FAN INTO FLAMES THE GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT

“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” 2 Tim. 1:6 

Key Scriptures: 1 Cor. 12:4-11; 2 Tim. 1:5-7; Romans 12:6-8; 1 Peter 4:10

God has given us many and several abilities as workers in the vineyard of God and we have the gifts of God in us. However, we must not allow the gifts to lie fallow or dormant in us knowing that the whole world is waiting for the manifestation of these gifts in us. We need to stir up these gifts, which are already in us and make them manifest to bless the body of Christ.

We stir up ours gift by identifying, developing, refining, enhancing or upgrading, and using it.

Many people will be saved, healed, delivered, empowered and taught the Word of God when we stir up our gifts into action and use the gifts to the glory of God. All believers are gifted but many will die without using the gifts to the glory of God. We will find out we have solution to many people needs when we discover and use the gifts. Many believers are actually like dormant volcano that has the capacity to erupt with power and glory only when they stir up the grace gifts in them

What are we suppose to do? We need to discover the gifts and let God use it to bless others. The Word “Stir”, means to disturb, bother, interrupt, agitate, mix it up, shake, inflame, arouse or kindle. Some of us who put out the flame of the spiritual fire in us need to rekindle it by placing it near a hot coal to reignite! We must not neglect the gift that is in us, which was given to us by the Holy Spirit for building up the kingdom of God. [1 Pet. 4:10]. As each one has received a gift, we must minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

“Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands” (2 Timothy 1:6, NKJV).

As highlighted in 2 Timothy 1:6, "stirring up the gifts of the Spirit" refers to the idea of actively rekindling and utilizing the spiritual gifts given by God, just like Paul is urging Timothy to do by not letting his spiritual abilities become dormant but instead actively using them to serve others; essentially, "fanning the flame" of his spiritual gifts.

Christians must apply this concept to their own lives by actively seeking to identify and develop their spiritual gifts, using them regularly to serve others and grow in their faith.

Stir up the gift also appears in the King James Version of this verse, but other translations read “fan into flames the gift” (ESV, NIV, NLT), “keep ablaze the gift” (HCSB), and “rekindle the gift” (CSB, NRSV).

Paul knew that Timothy faced an enormous responsibility in leading the church, and he wanted to encourage the young man to stand firm in safeguarding the gospel and spreading the message of salvation in Jesus Christ. Anyone who has ever tended a campfire knows that stirring up the glowing embers of a dying fire can cause those embers to flame up again and burn more brightly. Timothy was to see to it that his spiritual gift did not grow cold through disuse; he was to “stir it up” and keep the fire going.

All believers receive the gift of the Holy Spirit at salvation. The Holy Spirit bring other gifts with Him, and Timothy had received certain spiritual gifts to enable him to be an effective minister. The gift had come to Timothy through the “laying on” of Paul’s hands that is, the apostle had imparted this gift at the younger man’s ordination, when Timothy was being appointed to the ministry (1 Timothy 4:14).

Paul was keenly interested in the life and ministry of Timothy, and he wanted to make sure that Timothy used the gift he had been given effectively, for the glory of God. It’s not that Paul thought Timothy’s faith was weak or dying out, but that he wanted Timothy to experience the fullness of God’s gift and use it to bless the body of Christ maximally. The gifts we receive from the Lord through the filling of the Holy Spirit are not given to us fully developed but need to be increased, strengthened and matured through use.

Right after he reminds Timothy to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave him, Paul says, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline” (2 Timothy 1:7, NLT). The Holy Spirit won’t necessarily transform a shy person into an extrovert, but He will provide the resources the person needs for every situation (Luke 12:11–12; Acts 1:8; Romans 8:26) and boldness like He did for the Apostles when they were harassed by the Pharisees and the Sadducees. God gives us His power when we are weak, His love to deal with those who seem unlovable, and His discipline for the times we lack self-control.

Also, Paul was not suggesting that Timothy keep the Spirit’s flame ablaze by his own human effort. Instead, Paul knew that the Holy Spirit requires our willing cooperation to fill and enable us (Colossians 3:10, 12–15; 2 Peter 1:5–8).

We stir up the gift by using the gift we’ve been given. We stir up the gift through godly discipline, which produces the fruit of God’s nature in our lives: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law” (Galatians 5:22–23). We keep the gift ablaze by not letting our spiritual selves grow cold or, worse, lukewarm, as the church in Laodicea had become (Revelation 3:15–16). We fan the flames of faith by continuing to “keep in step with the Spirit,” following the Holy Spirit’s direction and guidance in every part of our lives (Galatians 5:25). We stir up the gift by not quenching or neglecting the Spirit of God, but allowing Him to thrive in us like a living, blazing fire (1 Thessalonians 5:19; 1 Timothy 4:14).

We must stir up the gifts of God by reading, studying, meditating upon and becoming doers of the Word so that God can speak, lead, correct, teach through us, and that we will speak either by revelation, or by knowledge, or by prophesying, or by doctrine as inspired by the Holy Spirit. We will be able to stir up and maintain spiritual decorum when we “take heed unto ourselves, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this we shalt both save ourselves, and them that hear us” [1 Tim. 4:16].

We all have a spiritual gift within us, but it may need to be rekindled or fanned into a flame, when we have dwindled in our diligence, become lukewarm or not fervent in the Spirit like before. We must be connected to and dependent on the Holy Spirit who gives us mighty power, love, and self-control, enabling us to live a life that honors God. God does not give us a spirit of fear, but rather a spirit of power, love, and self-control [2 Tim. 1:7]; we must rise in the power of God’s might in us and do the works.

Believers must identify their spiritual gift, reflect on it and understand how they have to use it to serve others and glorify God. We all must take intentional steps to rekindle the flame of your spiritual gift, whether through prayer, study, or service. We must seek to walk in the Spirit, relying on God's power, love, and self-control to guide and empower us.

Believers must meditate upon 1 Corinthians 12:4-11, to discover the spiritual gifts of God upon their lives and emphasize the importance of using these gifts to serve others and glorify God.

In Galatians 5:22-23, we see a description of the fruit of the Spirit, which includes love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These are the characteristic traits found in Jesus Christ that must be found in us.

The overwhelming narratives that can flow through our minds, declaring “I’m not good enough”, or “I’m not ready yet”, or “I don’t have the resources or education to do that”, or “others can do it better”, are lies that the enemy loves to trick our minds into believing; so many begin to walk in fear.  The devil doesn’t want us fanning the flame of the gifts God’s given to us, because he doesn’t want us operating in the power and strength of the name of Jesus.  

The underlying theme of fear can creep up in our lives under many different names.  Maybe you’re familiar with some of them.  Intimidation, comparison, anxiety, insecurity, are all rooted in a spirit of fear. Fear torments and imprisons the mind to weaken and immobilize us.  But God would never give us such a spirit.  Our good God gives us a Spirit of Love.  A Spirit of Power.  And a Spirit of a Sound Mind. That is why we must… “give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine”[1 Tim. 4:13] because we know that where the word of the king is, there is power [Eccl. 8:4]

We cannot overemphasize the importance of the Word of God empowered by the Holy Spirit in our quest to fan the gifts of God in our lives… “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” 2 Tim. 3:16 . Only then can we … “Hold fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers” [Titus 1:9].  And of course, … leave the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God” [Hebrews 6:1]

“But you, my delightfully loved friends, constantly and progressively build yourselves up on the foundation of your most holy faith by praying every moment in the Spirit”  Jude 1:20 TPT

Vitally important, to this business of stirring up the gifts of God in us is to do it standing in faith and this can be accomplished by praying in the Holy Spirit frequently Praying is always accentuated when we engage the weapon of fasting especially when spiritual warfare is involved.

“When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee…” 2 Tim. 1:5 

Faith is an essential commodity to stir us up so that we can stand and use the gifts and grace of God appropriately to bless the body of Christ. The more we pray in the Spirit, the more is faith developed in us and we can stand in faith to dispense the gifts according to the prompting of the Holy Spirit.

So, today if you can resonate with these crippling effects of fear, let’s choose to stand up against the scheme of the enemy and use the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God to cut down fear, doubt, unbelief, anxiety and worry.  Let’s call it what it is and speak out the truth that what we’re experiencing, thinking or being tormented with, is not of God.  Let us be believers who cling to the Word of God and who depend on the power of Christ’s Spirit in us, declare that we won’t believe the lies of Satan but instead we will choose to stand on truth of God’s word and be fervent in the Spirit.

“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment.  But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.” – 1 John 4:18

 Proverbs 17:8 says, "A gift is as a precious stone in the eyes of him that hath it: whithersoever it turns, it prospers" (KJV). In other words, a gift is like a precious stone to the one who has it, and whenever he stirs it up, it turns into prosperity.  If you use your gift always when stirred by the Spirit, it will prosper those who you minister unto and it will bring you before great men, hereby prospering you also. It was the gift of interpretation of dreams that brought Joseph before Pharaoh and promoted him as next in command to the king in Egypt.

“A man's gift make room for him, and bring him before great men” Prov. 18:16 

Moreover, we are not to mimic the gifts of others but we are to stir up your own gift. Although we are all born as originals, most of us become imitators of other men’s gift.

Unfortunately, many people are jealous of other people's gifts. Let me encourage you not to waste your time on jealousy nor craving for what others have but not given to you by God. Jealousy is a gift robber. Jealousy is an energy drain. Jealousy will take away the passion of life from you. You should be so busy stirring up your God given gifts that you don't have time to be jealous of anyone else or to feel sorry for yourself.

OVER ABOVE ALL OTHERS

   OVER AND ABOVE ALL OTHERS

“You have loved righteousness [You have delighted in integrity, virtue, and uprightness in purpose, thought, and action] and You have hated lawlessness (injustice and iniquity). Therefore God, [even] Your God ( Godhead), has anointed You with the oil of exultant joy and gladness above and beyond Your companions” Heb. 1:9 AMPC

There is space for all of us at the top of the mountain. But not all of us will pay the price to come up to Mount Zion where holiness is the watch word and deliverance awaits us. That is where we have been designated to possess our possession [Obad. 1:17]. Jesus Christ is our perfect example and we must emulate his lifestyle, life of rightness with God and utmost willing to do the will of our heavenly Father, so we can come up hither to that kind of exalted position that Christ attained to as he delighted in integrity, virtue, and uprightness in purpose, thoughts and action.

It is not enough for leaders in the Body of Christ to be holy, righteous and godly but for the disciples that follows their teachings and leadership to allow the leaders to use the double edged sword through the spirit of wisdom and revelation to enlighten their eyes and imbibe the culture of the word to prepare them for the glorious future that God had planned for them through the works of chiseling off the old stock and renewing our inner man and being transformed to become like Jesus through the transformation of the word and the ministry of the Holy Spirit [Eph. 1: 17-17].

Spiritual promotion , elevation and maturity is not for everybody. You must be spiritually diligent and willing to do the will of the heaven Father, be transformed and be renewed in your mind so as to come up higher in spiritual level and maturity.

Blessings only come out from living a life that aligns with godly values. Such believers must live lives that aligns with God’s standards and principles. Such stands up for what is right and opposes what is wrong, that is they detest evil and do what makes for positive and divine impact. Such experiences the joy and gladness that come from living a life that pleases God and receives recognition and honor from God who values their commitment to do what is right in His sight.

“And let the king appoint officers in all the provinces of his kingdom, that they may gather together all the fair young virgins unto Shushan the palace, to the house of the women, unto the custody of Hege the king's chamberlain, keeper of the women; and let their things for purification be given them: And let the maiden which pleases the king be queen instead of Vashti. And the thing pleased the king; and he did so” Esther 2:3-4

Hege the chamberlain that prepared Esther was a type of the Word and the Spirit of God combined who must be inculcated into our spirit man and obeyed so we can reach that high level placement that God has set as our pinnacle in life and ministry.

Esther was a good disciple that listened to, follow through with all the instructions of the teacher and ended up being favored by God and the king. She was cleansed and purged of carnality and worldly lifestyle and she eventually was more of a godly pedigree and was promoted above her fellows to be the queen. To come up to the realm that people like Paul climbed to as an apostle, we must be willing to count all that is worldly as dung for the excellency of the knowledge of and becoming much like Christ such that grace, gifts and anointing will be bestowed upon us much more than all the others whose tenacity and commitment to the Lord and His service is not up to par.  

“But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart” 1 Sam. 16:7  

In the day that David was anointed as king all his brothers were presented before Prophet Samuel but they were disqualified. God’s Prophet also was about to make a mistake to anoint the wrong person before God told him that we men look at the outward appearance and God look at the heart. David knew the Lord, served Him faithfully and was a worshipper of God that had been prepared in the wilderness. He was made shepherd of animals through which he was promoted to be shepherd of Israel.

We are anointed as kings and priests [Rev. 5:10], to rule and reign with Christ Jesus but some of us will live as mere men and wallow in the miry clay because of ungodly character and carnal lifestyle. Such men though believers are lukewarm, love what is wrong and hate what is right! And will come short of the level that God had destined for them to reach in life, having not paid the price for excellence in life and in ministry.

“Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows” Heb. 1:9 [See also Psalm 45:7-8]

Jesus Christ stands as our best example of those that paid the price so that whatever level that others do not reach unto can be bestowed upon them. Jesus so much pleased the Father that a name greater than all other names was given to Him and He was given the title the king of Kings [Phil. 2:5-11].

Christ loves righteous lifestyle and righteous works, faithfulness and integrity, and a just administration of government, everything that is holy, just, and good was found in him; all these were found in him and  in the whole course of His life on earth. Jesus was made the impacter of righteousness for his people, and in encouraging righteousness in them. Jesus led them in the way of righteousness, holiness, clean hands and pure heart. And His love of justice will still more appear at the last day, when he will judge the world in righteousness, and give the crown of righteousness to persons who love that kind of godly lifestyle. We saw that Jesus also hates iniquity, unrighteousness, sinfulness and He hate all evil.                             

There are criteria that must be fulfilled before believers can truly have greater grace, anointed above others, elevation to position of authority and move upward to the next level.

“But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble” James 4:6 

The more the humility found in you, the greater the grace bestowed upon you by God. The more you hate iniquity and love right standing with God, the greater the anointing of God that will flow in your life. David served faithfully feeding, protecting and keeping the sheep of his father and God promoted him as physical shepherd [king] over Israel. You must qualify for greatness before you will be promoted to greater heights in life or ministry. For example, 5 people work as clerk in a bank but one of them went ahead to study for and pass with distinction the four stages of ACCA to qualify as a certified accountant. Please who will be promoted among the four on the day of promotion please?

”Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” 2 Tim. 2:15

We understand that those who know their God shall be strong and do exploits [Dan. 11:32]. However such must read, study, meditate upon and become doers of the word in an ever increasing way so that they can mature and be blessed [James 1:21-25]. It is not automatic.

True enough Esther was described as a beautiful damsel but her qualification to become the queen was much more than outside apparel and beauty charm. All the people [except Haman whose reason was because he hated the Jews] loved her and looking for ways to favor, help and bless her because she carried the Presence of God in her inner man, she allowed the purification to purge and cleanse her of all filthiness and she was adorned with an ornament of gentle and quiet spirit. Hence she was chosen and promoted above all other women that were prepared to take the position of the queen. 

The two sons of Eli the priest, Hophni and Phenihas were sons of belial desecrating the Lord’s sacrifice and sleeping with women at the door of the sanctuary; eventually they were killed in battle but Samuel who was holy, blameless and a genuine prophet of God was promoted as the chief prophet of the nation of Israel.

Nothing can truly adapt to express the character of anyone than “he loved righteousness and hated iniquity” which described the Lord Jesus, who was “holy, harmless, undefiled, just and doing what is right in the sight of God the Father, pleasing God the Father at all times and in all ways”; who “did no sin, and in whose mouth no guile was found”; this qualified Jesus to be anointed much more than any man that walked upon the face of the earth.

Esther modelled after the Lord Jesus Christ in that she was meek, lowly, of few words, rather go with the will of the Father in preparing her for glory than follow carnal, selfish or external projections; she was contented with building her inner character and Christlike charisma to reflect that of Christ and she sought nothing that was of earthly gratification. Her only vision is the vision of the King of kings; and she wishes to please God in all ways and at all times.

No guile or fault was found in her! She did not open up her mouth in frivolity just like Master Jesus but she only went for what the Holy Spirit ministers to do per time. She refused to love this present world with all its allurement like gold and silver that other women excessively adorn themselves with.

When other women were trying to beautify their externalities like perfume, painting of face and platting of hair, she was busy cleansing and purging her inner-man such that only the fragrance of Christ can be seen in her! She towed the same line that Ruth towed for she saw God in Mordecai just like Ruth saw God in Naomi and clung to her saying if I perish following her as she followed Christ, let it be so.

Such faith brought elevation and promotion in the lives of these God chasers. What did Jonathan the son of King Saul saw in David? It was godly charisma, character and integrity. Jonathan desired such and connected with David through a blood covenant.

What made Mordecai to adopt Esther was much more than emotions and sentiment of being a niece. He himself saw godliness and fragrance of the spirit such that he desired the joy, contentment and godliness which Esther displays at all times.  Promotion is promised by God unto all believers but it is obvious that there are some that will be promoted much more than others because they sought the Lord, chasing after godliness, paid the price of diligently seeking God, and pleased Him much more than others. Imagine that there are at least two hundred beautiful maidens chosen, and Esther having paid the price was chosen above all others.

Why was Apostle Paul very formidable much more than others? He paid the price for such elevation and promotion. He lived godly and lived a sacrificial life much more than others; he was in Arabian desert for over three years preparing for ministry, in fasting, letting go of what others held on to like wives and kids because he wants to please the Master much more; he wrote two thirds of the New Testament such that the Father in heaven bestowed much more grace upon him! What we are clamoring for today, he counted but dung for the excellence of the knowledge of God!

God described His relationship with Moses so intimate as talking with him face to face unlike other prophets that He talked to in dreams and visions. Moses paid the price of deep fellowship, intimacy and always going up to the mount in the place of God’s Presence for he knew that there is fullness of joy there and pleasant things forever more. Moses left the luxury of the palace of Pharaoh in order to do the work of bringing out the Israelites from bondage and God was COMPELLED to endow him with all necessary grace to do the work.

The question is … Are you willing to pay the price that others who entered into such dimension of glory paid? Only then can elevation and promotion above others be established in you.

Time will not permit to talk about Phinehas [Numbers 25:1-15] who showed the same tenacity when he stood against the idolatry and immorality of the Israelites. Daniel [Dan. 1-6] refused to compromise his faith, even in the face of persecution and danger. So were many Christians around the world persecuted for their faith, and they stood on the Lord side such that many of them were matyred! Other Christians stood against corruption, abuse of power, and others forms of iniquity, even at personal risk, demonstrated a love for righteousness and a hatred for iniquity.

Such must have a strong desire for God’s word [Psalm 119:1-5, 130], committed to stand up for what is right and fair, even when it is difficult or unpopular and they must seek to live a life that is separate from sin and dedicated to God. [1 Peter 1:13-16] and of course they must have love for the people of God. Such abhor sin, stands against evil and grief, over wickedness, hate hypocrisy, mourning the destructive impact of sin on individuals and society; and they seek to protect and promote God’s reputation in the world [Psalm 69:9]. And so God promoted them above others!