Exposing Satan's Playbook The Perry Stone

pleased with such a young minister. Paul reminded Timothy not to rebuke an elder (1 Tim. 5:1). It seems the pressure from the opinions of some had caused Timothy to become intimidated with a spirit of fear. Paul wrote, “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Tim. 1:7). The common Greek word for fear in the New Testament is phobos (i.e., Rom. 8:15) and alludes to being afraid of the possibility of something bad. It is the root of the word phobia . The Greek word for fear that Paul used in 2 Timothy 1:7 is deilia , which means “timid.” 2 Timothy was not fearful of his elders or congregation, but he was becoming timid or intimidated by comments and opinions concerning his ministry. Paul reminded his spiritual son that God had not given him this feeling of being timid but desired him to have a “sound” (disciplined or self-controlled) mind. Paul reminded Timothy of two important spiritual weapons that would help him overcome his situation. First he told Timothy, “Stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands” (2 Tim. 1:6). The original Greek word for “stir up” is a reference to rekindling a fire that is about to go out. It can read “to kindle up the gift.” 3 In the first letter Paul instructed Timothy not to “neglect the gift that is in you” (1 Tim. 4:14), and in this second letter he said to stir it up and get a fire burning—a fresh zeal for God! The word gift in both references is charismata in Greek and can allude to the nine gifts of the Spirit (1 Cor. 12:7–10) or to a specific gift imparted