Amy Sholdt The book of 2 Timothy was Paul’s second letter to Timothy and was probably one of the last letters that he wrote. In part of this letter Paul is exhorting Timothy to remain faithful. We are going to look at two of these verses.
In 2 Tim 1:6-7 Paul writes, “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. For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (fear - KJ) but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline (sound mind – KJ).” (NIV)
We read here that Paul is reminding Timothy of something. Since he is reminding Timothy, this must be something that Timothy already knew but has forgotten. We need reminding also. Our daily reminders might include taking out the trash, turning out the lights, feeding the cat, doing the laundry or calling our parents. However, we also need reminding of Godly matters; most specifically: we need to be reminded of who He is, what He can do; who we are in Him and what we can do in Him. We can’t comprehend all that God is and all that He does so we certainly can’t remember it all. Therefore we must seek God for daily reminders, for our daily bread so that we will glorify Him throughout the day.
There are several ways that God can remind us. One is through the Holy Spirit as we read in John 14:26, “the Holy Spirit will remind you of everything I have said to you.” The reminders He might give us might include, “Remember that I am bigger than this problem,” or “I will show you the way” or even “That is not how a child of Mine acts.” God also will bring us reminders through His Word as it says in 2 Timothy 3:16, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.” Reminders might also come through circumstances (both positive and negative). These might include getting a job you thought you had no chance of getting or not getting a job that you expected was yours – reminding you that God is in control. Reminders may also come through people - both friends and strangers and through both their Godly advice and random comments.
Paul is reminding Timothy to fan into flame the gift of God. As Timothy received a gift (if not many gifts) from God, so have you and I. Many gifts we have all received, other gifts are more specific to the calling of our specific ministry. Regardless, we must remember that God has given us all gifts – they were given and we did nothing to earn or acquire them and they are not natural.
As Paul is doing for Timothy, I am saying to you, it is time to fan into flame those gifts. Unfortunately, many of the gifts of God get forgotten and are unused. As it says in the King James, you need to stir them up. God’s gift is like coals heating and simmering and once someone fans them, they start flaming and you have a fire again. Sometimes these coals look like they are dead and cold but once the fan is turned on them; you see there is life in them. God’s gift is glowing and simmering in us, possibly close to extinction. How do we fan the flames of our gifts? By being obedient and using them!
The gift is in you, it goes with you, it continues with you. It does not get lost or leak out of you or get taken. It is there and now is the time to stir it up!
So that is why I am sharing this with you – to remind you of the gifts God has given you and to stir you up to take hold of them, use them, and glorify God wherever you are.
Let’s look at the second verse again.
2 Tim 1:7 For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (FEAR) but a spirit of power, of love and of self discipline (SOUND MIND).
First we will look at what God has NOT given us and that is a spirit of fear! This includes the fear of losing a job, the economy collapsing, not pleasing someone, your work project not getting completed, raising a child, not being successful in your school work, sharing the gospel, failing at a task, etc.
Fear can sneak in. It is very deceptive and we don’t even realize it is upon us. Next thing we know we are clinging to our fear and forgetting what God has given us.
Here are some examples of what the spirit of fear can do:
In Mat 25:14-30, Jesus shares the Parable of the Talents. In this parable a property owner entrusts three men with his talents while he is on a journey. Two of the men invest the talents and make more but the third buries his talent. When the property owner returns, the last man tells him,
v. 25 “So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground.”
Fear had come in and all the man could do was hide and bury his talent. Do you see what the property owner said in response?
v. 26 The master replied, “You wicked, lazy servant.”
Many of us have buried the gift that the Lord has given us. A similar example to us would be tithing. Are you afraid to give what God asks you to give? God is like the property owner in that He is entrusting us with HIS money! When we give financially through tithes and offerings, we bless others and God in turn will bless us. What God has given us (money or spiritual gifts) is to be used to bless others not be hidden and buried.
Luke 8:14 is about the farmer sowing seed and says, “The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches, and pleasures and they do not mature.”
Fears keep us from growing and maturing. How can you grow and mature in the Lord if you never step out to do what He calls you to do? The Lord has recently called me to preach. If I let the fear (being worried about not pleasing God, stumbling, forgetting what I was going to say, people not liking me or my message) stop me, my growth would have been hindered. Someone would have preached in my place so the people would have received a message, but I would have miss out on the growth and faith building that preparing the sermon brought about in me.
Rom 8:15 says, “For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship.” Fear enslaves us. If you have a fear of rejection, then you won’t reach out to know others, apply for a job you desire, share your ideas, find a spouse, etc. This also means you won’t receive any of the blessings of reaching a goal, having a close friend or spouse, learning through failure to reach success, and most importantly glorifying God.
The spirit of fear is NOT from God and in no way glorifies the Lord. If we want to glorify Him we must rebuke these fears! How? Get into the word and speak God’s truths and speak them out loud!
Here are some truths you can speak out to defeat and destroy the spirit of fear:
· Ps 23:4 - …I will fear no evil for you are with me.
· Ps 91:4-5 –You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. (nor my boss who wants me fired, nor my dwindling bank account, nor the work load that keeps piling up – make it personal!)
· Ps 27:1 – The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear?
· Ps 34:4 – I sought the Lord and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.
All of us have these fears not just new or young. Look at 1 Kings 19. Elijah is a very Godly man. A man God had used the day before to perform a mighty and very public miracle, but here he is the next day running in fear from men. We must recognize the spirit of fear immediately and rebuke it so that it will have no affect on us. Do you know what we have then??? PEACE!! Amen!
My first purpose was to remind you that the Spirit of fear is not from the Lord. My second purpose is to remind you what spirits God has given us.
2 Tim 1:7 For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (FEAR) but a spirit of power, of love and of self discipline (SOUND MIND).
Since you have removed the spirit of fear and have decided to fight it when it tries to return; you are now wondering what to do next. Look at the next part of the verse and what God has given us: spirits of power, love and sound mind. We need to do something with these and this is why Paul says to fan the flame of power and go make a difference; fan the flame of love and affect a life; and fan the flame of sound mind and draw people to the Truth. And through the flames of each one, others will see the glory of our precious Lord.
Let’s look at each one separately:
A SPIRIT OF POWER:
In the Greek, power in this verse means inherent power, power for performing miracles, power consisting in or resting upon armies, forces, hosts. It is courage, resolution to encounter difficulties and dangers (resist Satan and do the will and work of the Lord); it also means to endure.
Here is a great verse that shows the power within us.
Ps 18:29 With your help I can advance against a troop; with my God I can scale a wall. Do you believe that? Or do the verses in your life sound like: I can’t crush an army, I can’t scale any wall!!??
Think about the times you have said you can’t:
I can’t… finish that project, lead that group, lose weight, control my temper, tell them the truth, forgive, afford it, tithe 10%, pass my exams, memorize scripture, share the gospel, quit smoking, make a difference, get along with my coworker or boss, sing, pray out loud, do it correctly…. I can’t, I can’t, I can’t
Let me tell you a story. I said I can’t teach Kindergarten, 5th grade, or middle school. God thought differently and I have now taught each one. 5th grade became my favorite; I learned a lot teaching Kindergarten; and middle school felt like a ministry.
How about our excuses?? I can’t because I … am too old or too young, didn’t go to Bible school, am unqualified, have no will power, am too dumb, too busy, too tired… because, because, because…
When my friend asked me to help her with youth group (another group I said I can’t work with), I cried! I couldn’t come up with an excuse because if I did I was really saying I can’t because my God is too small!! I had no excuse so I cried and accepted my fate… and, by God’s grace, I grew so much and truly did enjoy working with the kids.
Think about the reasons you give for why you can’t do something aren’t you really saying that God is too small to accomplish it. I have a Pastor who won’t let me say “I can’t” so I don’t anymore. Can you do offertory? CAN! Can you do prayer? CAN! Can you exalt! CAN! Can you preach? (gulp) CAN!
Why can I? Why Can we?
Look at the beginning of the sentences in the above verses… IN YOUR STRENGH, and WITH GOD. So why can we… because God gave us His Spirit of Power! Read your Bible, get into the Word and find all that God can do through us and with us… no more excuses! Start memorizing some verses like this one to help remind you when you are about to say, “I can’t”.
Below are some other verses to use to start fanning into flame the spirit of power:
Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you…
Luke 24:49 I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.
2 Chron 32:7 Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged because the king of Assyria and the vast army with him, for there is a greater power with us than with him. With him is only the arm of flesh, but with us is the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battles.
I want to include something else with this. Sometimes instead of saying “I can’t” we try to avoid the armies and the walls. In my Experiencing God study, Henry Blackaby made an interesting statement, he said:
“Our world is not attracted to the Christ we serve, because they can’t see Him at work. They see us doing good things for God and say, “That is wonderful but that is not my thing.” The world is passing us by, because they don’t want to get involved in what they see… they aren’t seeing God. Why? Because, we are not attempting anything that only God can do!”
Repeat… we are not attempting anything that only God can do! To unbelievers, are our lives any different from other nonbelievers? Today, starting today, it is time for us to say CAN! And let that Spirit of Power flame within us.
A SPIRIT OF LOVE:
Love used in this verse is agape which means divine capacity to love. Only God is capable of agape.
From a Kenneth Copeland Devotional that I received via email on Nov 15 called, “Put Love to Work” he says,
What do you do when you're facing a particularly stubborn problem? A problem that resists your every effort to solve it? Put the power of love to work on it! The power of love is the greatest power in the universe. It's beyond defeat. It never fails (1 Cor. 13:8).The Bible says God is love. So when you release love into a situation, you have released God into it. Think about that! When you start releasing love into a situation, Jesus becomes responsible for its success. What is this love I'm talking about?
It sounds great but how do we put love into a problem? Look at First Corinthians 13 and I will word it to show you how you need to use the spirit of love in a problem.
You need to be patient and kind. Not jealous or haughty or conceited or rude. Don’t insist on your own way. Don’t be touchy or resentful and pay no attention to a suffered wrong. You should rejoice when right and truth prevail and bear up under anything and everything that comes. Be ever ready to believe the best of every person. Your hopes should be fadeless under all circumstances and you should endure everything without weakening (The Amplified Bible). …
Wow! Without God’s spirit of love working in us, we have no chance! Reminder: God has given us this agape love and that means He has given us the ability to love as I just shared.
We need to call on the spirit to love as God has called us to love throughout scripture as we see in:
Matt 22: 37-39, Love God above all and second, love your neighbor.
Matt 22:37-39 36 "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'
Rom 13:9 The commandments, "Do not commit adultery," "Do not murder," "Do not steal," "Do not covet," and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: "Love your neighbor as yourself."
Col 3:12 -14 Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
1Peter 1:22 … love one another deeply, from the heart.
1 John 3:16-18 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.
The number of verses in the Bible that talk about love and how the spirit of love is to work in us, go on and on. Basically, as it says in 1Cor 15:14, Do everything in love.
Hopefully, I have stirred up your spirit of power and spirit of love, now on to the spirit of a sound mind (self-discipline)
A SPIRIT OF SOUND MIND/SELF-DISCIPLINE
In the NKJ with Strongs, sound mind means: 1) a calling to soundness of mind, to moderation and self-control, 2) self-control, moderation well-balanced, temperate, sober of mind, self-controlled
We understand power and love but what does self-discipline mean?? Here are some examples of self-controlled, upright and godly lives which are the result of sound minds from the heavenly Father.
First we have Jesus who constantly displayed a sound mind through all his parables, the life he lived, and the Truth he spoke and that still speaks to us. Look at the example in Matt 26: 62-65, “Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, "Are you not going to answer? What is this testimony that these men are bringing against you?" But Jesus remained silent.”
Jesus remained silent and he showed strength and discipline by doing so. The passage continues, “The high priest said to him, "I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God." "Yes, it is as you say," Jesus replied. "But I say to all of you: In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven." Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, "He has spoken blasphemy! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy.”
We read what Jesus said and know that it is Truth but the high priest didn’t and by his response we definitely don’t see a sound mind.
Two other examples are Paul and David. Their words that still speak to us and the way they lived their lives are undeniable truth that these men had sound minds, self-control and self-discipline that could only have come from God.
Next we will look at examples of lives lacking self-control and self-discipline. Saul started off well but after disobedience, God left him (1 Sam 16:14). In 1 Sam 18:10-11, Saul tries to spear David two times even though he knows that God is with David. Later in 1 Sam 19, Saul still tries to kill David even after David spares Saul’s life twice. You definitely do not see a sound mind or self-control in Saul during these times.
The other example is the Israelites. In Exodus 24:7 they say to Moses, “we will do everything the Lord has said; we will obey” but by Exodus 32 they are asking Aaron to make them gods to go before them and they begin worshipping a golden calf (and God had just delivered them out of Egypt!) In Exodus 32:25; Moses states that the Israelites “became a laughingstock to their enemies” because of their behavior. We can’t be too hard on the Israelites as we can see similar actions when we look into our own lives.
Think about how you act and what you say. Are you giving people reason to shame you? Are you drawing people to God? People are listening and watching; you could be planting a seed in them and not even realize it.
Just like when God’s power shines through us, or when we show God’s love to others, people will be drawn to God when we have self-discipline, self-control, and a sound mind. But we can only do it through the spirit of God. Like the Israelites, when they sought Him and obeyed Him, they displayed self-discipline, but when they turned away, they lost control. They didn’t have the ability – as we don’t either – to break the chains or destroy the strongholds that controlled them and control us. We need to release the spirit of sound mind, start using it, stand firm in it, call out to it when we are weak so that our lives might be changed and be found attractive by others. We want people to see a Paul in us not a Saul.
If I didn’t act on these three spirits and rebuke the first, I would not be able to preach. I had to first rebuke and remove the spirit of fear (with encouragement from a friend and God’s reminder). Then I had to fan into flame the spirit of power and say “Can!” when my Pastor asked me to preach; the spirit of love to desire to share the Word that God had given to me; and the spirit of self-discipline to research and spend time on the sermon so I could share the truth from a sound mind.
So I say to you, 2 Tim 1:6 For this reason, I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you.