Daily Manna · Day 91 · April 1
Spirit-Given Power
“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”
"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."
The words "sound mind" translate one Greek word, sophronismos, and it appears nowhere else in the New Testament. Translators have found it hard to put into English. They have tried "self-discipline," "self-control" and "good sense." The word is built from two ideas, being safe and sound, and the mind. So it means something like a mind kept in proportion. It is the part of you that sees a thing at its real size, no bigger and no smaller than it is.
That is exactly what fear takes away from us. Paul is writing to Timothy, a young man he had trained, and the next verse shows the pressure Timothy was under: "Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner." Timothy's teacher is in chains, and standing with him has become costly, so Paul seems to fear that Timothy is holding back. Paul does not answer with a pep talk about Timothy's talents. He reminds him of three things God has given, and he lists them on purpose. God gives power, so that Timothy will speak up at all. He gives love, so that his speaking will not be a show. And He gives a sound mind, so that Timothy will not rant, and so that the danger looks as large as it really is and no larger.
Notice that fear is the one thing in the verse that God did not give. That does not mean you will never feel afraid. It means fear is not part of what God has equipped you with, so you do not have to let it decide what you do.
Perhaps there is someone you see every week who has never once heard you speak about your faith. Nobody is going to force you, and there is no deadline. But God has already given you all three gifts: power, love and a sound mind. When you are ready, one true sentence about what He has done in your life is enough. And if your voice shakes when you say it, that is all right. The power to speak was never yours to begin with. It comes from Him, and He has already given it.
Daily Manna runs on a two-year cycle. The year two reading for day 91 is Where Art Thou (Genesis 3:9).