“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”
II Timothy 1:7
Romans 8:9 says, “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.”
From the moment of salvation, we have the Spirit of Christ living within us.
Galatians says that the fruit of the Spirit is “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance…” (Galatians 5:22-23) The fruit of God’s Holy Spirit creates within us a holy lifestyle empowered by His love. That’s the Spirit of a sound mind, which is the mind of Christ.
Philippians 2:5 says, “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:”
Proverbs 1:7 says, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” We are to fear the Lord. (I Samuel 12:14; Psalm 31:19; Psalm 103:13; Psalm 147:11; Malachi 3:16; Luke 1:50)
To fear the Lord means to respect Him for Who He is and for what He can do; to recognize His deity and power and might, and to obey His voice. So when Paul says in II Timothy, “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear…” he is not contradicting Proverbs 1:7. He’s not telling us that God doesn’t expect us to fear Him.
A healthy fear of God causes us to obey Him. (I Samuel 12:14; Isaiah 50:10) If we love God, we will obey Him. (John 14:15; I John 2:5; 5:3) Therefore, if we fear God…if we truly recognize Him for Who He is – God Almighty, Lord of Heaven and Earth, Creator of all things…then we will also love and trust Him for Who He is.
When you are saved, the Spirit of God moves into your life.
I Corinthians 3:16 says, “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?”
God’s Spirit does not cause you to fear. God’s Spirit empowers you to do His will. It overshadows you with His love to share with others. And it blesses you with a sound mind to trust God as He guides you into godly decisions.
I Corinthians 2:16 says, “For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.” And the mind of Christ is a sound mind.