Timidity or fearfulness may seriously hinder our spiritual lives, ultimately (if not repented of) making us candidates for the lake of fire. Paul counsels Timothy that stirring up God's Holy Spirit within us serves as an antidote against debilitating fear and timidity. Paradoxically, fear of God displaces baseless irrational fears. If we fear God, we do not have to fear anything else. A sound mind (filled with God's Holy Spirit — especially the fruit of love) banishes self-centered fear and torment. If we don't fear God, we will have the tendency to fear anything and everything else.