By the Word of God, I Have A Sound Mind, By Renewing My Mind In The Word I Have Full Assurance That He Is Undertaking For Me, His Word Conquers All Cowardice, And Delivers Me From All Fear
Romans 11:36 (KJV) 36 For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.
John 1:3-4 (KJV) 3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
Acts 17:28 (KJV) 28 For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.
Romans 12:1-3 (KJV) 1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. 3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.
The Living translation says because of the privilege and authority, where verse 3 says grace.
2 Timothy 1:7 (KJV) 7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
2 Timothy 1:7 (AMP) 7 For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (of cowardice, of craven and cringing and fawning fear), but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of calm and well-balanced mind anddiscipline and self-control.
2 Timothy 1:7 (NLT2) 7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.
The Greek word that was translated “fear” in this verse is “DEILIA.” This is the only time this word is used in the Bible, and the only meaning of this word is “timidity” (Strong’s Concordance). That is the way the New International Version translated this word: “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.”
The American Heritage Dictionary defines “timidity” as “1. Shy. 2. Fearful and hesitant.” The Houghton Mifflin American Heritage Electronic Dictionary thesaurus entry for “timid” says, “Adjective: Given to or exhibiting hesitation. Uncertain, tentative, hesitant, indecisive, irresolute, wobbly, faltering, halting, hesitating, pendulous, vacillating, wavering. Adjective: Reticent or reserved in manner. Modest, shy, backward, coy, demure, bashful, self-effacing, diffident, retiring.”
I’ve heard some interpret this as Paul being concerned that Timothy was drawing back in fear and Paul was admonishing him. I can’t deny that, but these scriptures don’t guarantee that either. Fear is something all of us deal with. Courage isn’t the absence of fear, but the refusal to give in to it.
Andrew Wommack's Living Commentary.
1 John 4:17-19 (AMP) 17 In this [union and communion with Him] love is brought to completion and attains perfection with us, that we may have confidence for the day of judgment [with assurance and boldness to face Him], because as He is, so are we in this world. 18 There is no fear in love [dread does not exist], but full-grown (complete, perfect) love turns fear out of doors and expels every trace of terror! For fear brings with it the thought of punishment, and [so] he who is afraid has not reached the full maturity of love [is not yet grown into love's complete perfection]. 19 We love Him, because He first loved us.
This verse, 1 John 4:17, isn’t saying that we will be like the Lord someday, in the sweet by and by. But this is saying that right now, in the rough now and now, we are like Him. No one should have the audacity to profess they are completely like Jesus in their physical actions or thoughts. That simply isn’t true. We may be better than we were or even better than someone else in our faith/belief, but none of us can claim to be completely like Jesus in our flesh. This has to be speaking about our born-again spirits that were created in righteousness and holiness (Ephesians 4:24).
2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” Our spirits are the only part of us that is exactly like Jesus IN THIS WORLD. What a powerful truth. Since God is a Spirit (John 4:24), and we have to approach Him in spirit and in truth, then God can freely fellowship with us because our born-again spirits are just like Him. What a deal!
1 John 4:18 says: there is no fear in love. . .
The Greek word that was translated “no” in this verse is OU and is the absolute negative for no. This means there is zero fear in God’s kind of love. If we are experiencing fear, we are not experiencing God’s love perfectly or completely. God’s perfect AGAPE love removes all fear.
Fear torments. Those who serve God out of fear serve God out of torment. That won’t work for long. Many people turn away from God, not because they don’t believe He exists, but because they have been taught to serve God out of fear of punishment, and they are tormented. They just don’t measure up and they know it. So, to escape the torment, they turn away from God. If they just knew the perfect love of God for them, inspite of their sins, they would turn back to the Lord. The church has misrepresented the Lord in this respect to many people.
1 John 4:19 “We love Him because He first loved us.”
Note on 1 John 4:19 and John 3:16
Even John 3:16 says: (KJV) For God so loved the world (we were all sinners), that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
What a profound truth. We didn’t love God first; He loved us while we were completely unlovely (Romans 5:8). And it’s because of His unsolicited love for us first that we love Him. Therefore, to preach that we must love God first and then the Lord will respond to our acts of love violates everything in this verse and what the Gospel teaches. So, holiness isn’t a necessity for relationship with God but rather it is a result of relationship with the Lord.
Andrew Wommack's Living Commentary.
1 John 4:20-21 (HCSB)
20 If anyone says, “I love God,” yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For the person who does not love his brother he has seen cannot love the God he has not seen. 21 And we have this command from Him: The one who loves God must also love his brother.
Andrew’s Note on 1 John 4:21
We can tell if we truly love God by the way we treat people. A person who says they love God but doesn’t love the people whom God loves is a liar. Relationship with the Lord will cause us to have love for people. This is one of the greatest indications of our relationship with the Lord (see my note at John 13:35).
Andrew Wommack's Living Commentary.
My own note on 1 John 4:21 “he who loves God shall love his brother also.” Some of the versions clarify brother as a fellow believer, I’m not sure that I agree with narrowing it down like that. God so love the world. . .
This isn’t a suggestion but a command.
Let’s take a look at Joshua. You remember it was Joshua and Caleb that were the two who argued against all the other Israelites to cross the river and take the land which the Lord had given them. But there were too many men that saw themselves as grasshoppers going up against giants. It was literally 2 men against 2 million men. So, we now check in when all that generation has passed on, they have wandered in the dessert for 40 years, and now Joshua and Caleb are going to lead the next generation into the promised land.
Listen to this! We conquer fear and have a sound mind by meditating on God’s Word.
Joshua 1:7-9 (HCSB) The Lord said to Joshua: 7 Above all, be strong and very courageous to carefully observe the whole instruction My servant Moses commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right or the left, so that you will have success wherever you go. 8 This book of instruction must not depart from your mouth; you are to recite it day and night so that you may carefully observe everything written in it. For then you will prosper and succeed in whatever you do. 9 Haven’t I commanded you: be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”
The Lord reiterated the conditions of Joshua 1:6. Joshua had to be strong and very courageous. How was he to do that? He had to follow God’s Word. The Lord will keep us in perfect peace when our minds are stayed on Him (Isaiah 26:3). That’s what God’s Word does. It keeps our attention focused on the right things. Following the truths and principles of God’s Word makes whatever we do prosper.
Joshua 1:8
Note on Joshua 1:8
The Book of the Law that Joshua had was the first five books of our Bible that were written by Moses. Today we have the complete Bible. So, we can say that the entire Bible is God’s Word, and it shall not depart out of our mouths.
Notice that the Lord was instructing Joshua to speak the Word of God and meditate in it day and night. Reading the Word was never mentioned. Of course, it’s obvious that we can’t speak or meditate on what we have never read. But many people stop at the mere reading of God’s Word, thinking that will produce everything they need. That’s not the promise of this verse.
Speaking God’s Word without just reading it shows a familiarity with its truths that reveals a tremendous amount of study. And meditation is not the same as reading. Meditation is taking a truth that we read in Scripture and thinking on it over and over (revolving in the mind - see my note at 1 Timothy 4:15) until we see its fulfillment or truth in our imaginations (see my notes at Psalms 2:1 and 5:1). Then as we think in our hearts, that’s what we will have (Proverbs 23:7).
Then, we have to be so strong in our convictions of what we have spoken and meditated on from God’s Word that it produces actions. Faith without works is dead (James 2:20). We have to do what God’s Word instructs us to do.
And when we have spoken, meditated on, and acted on God’s Word, THEN and only THEN will we make our way prosperous and then we shall have good success. Everyone would like to have the prosperity and success this verse promises, but few are willing or dedicated enough to do what is necessary to see these results. Notice that this shall happen; there is no maybe about it. If we aren’t getting these results, then we aren’t doing what this verse admonishes.
Last week we finished up our lesson with “Imagination,” See these notes on imagination: Genesis 6:5, 11:6, 30:37, 39; Joshua 1:8; 1 Chronicles 29:18; Psalms 2:1, 5:1, 42:5, 103:14, 143:5; Proverbs 15:28, 23:7, 29:18; Isaiah 26:3; Matthew 22:37; Luke 1:51; Acts 4:25, 16:19, 27:20; Romans 1:21, 8:24-25, 15:4, 13, 29; 2 Corinthians 10:5; Ephesians 1:18, 2:3, 12, 4:18; 1 Timothy 4:15; and Hebrews 11:1.
Joshua 1:9
Note on Joshua 1:9
Joshua was acting under God’s direction and could therefore expect God’s protection and blessing. He was told to do two things (“be strong and of a good courage”) and not to do two things (“be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed”). Being strong is the opposite of fear, and having good courage is the opposite of being dismayed. The Houghton Mifflin American Heritage Electronic Dictionary defines “dismay” as “to fill with dread or apprehension; daunt.” See my note at 2 Chronicles 20:15.
This is exactly what the Lord had already spoken to Joshua through Moses (Deuteronomy 31:7-8).
The reason Joshua could be strong and of a good courage was because God was with him wherever he went. The same is even truer of us. The Lord will never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). A true revelation of God’s presence and love for us will always cast out all fear (1 John 4:18).
Andrew Wommack's Living Commentary.
Now I want to take us back to the New Testament. . .
3 John 1:2 (KJV) 2 Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.
What a great truth, and what a great insight into the heart of God, who inspired this. God wants us prosperous and well.
Notice that this prosperity happens as our souls prosper. We can’t really prosper outwardly if we aren’t prospering inwardly. Our spirits are already perfect (see my notes at 2 Corinthians 5:17; Hebrews 10:10, 14, and 12:23), but our souls only prosper as we renew our minds (part of the soul) to what we already have in Christ (in our born-again spirits) (see my note at Romans 12:2).
Andrew Wommack's Living Commentary.
Psalm 1:1-3 (AMP) 1 BLESSED (HAPPY, fortunate, prosperous, and enviable) is the man who walks and lives not in the counsel of the ungodly [following their advice, their plans and purposes], nor stands [submissive and inactive] in the path where sinners walk, nor sits down [to relax and rest] where the scornful [and the mockers] gather. 2 But his delight and desire are in the law of the Lord, and on His law (the precepts, the instructions, the teachings of God) he habitually meditates (ponders and studies) by day and by night. 3 And he shall be like a tree firmly planted [and tended] by the streams of water, ready to bring forth its fruit in its season; its leaf also shall not fade or wither; and everything he does shall prosper [and come to maturity].
Kimberly’s Paraphrased Prayer of Psalm 1:1-3
I am blessed because I walk and live not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor do I stand in the path where sinners walk, nor sit down where the scornful gather. Rather my delight and desire are in the law of the Lord, and on His law I habitually meditate, ponder and study by day and by night. Therefore I am like a tree firmly planted and tended by the streams of water, ready to bring forth my fruit in my season; my leaf also shall not fade or wither; and everything I do shall prosper and come to full maturity. (Kimberly’s Version)
When Jimmy and I first married, I had a Sunday school teacher that steered me in the direction of Psalm 1:1-3, she told me to put Jimmy’s name in it and pray it over him every day. . . I have prayed this scripture over him many, many times, and he definitely is like a tree planted by the water. The Lord has prospered him, we are still working on and believing for full maturity for all of us.
Isaiah 26:3 (HCSB) 3 You will keep the mind ⌊that is⌋ dependent ⌊on You⌋ in perfect peace, for it is trusting in You.
God keeps my mind in perfect peace, for He knows that I am totally trusting and dependent upon Him. (Kimberly’s Version of Isaiah 26:3)
God Undertaking For Me
2 Chronicles 20:15 (HCSB) 15 and he said, “Listen carefully, all Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and King Jehoshaphat. This is what the LORD says: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast number, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.
2 Chronicles 20:21-22 (AMP) (During the reign of King Jehoshaphat, the Moabites, Ammonites, and the inhabitants of Mount Seir joined together and came against him.) 21 When he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers to sing to the Lord and praise Him in their holy [priestly] garments as they went out before the army, saying, Give thanks to the Lord, for His mercy andloving-kindness endure forever! 22 And when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushments against the men of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir who had come against Judah, and they were [self-] slaughtered;
2 Chronicles 20:17 (AMP) Before the battle the Lord had told Jehoshaphat: 17 You shall not need to fight in this battle; take your positions, stand still, and see the deliverance of the Lord [Who is] with you, O Judah and Jerusalem. Fear not nor be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you.
2 Chronicles 20:24 (AMP) 24 And when Judah came to the watchtower of the wilderness, they looked at the multitude, and behold, they were dead bodies fallen to the earth, and none had escaped!
Conquering Cowardice
Proverbs 29:25 (AMP) 25 The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever leans on, trusts in, and puts his confidence in the Lord is safe and set on high.
Daily Deliverance From Fear
Psalm 34:4 (AMP) 4 I sought (inquired of) the Lord and required Him [of necessity and on the authority of His Word], and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.
Romans 8:31 (AMP) 31 What then shall we say to [all] this? If God is for us, who [can be] against us? [Who can be our foe, if God is on our side?]
Worry Destroys Efficiency
Worry is the unhealthy child of fear and unbelief. These two emotions are married, and what children they have begotten! Worry leads to the wasting of vital energy, the disturbing of digestive and other organs, which impairs your ability. It becomes a mental disease. Almost everyone has it. It is contagious. It leads to all kinds of physical and mental disorders. But its cure is simple: “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths” (Proverbs 3:5–6). Or, “[Cast] all your care upon him; for he careth for you” (1 Peter 5:7).
Get quiet for a moment and remember this: God is on your side. If God is for you, who can be against you? (See Romans 8:31.) Men can’t conquer him who trusts in the Lord with all his heart. There aren’t enough enemies in all the world to whip the man who trusts absolutely in the wisdom of God, his Father, and does not lean upon “sense knowledge.”
No man is safe to go out into the business world until he first has learned the secret of absolute trust in the Lord. So if you haven’t learned it yet, and you are bearing your burdens with fretting and care and anxiety, go alone and settle the great issue with Him. Take His wisdom and grace to go out and do your work with perfect efficiency.
Kenyon, E. W.. Speak Life . Whitaker House. Kindle Edition.
Instead of worrying about how to pay your bills, quote God’s promise: “My God shall supply all my need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19).
Turn all your cares and worries over to the Lord, for the Word says, “Cast…all your care upon him; for he careth for you” (1 Peter 5:7).
The Bible says, “Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass” (Psalm 37:5). When you fully commit your life to God and place your trust in Him, He will work out every detail of your life.
Kenyon, E. W.. Speak Life . Whitaker House. Kindle Edition.
