Is this fear? 

When I was pregnant with my first child, I wondered what going into labor was going to feel like!

And I had heard about Braxton hicks, or “false labor”.

How would I know the difference?!

I thought it would be so embarrassing to show up at the hospital thinking it was labor when it really was just a false alarm.

The advice I got from other moms?

“Oh, you’ll KNOW when it is real labor.”

But as I neared the end of my pregnancy, I didn’t know!

Every pain, every cramp, every movement had me concerned: Is this real labor?!

And then.. the real contractions started.

And oh boy, did I know that I was really, truly in labor.

We often hear Paul’s famous teaching that, “God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7)

But… fear is such a tricky emotion.

We feel fear and wonder: Is this fear I’m feeling a warning to stop?⁣

Is this fear a prompting?⁣

Does this fear mean I need to go do something?⁣

And sometimes the fears build on each other and become an anxiety, feeding each other and growing until they become too much to bear. ⁣

But I feel like Paul is saying, “Listen, you may be confused about whether or not it’s fear from your own mind or a prompting, but when God gives you a message, you will KNOW that it’s from Him.”

POWER. ⁣LOVE. ⁣A SOUND MIND. ⁣

God can absolutely warn us against dangerous things, He can still tell us to change, He can still tell us to go a different direction. ⁣

But the feeling will be empowering, full of love, and create the result of a sound mind. ⁣

We can get an urgent warning… but have a sound mind about it. ⁣

I know in my life, I always feel confused when I’m filled with fear. I don’t know what to do or where the thoughts are coming from. (Even though I technically know that fear isn’t from God.)⁣

But when I’m having a clear prompting, I feel power, love, and a sound mind. ⁣

No fear. ⁣

I’m grateful for a loving God who motivates and communicates with positive emotions.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black