“For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.
2 Timothy 1:7 NLT
One of the great desires of mankind is building and having relationships with others. We are hard wired to have others in our lives just like Adam needed a mate to complete his existence. Relationships take work and commitment and one of the enemies of such relationships is fear. Fear causes several problems with the building process of friendship: it keeps us distant, keeps us untrusting and it makes us seek control in our relations. None of these traits lends itself to a deep and productive friendship.
To have a true friend, we have to be near to them, open to them and trust them with facts about our lives. Fear makes such closeness and trust near impossible. Enter God’s wisdom about the issue. God says fear is not from him, but what he has given us are power, love and a sound mind. With these God given attributes, we can overcome the effects of fear in our lives and build sound and loving relationships.
With God’s power we can be bold to seek such relationships and with his love we will desire to not only to share our lives but to be someone who encourages and build others up in the Lord!
In Christ
RJ