Fan the Flame
“This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you” (2 Timothy 1:6).
Now is not the time to hoard the gifts that God has given you.
I will never forget when I received this word from the Lord, and I believe it is still relevant for many of us today:
He said, I am giving you wisdom like Joseph. You will know when to store up and when to disperse the goods (Genesis 41:33-36). “The goods” are your gifts.
Joseph was appointed by Pharaoh to manage all the produce in the land of Egypt after he foresaw, by way of the king’s dream, that a famine was coming (Genesis 41:39-49). Perilous times have come, and now more than ever, we need the people of God to walk boldly in the gifts that God has given them. Now is the time to disperse the goods.
Paul lays out the different ways in which we are called to do so:
“In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly” (Romans 12:6-8).
“Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ” (Ephesians 4:11-13).
There is a famine in the land, and you have what it takes to fatten the cows again (Genesis 41:26-27). If you feel weak, I have given you strength, says the Lord (2 Corinthians 12:9a). So, fan the flame.
God Is Waiting On You
We often say that we are waiting on God. However, if we’re honest, at times, we’re actually questioning His call and doubting His instruction—going back and forth about what we know we’re supposed to do. In the meantime, God is waiting on us. He said, how many times do I have to tell you, this is what I called you to do?
Some of us are sitting on dreams and visions that have yet to be fulfilled—not because it’s not the right time, but because we just haven’t moved on it yet. God is giving you the strength to do what He said, and you have to rebuke everything that tries to block you from completing your assignment in the Name of Jesus.
Ministers of the Gospel: The word, the prayer, or the prophecy that God gave you has to come from your mouth. “Out of your belly shall flow rivers of living water” (John 7:38b), says the Lord. I love the Amplified Translation of this verse. It reads:
“‘He who believes in Me [who adheres to, trusts in, and relies on Me], as the Scripture has said, ‘From his innermost being will flow continually rivers of living water’” (John 7:38).
God has given you everything you need, and it will come from within. You have what it takes to do what He said, so go forth in Jesus’ Name.
