Too Scared to Succeed
2 Timothy 1:6-7 For this reason I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you through the laying on of my hands; for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline.
Have you ever been afraid to succeed?
Sometimes it’s because our dream is so big or so outrageous, that we’re afraid that if we tell anyone about it, they’ll think that we’re being ridiculous. Sometimes, it’s because it means taking a risk and we might fail. Come on! We rather like the safety of our own comfort zone. Okay, it may not be perfect, it may not be all that we had hoped for, and perhaps we have this nagging sense that there should be something more, but our comfort zone is, well, comfortable. Familiar. Easy.
And sometimes we’re afraid to succeed, because it means standing out from the crowd – something that the crowd doesn’t always appreciate all that much. And after all, success isn’t always all that it’s cracked up to be.
But what if … I mean, seriously, what if God is calling you to do something with all that He’s given you; something to impact this world, something to impact other people’s lives for good, something for His glory, but you’re so wedded to your comfort zone that you pass it by.
For this reason I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you through the laying on of my hands; for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline. (2 Timothy 1:6-7)
Isn’t it interesting. When Paul tells Timothy to rekindle the gift that God has given him, he reminds him that God didn’t give us a spirit of cowardice. In other words:
Don’t be afraid to use the gift that God has given you young Tim, because when you’re afraid, remember, God has given you a spirit of power and love and self-discipline. You can do it Tim. Not in your own strength but with what God has given you.
I wonder whether through those Words, God isn’t breathing a new Spirit into you. I can’t blow away that sense of apprehension, of fear that you may have about stepping out into the gift that God has given you; into the destiny that God has prepared for you.
But God can, as you receive His Word in the power of the Holy Spirit. Listen again, and let the Spirit breathe courage into your heart:
… for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline.
Yes, God wants you to use that gift that He’s given you. But He’s not going to leave you dangling out there in the wind on your own. He’s not going to leave you out there to be blown around on a stormy ocean and sink and drown.
Because He has already given you a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline. It’s already yours.
That’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.
Blessed by this devotion?
Share it with a friend!
Respond