Pastor Talk for September
2 Timothy 1:6-9 (KJV)
6 Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands.
7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
8 Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God;
9 Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,
Stir Up the Gift of God
What soldier walks onto the battlefield imagining that the enemy will welcome him onto the scene with love and kindness? It’s quite the contrary. Every soldier knows that the goal of the enemy is to instill fear in his heart and ultimately destroy him. He must be on guard at all times protecting himself from all sides even as he strives to overcome his adversary.
In his second letter to Timothy, Paul exhorted his young protégé to stay focused on the purpose of God. Perhaps Timothy was a timid man and tended to get discouraged when confronted with severe opposition. But Paul the ever-triumphant warrior of the Cross reminded Timothy of his spiritual heritage his divine empowerment and his calling and purpose in the gospel.
As fellow soldiers and laborers, we can find encouragement in Paul’s voice of experience. By putting our great task in perspective and reminding us of the source of our empowerment, he enables us to persevere through every fiery dart thrown by our adversary.
We need to stir up the gift of God that is within us!!!
There isn’t anything worse than going to a restaurant and asking for sweat tea. “I’m sorry sir,” the waitress says, “All we have is unsweet tea.” You put sugar or sweet and low for those of us watching out figure. Throughout your meal, you’re constantly stirring your unsweet tea wishing you had a glass of southern homemade sweat tea. The tea never gets sweetened. In addition to the stirring, you need a little heat to melt the sugar into the tea.
The term “stir up” translates from the Greek word anazopureo, which means, “to re-kindle: ” (Strong’s Concordance).
2 Timothy 1:6 (AMP)
6 That is why I would remind you to stir up (rekindle the embers of, fan the flame of, and keep burning) the [gracious] gift of God, [the inner fire] that is in you by means of the laying on of my hands [with those of the elders at your ordination].
2 Timothy 1:7 (KJV)
7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
Strong’s Concordance define the Greek word translated fear as “timidity.” Ok, what is timidity? It is simply an extension of the base word timid. Dah!
Timothy needed to realize that he should not allow himself to be intimidated by the adversary, Satan. He should allow neither his own inward timidity nor external intimidation to overcome his faith. Instead he must rely on the Spirit’s gift of power, love, and a sound mind. Because of the Holy Ghost, the spirit of God living inside of us, we can overcome inward timidity and external intimidations.
We need to stir up the gift of God!!!
Inward timidity is our self-promoted doubts. I can’t do this or I can’t do that. Understand God doesn’t call the equipped but he equips the called. Stop making excuses of why you can’t and find ways for why you can.
Outward intimidations are from the knuckleheads of doubters and unbelievers. They present to you every reason why you can’t succeed or reasons why the idea can’t work. Don’t listen to the doubters; stir up the gift of God.
Two of the devil’s greatest weapons against the church are fear and intimidation.
He wants to convince us that we are in danger and that revival and evangelism can’t happen. But as Spirit-filled believers we have access to the same power Timothy had (Acts 1:8).
Acts 1:8 (KJV)
8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
We also have access to the same love of God, for Paul wrote:
Romans 5:5 (KJV)
5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.
We have access to the same sound mind, for Paul wrote to the Corinthians:
1 Corinthians 2:12 (KJV)
12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
The Holy Ghost enables each of us to witness with power, to love with fervency, and to think pure and edifying thoughts. With this supernatural combination, we are equipped to march straight into the enemy’s territory and spoil his plans. We are victorious in Christ and don’t settle for anything less.