2 Timothy 1:7Amplified Bible (AMP)

7 For God did not give us a spirit of timidity or cowardice or fear, but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of sound judgment and personal discipline [abilities that result in a calm, well-balanced mind and self-control].

When I woke up Tuesday night a few weeks ago this is the scripture I quoted to calm myself. It has been a well used scripture in my life although not recently until that  week. Having been oddly ill for 4 weeks with abdominal pain and nausea the doctor decided it was time to be aggressive with testing. Ultra sounds, lab and multiple CT scans. The word “cancer” was used more than once. Although I did my best not to be alarmed fear was hitting me every morning around 4 am when I would wake up. When I quoted this scripture to myself that last night I heard the Holy Spirit say “do you know what you are saying; a spirit of fear”.

What immediately came to me was that I was battling more than mere thoughts. The enemy had sent a demonic spirit to basically wear me down. Not all fear is demonic. If I am in real danger and am fearful it is probably a means of motivating me to take action. However, often we find our minds running away with thoughts of terrible future outcomes, this is entirely different. This is when we know we are dealing with something that is not of God. There is an easy test. God sends His Holy Spirit to us and he only brings love. Love casts out fear.

1 John 4:18 (NKJV)

18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.

The love of God is an amazing thing. It is where our confidence is based. God loves us. He is loves us so much he sent his only son to pay the price for our sin and subsequent separation from Him and then offers us this incredible relationship that comes with a contract! A covenant that promises He will take care of our health, finances and overall well-being. Not just a simple contract but rather a contract that has pages and pages of promises and benefits.

One of those benefits is a fact that we have been made joint heirs with Christ. Lets take a look at what that means in terms of understanding the spirit of love and power mentioned in 2 Timothy.

Ephesians 1:18-22 (NKJV)

18 the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power 20 which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.

22 And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church,

Ephesians 2:6 (AMPC)

6 And He raised us up together with Him and made us sit down together [giving us joint seating with Him] in the heavenly sphere [by virtue of our being] in Christ Jesus (the Messiah, the Anointed One).

The word power in Greek is Dunamis. It is the root word of our English words dynamite, dynamo and dynamic.

His power towards us is the same power He used when he reversed every cell in the body of Jesus that had spiraled into death and brought each one back to life. That power was explosive supernatural power.

We are then told that everything is under the feet of Jesus, this includes the enemy and his lies. It includes every disease. What really amazes me is that in the spirit we are sitting with Jesus! So where is the enemy? Under our feet!

You see it is the word of God that sets us free from the lies of the enemy. It is the word that contradicts what we may feel or see or hear. It is the love of God and understanding His power towards us, and that which He has made available to us, that results in a sound mind. A sound mind brings Shalom peace. Shalom in the Hebrew is a word meaning peace, harmony, wholeness, completeness, prosperity, welfare and tranquility. It is this peace that washed over me . The peace that comes from reminding myself for the one thousand time how much I am loved, how powerful my God is and that He who keeps me under the shadow of His wing is still there….