“Powerful and Brave” doesn’t always look like a critically-acclaimed Hollywood movie. Sometimes it looks like a genuine smile in the face of great difficulty. Sometimes it looks like doing the right thing when the wrong thing would be so much easier and convenient.
Powerful and Brave is choosing to love despite the hurt and choosing to forgive when you have every ‘right’ not to forgive. Powerful and Brave is reaching out to encourage someone when your own world is threatening to crumble.
When considered, “Powerful and Brave” is truly powerful AND brave. Every person has their own, daily, kind of powerful and brave and scripture confirms that the Spirit inside every believer is just that:
For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. 2 timothy 1:7
The Webster’s 1828 dictionary defines timid as: TIM’ID, adjective [Latin timidus, from timeo, to fear.] Fearful; wanting courage to meet danger; timorous; not bold.
Being “Timid” is a lack of courage, or being fearful.
Timid can look like sitting in the corner at a party because your are afraid to be yourself in front of others. Timid can also be a flat-out refusal to be yourself for fear of rejection.
Fear can rear its ugly head in the form of an emotional breakdown when life overwhelms and the future is unknown and can leave us timid to move forward or adjust in a healthy way to change.
Timidity can take the form of reluctantly using your gifts and talents because you’re not sure it’ll be a success or well-received if you do.
Fear backs down in the face of evil because evil has a way of projecting the appearance of power way more than it actually possesses.
If we aren’t careful, being timid can end up looking like, and being, a life that takes no emotional or tangible leaps of faith.
Yet God gives us three counter-active words to fear to acquaint ourselves with: DUNAMIS, AGAPE & sōphronismos.
In the original Greek language, the Author wanted us (who have received God’s Spirit) to know that fear and timidity should no longer have a residence within us and that these three characteristics of His Spirit are how we can make sure that fear and timidity will stay gone.
Let’s take a quick look at the Strong’s Greek definitions of each word:
DUNAMIS
G1411 (Strong) – dunamis —From G1410 means: force (literally or figuratively); specifically miraculous power (usually by implication a miracle itself): – ability, abundance, meaning, might , (worker of) miracle (-s), power, strength, violence, mighty (wonderful) work.
Agape
G26 (Strong)- agapē –From G25; love, that is, affection or benevolence; specifically (plural) a love feast: – (feast of) charity ([-ably]), dear, love.
Sophronismos
G4995 (Strong) sōphronismos – From G4994; discipline, that is, self control: – sound mind.
The Spirit He has put inside of us is a force of miraculous power, ability, abundance, meaning and might.
The Spirit of God inside of us carries affection, benevolence and charity.
Self-Control and discipline, make way for a sound mind in each of us if only we will heed His leading.
I personally know what it is like to walk in paralyzing fear. To be so timid that you feel like no one sees the real you because, in truth, timidity is keeping the real you from emerging.
For years I battled an unhealthy fear of losing loved ones because as a child, loved ones were quickly lost to me with no closure. And there have been so many other fears along the way.
Fear traps you into accepting circumstances that God never intended for you to accept. Timidity becomes a filter in your mind that hinders you from walking in faith. Fear is a bondage not meant for a child of God.
What are you afraid of??? Give Powerful and Brave a chance today.
One thing I have learned about fear is that no fear is small in our eyes. Fear puffs itself up so large that we rarely can see anything else.
But if we can find a way to lock our eyes on the Word of God in the midst of our fears… if we can muster up enough courage to shut down timidity for just a moment, and then another moment, and another -we might just discover that “Powerful and Brave” is right there with us too.
Bravery, moment by moment, paves the path for power, for dunamis, in our lives.
Deciding that “right now”, in the face of “this fear”, I will choose brave and BELIEVE what the Word of God says to me and about me. I believe the Spirit in me is powerful, loving and disciplined.
You see, “Brave” is in the yielding to His Word. “Powerful” follows the bravery to believe.
Kicking fear and timidity to the curb only happens when dunamis, agape and sōphronismos are present and the Word of God states it as if it is a bonafide fact. Because my friend, it IS.
“For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.”
For the Spirit God gave… God- GAVE. Sweet sister- He’s already given this Spirit that is full of dunamis, agape and sophronismos. Power, love and a sound mind are already ‘in there’. You’ve just got to learn to walk in it and reject anything that isn’t His Spirit.
Don’t forget to grab your Reflections scripture cards that go along with this Devotional!
[mailmunch-form id=“868281"]So Brave-on and walk in Power daughter of the Lord.
It doesn’t matter what that ugly fear is trying to convince you of, God’s Word says otherwise! His Spirit inside of you will overcome!
Let’s Pray
Father, Thank you for giving me Your Spirit, which is full of power, love and self-discipline. Because I have Your Spirit, fear and timid ways of living have no place in my life. I reject fear by receiving Your Power, Your Love and Your Self-discipline. With You, I can face anything, I can overcome anything. Help me to remember that every time that I hesitate to live out Your Plan for my life and every time fear tries to stop me from moving forward. Thank You for Father for dunamis, agape and sophronismos. In Jesus Name, Amen.
Dive Deeper
“These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues; they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” Mark 16:17-18
Words to pay attention to: signs, believed
The seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.” And He said to them, “I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning. “Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure you. “Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven.” Luke 10:17-20
Words to pay attention to: subject, authority
You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. 1 john 4:4
Words to pay attention to: overcome, greater
“seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.” 2 Peter 1:3-4
Words to pay attention to: divine power, life, godliness, granted, promises, partakers, divine nature
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