Written by Pastor Jack Wellman– 2 Tim 1:7
Fan the Flame
Perhaps it was because Timothy was timid or fearful in the company of non-Christians or in front of the Jews that the Apostle Paul told Him to “to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands” (2nd Tim 1:6), but how do you fan the flames? You use the Spirit of God to awaken the child of God to boldly proclaim the Word of God in the hopes of others becoming the children of God.
No Spirit of Fear
The Apostle Paul, after telling Timothy to fan the flame, tells him that God hasn’t given him a spirit of fear because “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love” (1st John 4:18). The fact is “God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control” (2nd Tim 1:7).
A Power of Love
God has given all of us the spirit of power to love and to have self-control, and Paul’s great desire was “to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God” (Eph 3:19). It is from Jesus’ “fullness we have all received, grace upon grace” (John 1:16). We have the power of God in us and it is called the Holy Spirit. He can help us love those who appear unlovable, because God loved us first while we were still very unlovable. The only reason we love God anyway is because “he first loved us” (1st John 4:19b).
A Power of Self-Control
God’s not only given Timothy the spirit of self-control, but He’s given this power to all of us. Self-control can help us avoid sin, and that freedom from sinning takes our fears away because those who fear haven’t perfected God’s love. They may still feel that they might have God’s wrath on them, but if you and I are self-controlled, we’ll have no fear and pillow our head at night with a clear conscience.
Conclusion
If we ever fall into a pattern of fear, let’s ask ourselves, “Do I really trust God?” Perhaps that’s it, so if you have fear, fan the flame of the gift that God has given you; understand that God’s already given us His Holy Spirit, and since He is God, He fears nothing; and unleash the power of love and of self-control and you won’t be fearful or timid anymore.
