The following verse formed the basis of my research. It is the understanding of all that this verse means that has delivered me from fear and worry:
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of (His) love, (His) power and (His) sound mind.”
– 2 Timothy 1: 7
IF God ONLY loves us, and has not all power – He would be unable to help us, no matter how much His love wants Him to.
God has spoken once, twice have I heard this, that power belongs to God.
– Ps 62:11 (Amplified)
If you missed the a post in the series i’m calling “A Spirit of Fear” click on the available links here:
Post 1 on 5/11/18: “The Love and Power of God in Overcoming Fear”
Please notice that this next verse starts with the word “surely” – that word is one of the most emphatic in the Bible, it means absolutely sure:
“The Lord of hosts has sworn, saying, ‘Surely, as I have thought and planned, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand…For the Lord of hosts has purposed, and who will annul it? And His Hand is stretched out, and who will turn it back?” (Is 14:24,27). The answer; no one.
” So shall My Word be that goes forth out of My mouth; it shall not return to Me void – without producing any effect- but it shall accomplish that which I please and purpose.”
– Isaiah 55:11
All of Isaiah 40 emphasizes the magnificent power of God in every small and mighty thing.
“Fear not; for I am with you; do not look around you in terror and be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen and harden you to difficulties; yes, I will help you; yes, I will hold you up and retain you with My victorious right hand of rightness and justice.”
– Is 41:10
“Ah, Lord God! Behold Thou hast made heaven and earth. By Thy great power and outstretched arm, there is nothing too hard for Thee.”
– Jeremiah 32:17
“…and I praised and honored and glorified Him Who lives forever, Whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and His kingdom endures from generation to generation. And all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing in comparison to Him , and He does according to His will in the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth, and none can stop His hand or say to Him, What are you doing?“
– Daniel 4: 34-35
“Then Job said to the Lord, ‘I know that You can do ALL things and that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted or stopped.'”
– Job 42: 1-2
Read Psalms 29,54,62,65,68,71,91,104,121,139.
Having read those verses, I want you to try to think of a situation or a creature – earthly or supernatural – over which God does not have all power always. I want you to go back to the very beginning of eternity past and realize Who simply had to say one word – Light – and I frankly don’t think He had to say it very loud – and everything was formed. I want you to think on the fact that on the day of His choosing He will blow a trumpet and it all will be over. Beginning to end and all the days in between belong to Him and so do all the people who inhabit this earth. He is in total control.
Do you remember what we did in part one of this research paper where I strung out all the emphatic words that were in italics so you would grasp fully the magnitude of God’s love? Let’s do it again here with the underlined words so that the full power of God comes across in these verses. God has spoken once, twice have I heard this, that power belongs to God; The Lord of Hosts has sworn; surely; shall accomplish; yes; yes; nothing too hard for Thee; none can stop His hand or say to Him, What are you doing? Where do we end up? Just like in the previous list, at the word ALL. ALL power belongs to God. With everything that Job went through he was not under Satan’s attack; it was all by the initial command of God. Job 1:8 explicitly tells us that it was God who started the conversation with Satan about Job and it was God in all the subsequent verses Who set the boundary lines. How then can we fear if we know that everything in our lives is ultimately in God’s control?
HIS SOUND MIND
The beauty of the Amplified verse of the Bible is that it magnifies – amplifies – the meaning of a verse to such a degree that you cannot miss what it is trying to convey. The following verse is a perfect example of this truth:
…for He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. [I will] not, [I will] not, [I will] not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let [you] down (relax My hold on you)! [Assuredly not!]
– Hebrews 13:5 Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC)
He always has a purpose for what He does – it is never a whim – and it is always for our good.
We are assured that ALL things work together for GOOD to those who love God and are called according to His design and purpose. – Ro 8:28
As for you (our enemies), you thought evil against me; but God meant it for GOOD. – Gen 50:20
These troubles and sufferings of ours are, after all, quite small and won’t last very long. Yet this short time of distress will result in God’s richest blessings upon us forever and ever! – 2 Cor 4: 17 -18 (LB)
[need clarification on which two verses the author is speaking about] This are two of my favorite verses, and there is a great deal of much deeper meaning to them as you study the original words that I’ll share with you when we cover trials and suffering in future months. They show God’s purpose in our lives but also give us the right perspective in our troubles.
” It is He Who saved us and chose us for His holy work, not because we deserved it but because that was His plan long ago before the world began – to show His love and kindness to us through Christ.” – 2 Timothy 1:9 (LB)
See how He really has planned it all out and how that plan is absolutely for good!
Look back up at Is 14 in the “His Power” section and notice the words “purposed” and “planned.” He leaves nothing to chance.
” The Lord says, ‘I will arise and defend the oppressed, the poor, the needy. I will rescue them as they have longed for Me to do. The Lord’s promise is sure. He speaks no careless words. All He says is purest truth like silver seven times refined. O Lord, we know that You will forever preserve Your own from the reach of evil men.”
– Ps 12: 5-8 (LB)
Barbara
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Acknowledgements:
I would like to thank my fellow consultants for all their assistance in getting this blog published: Michelle Arrington, Hannah Hall, Ariel Mcgarry, Carol White, Tracy Yoder, and J.P.Wilhelm. Their encouragement and patience have been invaluable to me.
Holding His Word Higher 