2 Timothy 1:7, “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”

1 John 4:18 & 19, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. We love him, because he first loved us.”

The love of God keeps us. Because of his perfect love we can be kept free of and safe from fear.

The Bible’s tells us fear is full of torments. How true this is. Just the thought of fearful things can immobilize even the strongest person for pursuing or moving forward. Fear is one of the most powerful tools in the enemy’s arsenal against the people of God. He uses it plentifully as fear comes in many different forms. Sometimes it is overt or obvious to spot. Other times it creeps in subtly or is disguised as something innocent that we, as the people of God, fail to recognize it from what it is.

Fear is defined as an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain or a threat.

The power of fear is the thing we fear does not even have to happen. Just the thought of the things we fear is enough to keep us from accomplishing our goal. Just thinking that something is dangerous, painful, or threatening can be paralyzing to many.

But God is so amazingly awesome, that he stops this whole fear thing in its tracks. He assures us that he has not given fear to us. He takes the time to explain exactly what we do have instead of fear – we have power, we have love (his great love), and we have a sound mind. Everything we need to combat fear when it tries to rear its ugly head in our presence. We have the power fight and rebuke it. We have the love of God to stand fast in. We have soundness of mind to combat the lies that fear brings with it.

This love is evident when we discuss the 2nd church noted in Revelations 2:8–11, Smyrna.

Once again God shows the church that not only is he with us always, but that he knows us so well.

God tells the Church at Smyrna – I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich). He knows the inward struggles of their minds. How they thought themselves to be one thing when they were something altogether more. He knows the battles they faced. How they had to deal with people who said they were one thing, but was something altogether opposite. He knows how they had to fight the enemy in the midst of their congregation.

The most awesome thing? God knows you too!

The scriptures tells us that God warns the church not to fear any of the things they must suffer for the cause of Christ. He even warns that some may put into prison to be tried. But tells them even with that there is an expiration date. Know your trial will not last for ever – even though there are times when it feels like they will. The Bible tells us that God declares the end from the beginning. Going into your trouble, God had already the ending of it. What a mighty God we serve!!

The God tells them of their blessing he has for them – if you remain faithful unto death, He will give them a crown of life. God loves us so that he is handing this reward out himself! He said “I will give…” what a wonderful savior. He provides further blessing – he that can over this fear they shall not be hurt of the second death. The magnitude of this blessing is great as the second death is a final eternal death.

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary says it like this: “The second death is unspeakably worse than the first death, both in the agonies of it, and as it is eternal death: it is indeed awful to die, and to be always dying. If a man is kept from the second death and wrath to come, he may patiently endure whatever he meets with in this world.”

Understanding the blessing of overcoming fear and remaining faithful until the end gives us incentive to continue to fight the good fight of faith.

Again we ask, why should we fear? God is with us.