<p>1:7 <i>For God did not give us a spirit of fearfulness, but of power and love and a disciplined mind</i>- The &quot;us&quot; suggests this is a general reference to the gift of the Spirit to all believers, and doesn't reference any specific gift given only to Timothy. Likewise :14 speaks of the gift of the Spirit &quot;which dwells in <i>us</i>&quot;. The reference is to an internal gift, within us, and not to miraculous gifts. See notes to this effect on :4,5 and 6. The same words for 'giving' and 'Spirit' are found in describing the gift of the Spirit given at baptism (Acts 5:32; 8:18). They are likewise found in Rom. 5:5, which speaks of God's love being &quot;shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit which is given unto us&quot;. The domain of operation of this Spirit gift is clearly within the human heart or mind. Likewise the same words for gift and Spirit are found in 2 Cor. 1:22; 5:5: &quot;Who has sealed us and given us the earnest of the Spirit <i>in our hearts</i>&quot;. This gift can be given at points after baptism- hence Paul prayed for the baptized Ephesians that God would &quot;Give you... to be strengthened with might by His Spirit <i>in the inner man</i>&quot; (Eph. 3:16). The gift of the Spirit (1 Thess. 4:8) results in our internal awareness, <i>within us</i>, that the Father and Son are abiding with us and we in them (1 Jn. 3:24; 4:13).</p><p>&quot;Because you are sons (already born again through response to the Gospel), God has <i>sent forth</i> the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father&quot; (Gal. 4:6). We become sons of God by birth of the Spirit as promised in the word of the Gospel (1 Pet. 1:23; James 1:18), and therefore God sends this Spirit of Sonship into our hearts. Notice that the prerogative in this is with God, not us. Likewise Paul prayed that God &quot;may <i>give</i> unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation and knowledge of Him: the eyes of your understanding being enlightened&quot; (Eph. 1:17,18). The gift of the Spirit didn't mean that Timothy would not be fearful, or be loving and disciplined. But he, as all of us, had been given that Spirit. It is for us to allow the path of the Spirit in transforming our spirit; and Timothy's fearfulness and lack of mental power meant that he had not let the Spirit act as he could have done. Likewise the Corinthians were given these Spirit gifts but remained &quot;not spiritual&quot; (1 Cor. 3:1); they failed to allow the Spirit gift to work within them.</p>