No Brainers

Read: 2 Timothy 1

"For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline." 2 Timothy 1:7

Examine:

Timothy did not have to look very far to find a reason to be timid. He was young. He was preaching a message that was counter to everyone's culture and beliefs. His mentor was imprisoned and was nearing the end of his life. Persecution was rampant and there was a steady stream of people leaving the faith. False teaching was compromising the truth and opening the doors for people to believe whatever they wanted. In the midst of these circumstances it would have been easy for Timothy to just hunker down and back up. Paul, sensing this, laid out the charge for Timothy to press into the power, love, and discipline that was available to him through the Spirit in him.

Apply:

My circumstances are quite different than Timothy's but the work of the enemy is the same. As I try to draw near to God my enemy will normally work to produce one of two emotions in me; timidity or apathy. Timidity is lacking in self-assurance, courage, or bravery and as result it leaves me easily alarmed, cowardly, and shy. When I give into these feelings of timidity it sucks the life out of me and makes me feel weak and useless.

Apathy is the absence or suppression of passion, emotion, or excitement. Being a follower of Christ is not a mental exercise nor is it a form of meditation and self-realization. The truth of what I believe should ignite in me a great sense of passion, emotion, and excitement. When I allow my heart to become apathetic towards the things of God it becomes easy for me to seek passion, emotion, and excitement in the things of the world.

Prayer:

Power, love, and discipline sound like no brainers when the compared to timidity and apathy yet I often trade the former for the latter. Why? It makes no sense to me Father. I make choices that I do not understand and end up staring in the mirror at a man I do not like. There is nothing in me that desires to be a timid and apathetic man, but I am. I really do not like confessing that to You. My pride is fighting every word I write and my flesh is tearing away at my emotions in a strong attempt to hold me back. But I come to You this morning to confess this to You. Forgive my apathy and my timidity.

Break my heart for the things that break Yours. Stir inside of me a great passion for Your truth. Transform my emotions so that they ignite inside of me an excitement that is visible and attractive. Strengthen me, give me assurance of the things I hope for, and plant inside of me a heart of great courage. I ask You to do inside of me the things necessary to produce the man You desire me to be and use me to accomplish the purpose You have for my life.