*Not Control Through Fear, but Leadership Through Love*
> “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” — 2 Timothy 1:7
You may have experienced a situation where someone’s nature or behavior keeps you in fear. For example, when someone gets angry, they may go to extremes, behave strangely, or react in such a way that people around them become afraid—thinking, “What if this person does something?” And because of that fear, you begin to obey them and live according to their wishes.
Sometimes, a person creates an atmosphere through anger, threats, harsh behavior, emotional pressure, or other ways of behaving, where people around them begin to follow them not out of love, but out of fear. This is one form of exerting dominance and keeping others under control.
Jesus said: _“Ye know that they which are accounted to rule over the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and their great ones exercise authority upon them.” — Mark 10:42_
This is not only something we should observe in others. We also need to look within ourselves. It is possible that such a tendency may exist in us too. Perhaps we try to get our way by intimidating someone, or perhaps we ourselves are being controlled because we are afraid of someone’s anger and behavior.
Because whenever we feel the need to frighten, pressure, or control people in order to make them obey us, we should ask ourselves a question: “Whose control am I really under?” Because a person who is not walking under the love and lordship of God will often try to establish his own lordship over someone else.
The Kingdom of God is not a kingdom of controlling people through fear. It is a kingdom where leadership flows through love, truth, service, and self-control.
Your brother in Christ,
Apostle Ashok Martin