Isn’t it amazing how the sweetest things in life can also prove to be inconvenient at times? For example, as a parent, I’m convinced that there is nothing more special than that middle-of-the-night moment when either one or both of my children decide that sleeping between myself and my wife is safer and more peaceful than remaining in their own bed until morning. It’s a natural part of childhood. We all remember waking up from a restless slumber only to realize that we were seemingly a million miles away from the protection of our parents even though we were mere feet away in the comfort and safety of the rooms they prepared for us. We lift our heads from the pillow, cast the covers aside and begin the long, dark journey to freedom. The inconvenient part of this equation falls to the necks and backs of the parents who unsuccessfully attempt to obtain a decent night of rest while being poked and prodded by tiny feet, bony knees and outstretched arms that seem to serve as falling pine trees crashing onto our vulnerable and unprepared faces. Surely the next day will hold limps and moans as our backs recover.

In 2 Timothy, the Apostle Paul is writing to his young counterpart. In verse 6 of chapter 1, the writer encourages his pupil to “stir up the gift of God” that had been deposited into his life when those in the early church laid their hands on him. Timothy had a calling. He had a purpose. But, immediately after Paul instructs him to stir the stagnant waters of his mission, he speaks into his life one of the most profound expositions in all of Scripture. In 2 Timothy 1:7, Paul said, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” Could we all take just a moment and thank the Holy Spirit for including this wonderful passage in His Word?

The Greek word for fear in this verse is deilia and it means “timidity, fearfulness and cowardice.” Sound familiar? It should. It’s the feeling that overwhelms us when we don’t know what to do. It’s the high-tide waves that crash onto our heads when our marriage is under attack. It’s the helplessness we experience when we’ve done all that we can do and our babies’ head is still burning up with fever. It’s the desperation we feel when the storm clouds of our own sinfulness begin to roll in and darken the skies of our heart. The world we live in is a scary place. We look over here and terrorism is rampant. We look over there and our nation is rotting in moral decay. The bills keep coming in and the doctor has unsettling news. Unfortunately, fear is part of the world that we live in.

However, as he so often does, the Apostle Paul beckons us to turn our attention from those things that project fear into our hearts and focus on more beneficial aspects for our mind, will and emotions. The great writer informed Timothy that, instead of fear, God had given us three forces well able to overcome the panic and anxieties of our lives. The first of the three was power. You know, the word dunamis or where we get our English word dynamite. It’s the same power that invaded the upper room and turned the world upside down. He went on to describe the agape love given to us by our heavenly Father. This is the unconditional, no-matter-what-you-do-or-say-you’ll-always-be-able-to-depend-on-it-type-of-love. And he finally concludes the Godly gift pack with the treasured prize of a sound mind. A quick check of the thesaurus and we discover that the word sound means flawless, intact, robust, safe, sane, solid, stable, sturdy, thorough, vibrant and vigorous. Whew! That’s a lot of words to describe a peaceful state of mind.

One of the most paralyzing attacks launched into the lives of believers is fear. Fear somehow has a way of stopping you in your tracks and convincing you that the best course of action is to fight or take flight. Panic destroys power. Fear crushes faith. Anxiety robs us of our spiritual advantage. And the devil loves every minute of it. We all know what it’s like to sit in a stationary position and tremble at the thought of moving forward. But we must. We must rail against the wind and the rain that screams of hopelessness and disaster. We must take hold of God’s promise and realize that, in order to be successful and victorious, we must embrace the gifts of power, love and sound minds and reject the unsolicited offerings of fear, panic and anxiety. God has already set in order the life that He desires for His children and fear has no place.

I’m not sure what’s rocking your boat today but, take it from me, the Sea Walker knows how to speak peace to the troubled tides that threaten death and destruction. God knows where you are and He is fully aware of what is happening in your life. He has given us His Word, His Spirit and His promise that when we call on Him, He will answer and display His glory for all to see.

It’s interesting that the gifts God has given us to combat fear are the same things my babies seek in the middle of the night when they awaken to the perceived no-man’s-land called “their room.” When they shuffle their little feet toward Mom and Dad’s bed, they seek the power that we have as parents to protect them from the dark, the bumps in the night and the potential dangers, even if they’re only imaginary. They crave the love that only their parents can provide. They long for the soundness of mind that comes when they feel the warm, comforting arms of their providers wrap around them, assuring them that everything is all right. God surely must have known that we would be able to identify with those needs when the fears of life creep their way into our hearts. He always provides what we need before we need it.

No matter what is stealing your peace today, trust Him. No matter what the enemy lies to you about, cast your care on the One whose in control. He is not inconvenienced by the bed that is made a little more full and His back is strong enough to withstand whatever pokes your knees may provide. He won’t even be sore tomorrow. Though you feel like God is a million miles away, it takes only a step or two to reach the warmth and safety of His embrace. It’s time to throw back the covers and head His way.