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."
This is one of those verses that becomes so well-known and, sadly, as a result, loses a lot of its meaning and impact. First of all, we see that God is the One giving giving here. These positive character traits are not things we work up on own. We also see that God does not give us a spirit of fear which means that if we have it, it is coming from someplace other than God - either our sinful flesh or from our enemy the devil.
Second, most of us understand the spirit of love and the spirit of power, however what is the spirit of a sound mind? The words "sound mind" mean "discipline, self-control". It has the idea of curbing or controlling, holding oneself to one's duty.
Power, love, and self-control. Put the three together and you have one powerful combination. Am I walking in the spirit of power? Is what I do beyond my own power? Am I walking in the spirit of love? Am I sacrificially giving, living a life that demonstrates the love of Christ to all I'm around? Am I walking in the spirit of a sound mind? Do I allow the law of God to control my actions, thoughts, and words? Am I holding myself to my duty?
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