Spirit of Fear?
Paul’s last letter was to Timothy, Paul’s son in the faith and a younger preacher who had been the apostle’s companion. Read the following words carefully, and discover a problem many Christians face. “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord” (2 Tim. 1:7-8). Timothy knew the truth, but circumstances in his life had caused him to withdraw because of his fear.
Do you stand for the truth or cower in fear?
Think of the many examples found throughout the Bible where God’s messengers boldly stood for their God and were not at all timid to openly stand for heaven’s saving message. We may not know what caused Timothy’s timidity, but we know so much about others who boldly spoke for the Lord.
Elijah was not afraid to stand for truth. Who has not stood in amazement at the confrontation he had with the 450 prophets of Baal? How can anyone forget his mockery of them when Baal would not send fire to consume their sacrifice? Paul’s words to Timothy describe him so well—he was not ashamed of the testimony of our Lord.
Nathan was not afraid to stand for truth. His friend, King David, had done wrong and had successfully hidden his sins from an entire nation. The king was a lying, adulterous murderer. God’s messenger, Nathan, went into the presence of the king who had already shown he would kill others just to cover his sin. What difference would it make if he murdered the only man on earth who knew all the details of his evil actions? Yet, Nathan courageously said, “Thou art the man.” These four words could have cost the prophet his life, yet was not ashamed of the testimony of our Lord.
John the Baptist was not afraid to stand for truth. The Jewish world knew how Herod had taken the wife of his brother, Philip, to be his own wife. John confronted the king. John told him that he had violated the law of God in his actions. The Greek indicates that this was not something he said just once, but over and over again he reminded the king of his sin. It cost John his life, but he was not ashamed of the testimony of our Lord.
Are we afraid to stand for truth? Our nation has decided that it will openly redefine marriage and kill the innocent souls in the womb. Led by ungodly men in Washington, values which once were sacred, as we sought to be one nation under God, are now cast aside. It is not that His laws are just being ignored. Laws are being passed which unashamedly permit men to mock God. How do many Christians react? With a spirit of fear, they truly are ashamed of the testimony of the Lord. We ask, “How long, O Lord, how long?” Are you ashamed?