Joshua 1:9
About this verseGod commands Joshua to be brave and not lose heart, because the Lord his God goes with him everywhere he goes.
Paul reminds Timothy that the Spirit God gives does not make us timid, but brings power, love and self-control.
For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power and love and sound judgment.
Say the verse aloud, filling in each blank. Tap a blank for a hint.
Paul writes to a younger colleague who appears to be intimidated — by opposition, and possibly by his own youth. The verse names what fear is not: it is not from God.
The three replacements are precise. Power for the task, love for the people, and self-control for oneself — which is the least glamorous and often the most needed. Memorised, it is a direct answer to the specific voice that says you are not up to this.
It means the Spirit God gives produces power, love and self-control rather than timidity or fear — so fearfulness is not the disposition God has given his people.
Timothy was leading under real opposition and appears to have been hesitant. Paul reminds him of the gift already in him and urges him to stir it up rather than shrink back.