Has the fire of passion for telling others about JESUS and getting prepared for what’s coming cooled down?
Stir up: Summer is here and wanting to go camping. My thoughts flew to friends in Northern California who taught me to build a campfire in the day you could pick up a pinecone in California.
Would you believe that now it’s against the law in California? But I digress.
Sometimes the campfire would die down and I’d have to stir it up and blowing on the coals at the bottom for it to flare up and catch the fresh kindling I’d put on fire. Just like you have to stir up the coals to get them to burst into flames, so the Bible tell us to stir up something within us. “Stir up the gift of GOD that is in you through the putting on of my hands. For GOD has not given us the Spirit of fear; but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:6-7).
Our Heavenly FATHER promised a gift for all believers in JESUS. JESUS spoke of it Acts 1:4-5. If you read the context you will see the promised gift is the Holy SPIRIT. Earlier JESUS said (that Old Testament) “scripture declared that rivers of living water shall flow from the innermost being of anyone who believes in ME. HE was speaking of the Holy SPIRIT who would be given (as a gift) to everyone believing in HIM” (John 7:38-39).
At the end of HIS ministry, JESUS talks about HIS going to heaven and then another ONE coming to be with them. JESUS said “HE is the Holy SPIRIT, the SPIRIT who leads into all truth. The world at large cannot receive HIM for it isn’t looking for HIM and doesn’t recognize HIM. But you do for HE is with you and shall be in you” (John 14:17).
Notice one had to 1) be a believer in JESUS 2) know about the Holy SPIRIT, 3) look for HIM and 4) recognize HIM to be able to receive the Holy SPIRIT.
2 Timothy 1:7 shows us one way we can recognize HIM: HE is a SPIRIT of fearlessness, not timid (that means HE is bold), of power, of love and of sound mind (clarity of thought). HE will remind us of scripture that tells us GOD is with us and we are not to fear. Scripture that we can say aloud to resist the lies of the evil one.
One example of receiving the Holy SPIRIT is found in Acts 8:5-17 Phillip preached CHRIST JESUS to those in Samaria and did many miracles and many believed in JESUS. When the apostles heard about it they went to see what was happening. But the new believers had not yet received the Holy SPIRIT for they had not even heard about HIM. So, the apostles then laid their hands on these new believers and they received the Holy SPIRIT.
I believe that gift Paul says to stir up in 2 Timothy 6:7 was the Holy SPIRIT and when he told Timothy to stir it up he spoke of the SPIRIT being in our innermost being (which is in you). We must allow the HOLY SPIRIT to fill us by yielding to HIS instruction and reminders, by obeying the nudges HE gives, acting on the insight HE gives us so that the living water of GOD can flow through us.
Here I believe GOD is telling us to stir up the SPIRIT. To do so we need to check to see if we have grieved HIM with sin or quenched HIM by disobedience or not acting on what HE shows us to do. Then get in the Word of GOD, where GOD often talks the loudest, and ask for direction and to let those rivers of living water (Acts 7:38-39) bubble up and overflow into whatever situation GOD has placed us in (Acts 17:26).
Like Paul exhorted Timothy so I say to you: stir up the Gift of GOD (the HOLY SPIRIT) within you.
Hugs,
Sharon