Fighting Fear

Paul and Timothy had a special relationship. Paul mentored Timothy and taught him everything he knew. He loved Timothy like a son! Even though Timothy didn’t come from a perfect family, Paul saw something in him: a sincere faith that was also in his mother and grandmother. We don’t know much about Timothy’s father, but chances are he wasn’t a follower of Jesus or a positive influence in Timothy’s life. God uses people who come from imperfect families. So if your family is messed up, congratulations! You’re in good company. This epistle is the last letter we have from Paul before he was executed in Rome. You can hear the passion and sense of urgency as Paul writes these words to his beloved son in the faith. 

Paul encourages Timothy to “fan into flame” the gifts that he has been given through the Holy Spirit. Paul knew that Timothy was called to lead, even when times were tough. When life gets hard, it’s always nice to have a mentor in our lives who can help remind us of the gifts we have been given and encourage us to operate in those gifts! Paul also reassures Timothy that the Holy Spirit gives him courage, not fear. Aunty fear that Timothy has is coming from a focus on himself and not on Christ. We can fall into the same trap. When we place the focus on ourselves, we can be afraid of what is ahead and second guess everything. But when the attention is on Jesus, we can fight against fear.

And that is the main takeaway from this passage: We fight fear by turning our attention to Jesus! So the question is: How can you intentionally turn your attention away from yourself and to Jesus today? Maybe you can listen to worship music and listen intently to the lyrics. Maybe you can spend some time in prayer, praising God for all He has done in your life. Maybe you can even call a mentor and ask them to encourage you when you’re feeling defeated, just like Paul does for Timothy. Take some time today to intentionally turn your attention to Jesus and watch the fear in your life start to look smaller and smaller.