I thank God, whom I serve with a pure conscience, as my forefathers did, as without ceasing I remember you in my prayers night and day, greatly desiring to see you, being mindful of your tears, that I may be filled with joy, when I call to remembrance the genuine faith that is in you, which dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am persuaded is in you also. Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:3-7 NKJV).
We need to notice a few things here in Paul’s letter to Timothy.
Let’s look at several phrases: “being mindful of your tears…the genuine faith that is in you…and to stir up the gift.”
How did Paul know Timothy had tears? Paul must have seen tear stains on the letter that Timothy wrote to Paul. We must ask ourselves: why was Timothy afraid; what was going on in the world; and where was Paul? At this time Paul was in prison and Timothy was free and yet still had a spirit of fear he was dealing with. This was AD 65 and Timothy was guessed to be around 30-35 years old. He was pastoring and was overseeing all the churches meeting in homes in Ephesus. Rome was arresting and imprisoning Christians for burning down Rome. Thus, Paul was in prison at the time.
In AD 64, a large part of Rome burned down and Nero blamed the Christians. Nero was over Rome at the time and was not a nice man. He was known for his cruelty and for being a narcissist. It was said that he would fill the colosseum with people and then put on a show for everyone. The only problem was he was a horrible performer. But if anyone left his concert before he was finished performing, they would be punished. In fact, it is said that one time a woman gave birth during a concert because she was afraid to leave.
Nero’s mother, Agrippina, was a crazy woman who used sex to gain power. She seduced her uncle Claudius to marry her and then had him adopt Nero as his own son. That made Nero next in line to the throne. Agrippina then started feeding Claudius poison mushrooms until he died; then Nero became emperor.
The whole time Nero was growing up, Agrippina was telling him he was a god. This went to his head. But people started to talk and say that Agrippina was the one really running Rome; so Nero eventually lost his mind and had his mother murdered. Nero thought he was a god and could do whatever he wanted, so he told the lords and ladies of Rome they should tear down 300 acres of Rome to build him a new palace.
They thought he was out of his mind because all their homes were there. They turned him down and Nero was enraged. In AD 64, after they told Nero “No,” he burned down that part of Rome. Some say that Nero was singing and playing the lyre as Rome burnt, but I’m not sure that can be proved.
Why am I telling you all about Rome and Nero? After Rome burnt down, the people of the city came to Nero and arrested him for the destruction. He told them all it was not him and when they asked him who it was, he responded by accusing the Christians. He told them, “The Christians have been telling you all along what they are going to do.” They said that in the end it will all end with fire. He told the people that their king named Jesus was a cannibal. He referenced what Jesus told His followers when He said to eat His flesh and drink His blood.
Nero then told the people of Rome that the Christians were guilty of perversions called love fests. We know the love fest as Communion. Nero convinced Rome that the Christians were the problem and they were the ones who burned down the city of Rome. This is when Rome went after the Christians. This is why Timothy had a spirit of fear and although Paul was in prison, he was trying to cheer up Timothy with a letter.
Timothy was afraid he would be captured and have ungodly things done to him in public.
For I think that God has displayed us, the apostles, last, as men condemned to death; for we have been made a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men. We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are strong! You are distinguished, but we are dishonored! (1 Corinthians 4:9-10 NKJV)
My wife and I had the privilege to go to Turkey in April 2024 to visit the seven churches talked about in Revelation—Smyrna, Ephesus, Thyatira, Pergamon, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea. We went with Joseph and Heather Z along with Rick and Denise Renner and his team. It was an amazing trip. We saw Ephesus and many places where many biblical and historical events took place. We saw the coliseum and the temple and heard all the horrific things that the Christians went through. For example, the Christians were brought out on stage in front of thousands and were sexually abused because it went against their beliefs. To stand there and understand what had happened was heinous.
They were tortured, then killed. Those early Christians were proud to die for their God! They would argue to see who got to go into the arena first to die for Christ. Paul writes, “we have become a spectacle to the world [a show in the world’s amphitheater]” (1 Corinthians 4 AMP). This is what he was talking about. Timothy had a spirit of fear because he didn’t want to die like that. Timothy was in fear; although he was free, he feared what might happen to him. Many of us have a lot of fear and anxiety over what could happen in our life, but I would bet it is nothing compared to what Timothy was going through.
There were Christians back then fighting to go into the coliseum to die for their faith, but today there are Christians afraid to live for their faith. Timothy did not die in AD 65; most believe it was much later in AD 97 at the age of 80. Some say he was beaten to death for trying to stop a procession for the goddess Diana by preaching the gospel. At 30-some years old, Timothy was afraid to live for Christ, but by 80 years old Timothy was ready to die for his faith.
Fear and anxiety are usually about something that has not happened; the same way faith is in something that hasn’t happened yet as well. Paul was in prison for burning down Rome as a Christian. He was older and more mature, encouraging Timothy to stand strong in his faith. Timothy let a spirit of fear come over him about what they might do to him, while Paul was encouraging him from prison. This shows us that the more we walk with God, the more peace we should have in life.
Timothy, at a young age, was terrified of what could happen while Paul, much older, was at peace even though he was already locked up knowing his future demise. Timothy, after years with God, grew in his faith. Every so often, check yourself to see if you are controlled by faith or fear. After considering this spirit check, are you a mature believer or still young in your faith? This is not to come down on you but to encourage self-examination so you can improve areas that may need to be strengthened.
So again looking at 2 Timothy 1:5 when Paul talks about “the genuine faith that is in you,” what is he talking about? Let’s look at the King James Version:
When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also (2 Timothy 1:5 KJV).
The KJV calls that faith “unfeigned.” The Greek word here to describe faith is anupokritou pisteos. It is best translated as “sincere” or “unhypocritical faith.” This word is an adjective that literally means unhypocritical or “without play-acting.” The picture is that of a play actor speaking from behind a mask. The term carries a deep meaning that contrasts genuine belief with mere outward performance. The second part of that word, pisteos, is the genitive form of pistis, which is the standard New Testament term for “faith.” It denotes a deep-seated conviction or trust in Jesus Christ and reliance on God.
Sometimes we have faith in the idea of faith and do all the right things to look like we have faith. We need to remember that our faith, the faith that Timothy needed to stir up, was a faith in God. The more we focus on Jesus as our Healer, our Provider, our Protector, the more that gift of faith in us is built up.
The other part of 2 Timothy 1:3-7 I want to look at is, “stir up the gift which is in you” (2 Timothy 1:6 NKJV). Timothy had faith inside and it was passed down from generation to generation. The strength he needed was there the whole time. Paul told Timothy to stir up the gift that was in him. We as Christians need to do the same thing today. If you are saved and have the Holy Spirit inside, you have all you need for victory against a spirit of fear. Just like Timothy, we need to stir up that gift often.
Recall what Romans 12:2 says about renewing your mind. Go back to what God has done; believe again. Stir up faith by laying on of hands. Pray with other believers. Do not do life alone. Get into a community of believers. Get connected to a church.
The devil will give us all the opportunity to get into fear. Don’t accept it! Instead, get into faith! Remember the Holy Spirit is inside you as the Comforter.
But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you (John 14:26 KJV).
You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world (1 John 4:4 NKJV).
You see, the faith that is in you is the gift of the Holy Spirit, which needs to be stirred up now and then by renewing your mind to what God said. When we believe that concerning the fear going on around us, our outlook in life will start to change.
Remember, there is also a gift of faith; a God-kind of faith that you know that you know. He will put this gift on us at times in life when our faith won’t go the distance. We do what we can in the natural, then God comes and does the supernatural. We build our faith by the Word, we pray in the Spirit, we lay hands on the sick, and we trust Him. Then, because of His Spirit inside us, the gifts of the Spirit and the fruit of the Spirit will operate in our lives. You can build your faith; and when you do that, His faith can also step in and take over.
The Word says that even the gifts of the Spirit are in proportion to your faith! So build your faith every day and watch what He can do in you! He will take your faith and the little you can do, and just like the loaves and fish, multiply your faith for a miracle. He is the Author (Writer) and the Finisher (Completer) of our faith!
Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God (Hebrews 12:2 NKJV).
Because He is the Author and the Finisher, that means your job is only taking care of the middle part of your life. The Author means He wrote it. The Finisher means He is the One who brings it to completion. We need to have faith in what He has already done—Author! Then by our faith He moves and does the impossible in our life and brings it to completion—Finisher. Our job is just like Abraham and all the other saints who did the “by faith” moment. We believe God is able to do what He said. That is faith!
Break Free from Fear and Step Boldly into Faith.
Have you ever felt trapped by fear, unsure if what you’re hearing or sensing is truly from God? Do anxiety, confusion, or overwhelming circumstances keep pulling you out of peace and into panic? You want to trust God—but fear keeps speaking louder than faith.
What if the battle you’re facing isn’t just emotional—but spiritual?
Through years of ministry, leadership, and firsthand encounters with the pressures of culture and faith, Ryan Edberg reveals how fear subtly shapes decisions, distorts perception, and keeps believers from walking in their God-given authority. This breakthrough resource exposes the real source of fear and equips you to rise above it with clarity, discernment, and unshakable faith.
In From Fear to Faith, you’ll discover how to:
Discern the true source behind fear, anxiety, and confusion
Strengthen your ability to hear God clearly in uncertain seasons
Develop spiritual discernment to test what you hear and feel
Walk confidently in God’s plan without being driven by fear
Break agreement with fear and realign your thinking with God’s truth
You were never designed to live under fear’s control. The enemy uses fear to confuse, distract, and silence—but Jesus has already given you victory. As you apply these truths, you’ll step into a life marked by clarity, boldness, and unwavering trust in God.