For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. – 2 Timothy 1:7

I think that Christians often follow parts of the above verse found in 2 Timothy. We read it as a green light to go forth and speak our minds with power–we will squash you fools!–. Our failure is that we do not live out the second part of the verse, the part that talks about acting with love and self-discipline. Yes, brothers and sisters in Christ, God gives us power that is only balanced with love and self-discipline. This means that we can be bold in talking about our faith with others as long as it is done through the lens of love and keeping ourselves in check, by the Spirit.