"For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline."
Back in my younger days I enjoyed camping and backpacking. We drove for hours to upstate New York to a place called Mount Marcy, and when we finally arrived we walked for hours up the mountain to get to a secluded favorite spot that we liked. On the way there we got dirty, scraped up and all bruised.
When we finally arrived a campfire was built. If you had matches, no problem! But we liked the challenge of lighting up the fire the conventional way, with a piece of lumber and a stick. Some probably wonder why go thru the trouble but there are some that receive satisfaction by accomplishing something that others have not. In the Kingdom it’s pretty much the same. If you are willing to take the challenge, you will probably have the opportunity to do things that others only talk about.
Lighting up a fire can be fairly simple if you have the correct materials, a piece of dry wood, a stick and some dry straw. The hard thing is keeping it on.
“Fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline”.
#1. The way to keep a fire burning is to fan the flame. This takes effort and determination. If you lay back and go to sleep the fire will go out.
- Stay in God’s word. Use it for every situation in your life.
- Devotional time and prayer.
- Fellowship with other Christians.
#2. Remind yourself of what the Lord has done for you.
- Don’t forget. GOD HAS DONE TOO MUCH FOR YOU TO STAY IDLE.
#3. Decide to do something with your life that will advance the Kingdom of God.
- Get involved with ministry.
- Speak to others about what Jesus has done for you.
- Share your testimony.
#4. Dedicate time to build yourself up and also others.
- You are important.
- Take time for yourself.
- Take time with the Lord.
#5. Build up the flame. *1 Tim. 4:14, “Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through a prophetic message when the body of elders laid their hands on you.”
-Stir up the gift of God in you; get fired up about what God is doing.
- Use the gifts that God gave you.
