“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.” II Timothy 1:6

From the context, we see that Timothy was not “on top of his game” spiritually speaking. He apparently was discouraged and fearful. Perhaps he was aware of his shortcomings and was experiencing guilt because of them. Paul’s instruction is encouraging: stir up the gift that is in thee.

“Stir up” has the idea of rekindling a flame. Have you ever experienced a time of spiritual coldness, lethargy and disillusion? Some may be there right now. Be encouraged that you are not the only one who has had slippage in spiritual things. But, also be encouraged that by God’s grace, it doesn’t have to be that way and you can do something about it.

In blunt terms, don’t just sit there and mope about how lousy you are feeling. Rekindle the flame! Repent of whatever needs to be repented of. Open up the word of God and spend quality time there hearing His wisdom. Go to your Father in prayer, knowing that He is ready and willing to hear you. Do what you can to pray for and minister to others. Do all these things in faith, knowing that God is able to stir up your fire again.

This verse tells us there is always hope in God. It tells us that He is faithful, even with children who get off track. Finally, it gives us a call to action that we must heed!