A Spirit of Power and Love: Stir into Flame

“For this reason, I remind you to stir into flame the gift of God that you have through the imposition of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power and love and self-control.” ~2 Timothy 1:6-7

A Spirit of Power and Love

God has given every believer a spirit of power and love, not fear.

Every Kansan knows about the Cowardly Lion from the movie, The Wizard of Oz. Despite being a lion, a truly fierce creature, he lacks the courage to be brave and not be afraid. At the end (spoiler alert), the Wizard gives the Lion a medal inscribed with the word, ‘courage’. With the medal proudly pinned to this chest the Lion is no longer cowardly; he is confident. Did the Wizard imbue the medal with special powers? No, the Wizard showed the Lion he believed in him enough to pin a medal on him that told everyone the Lion had courage.

In Paul’s second letter to Timothy, Paul does something similar with his young protégé, except Paul gives Timothy something exponentially greater than a medal. Paul encourages Timothy to fuel his Holy Spirit ember until it is stirred into flame. These words are not only for Timothy they are for all Christians at all times. “So do not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord… He saved us and called us to a holy life” (8-9). We have nothing to be ashamed of, we have nothing to be fearful of since we have been given a fully equipped spirit ready and able.

Maybe the flame inside you is dwindling to an ember. As Jesus breathed on the apostles so they could receive the Holy Spirit, He wants His breath to be the fuel you need to stir your ember into flame. Allow His grace to do its work. Be a confident Christian. And always improve the present moment.