaring you. He&rsquo;s always there, inside you.
That&rsquo;s why the apostle Paul was able to write with confidence, &ldquo;For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline&rdquo; (2 Timothy 1:7 NLT). If we embrace the Holy Spirit&rsquo;s presence and measure God&rsquo;s power against whatever it is that frightens us, we can overcome any fear.
Reflection Question: What is your best strategy for dealing with fear? <a href="https://disciple.harvest.org/spaces/17592429/feed?utm_source=DD&amp;utm_medium=podcast&amp;utm_campaign=HarvestDiscipleship">Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!</a>
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The audio production of the podcast "Daily Devotions from Greg Laurie" utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known." All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie.
<a href="https://go.pddr.app/glpodcast">Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast</a>
<a href="https://harvest.org/harvest-partner/?utm_source=DD&amp;utm_medium=podcast&amp;utm_campaign=HarvestPartners">Become a Harvest Partner</a>

If you want to be successful in the Christian life, you must have a mind full of God’s Word. Refresh your mind with it daily, right here. Each day, you'll receive a verse and commentary from Pastor Greg Laurie, who offers biblical insight through humor, personal stories, and cultural commentary. Start listening and hear what God has to say to you. 

*The audio production of this podcast utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known."

All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie.

If you want to be successful in the Christian life, you must have a mind full of God&rsquo;s Word. Refresh your mind with it daily, right here. Each day, you'll receive a verse and commentary from&nbsp;<a href="https://harvest.org/about-greg-laurie/">Pastor Greg Laurie</a>, who offers biblical insight through humor, personal stories, and cultural commentary. Start listening and hear what God has to say to you.&nbsp;
*The audio production of this podcast utilizes Generative AI technology.&nbsp;This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known." All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie.

Greg Laurie provides commentary on the day's Bible verse.

Greg Laurie: Daily Devotions

Because the Holy Spirit lives in every believer, we need never be afraid.