Stir Up The Gift That You May Flow In it: A Message Of Confidence

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. For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:6-7, KJV).

The gifs, callings, and visions that God gives us can be overwhelming. They can be intimidating because of how vast they are. So vast, that it can be difficult, if not impossible to wrap our minds around them; but, that is the way they are designed, as they are designed to glorify Him and not us. Those things that He has placed in us to do can seem so grandiose in our mind that it would be easy for us to discount them as something we drummed up out of self-deception, or perhaps as false prophesy. Again, that is the way they are designed, because they require a greater faith than our own –His faith.

Prior to reading verse six, we read, “I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also” (KJV). It is impossible to imitate the faith of Jesus that dwells in us through the Holy Spirit.  The word, “unfeigned” means without pretense in that it means to be inexperienced in the art of acting. It is genuine, true, sincere, and means without hypocrisy.  Sometimes believers question whether they have enough faith to accomplish the things that God has called them to do.  Understand that as we place our faith in God, by His grace the faith of Jesus operates through us. In verses 13-14 we read, “Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us” (see also Galatians 2:20; Ephesians 3:12). Faith is part of the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22), the manifestation of the Spirit (1Corinthians 12:9), and the armor of God (Ephesians 6:16).  Simply put, the faith comes from the Spirit, and not the self (for better detail on the subject, read “The Faith Of Jesus In The Life Of The Believer”).

We are not called to be timid in the things of God, but to be confident because they are given to us by God, and have purpose in His Kingdom. Because of this, He has not given a spirit of timidity (“fear”), but of power, love, and of a sound mind (see1Timothy 1:7). The key to confidence in their usage is having confidence in God Who dwells in us through the Spirit. Keep in mind that if He did not want you to operate in those things, he would have never given them to you! Understand that the Father called us, “With an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began” (2 Timothy 1:9, KJV). Recognize that we are not the ones who did the calling, and that the calling was never based upon our performance, or our lack. Grace is the ability given to us through Jesus Christ to accomplish the things of God.  Amazingly, the calling existed long before we were born. You were always in His thoughts and heart!

It is in Jesus Christ that the gifts function, just as “All the promises of God in Him are yea, and in Him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.” (2 Corinthians 1:20, KJV). We cannot make the gifts function, nor make the promises happen outside of Jesus Christ. Our confidence is based upon our position in Him. Therefore, the things of God will function as He leads. We will have the confidence required when we walk by the Spirit and are not moved by the flesh.

Finally, a major key in having confidence in God, is knowing Him.  As Paul wrote by the Holy Spirit in 2Timothy 1:12, “For I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day.” The more we know the Father and are intimate with Jesus, the more trust we will have in Him, and the greater the confidence we will have in Him. It means spending a lot of time with Him. Everything we do should flow out of our relationship with Him.  Stir up the Gift that you may flow in it!

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