How To Stir Up Your Spiritual Gifts

• What God has done is being'remembered' (2 Tim. 1:6). Paul was reminding Timothy of God's work in his life. As a result, you should keep in mind when and how He saved you. Remember when He poured out His Spirit on you? Remember when you had hands placed on you and predictions shouted over you? Then make deliberate and frequent use of your gift.
• Maintain your commitment to sound instruction (2 Tim. 1:13, 2:15). Study and listen to Scripture as well as learn from biblical teachers on a regular basis. Learning everything there is to know about the Bible's treasures.
• Keep your gift safe (2 Tim. 1:14). Timothy was told by Paul to “watch it,” which means not to utilize it carelessly. Instead, put it to its intended use with enthusiasm. It is to be treasured, protected, and walked with humbly. While doing so, keep Jesus in mind.

This isn't an exhaustive list of techniques to reawaken your spiritual gifts. When it comes to stirring them up, though, these principles are fundamental. The goal is to praise God while encouraging, enlightening, and soothing His beloved church. And reaching out to the lost, bringing them into God's Kingdom.

How do you stir up a spiritual gift?

As we prepare to celebrate Mother's Day this weekend, I'm reminded of certain Scripture passages about mothers. In one of his letters to Timothy, the apostle Paul wrote, “I recall your real faith, for you have the same faith that your grandmother Lois and mother Eunice had when they were young. And I know the same faith is alive and well in you” (2 Timothy 1:5, NLT).

We can learn a great deal from these words. First and foremost, of all the qualities we admire in our moms and grandparents, we should be grateful for the faith they instill in us.

I've been fortunate to have a Christian mother and grandma who have been major spiritual influencers in my life and have stood consistently with the Lord. I understand that not everyone has had that exact experience, but I believe that every Christian can think of someone who has served as a spiritual role model.

We all need positive role models, and we should all aim to be such role models for others. Paul admonished the Philippian church in his letter, “Dear brothers and sisters, imitate my life and learn from those who follow in our footsteps” (Philippians 3:17). Who has been a role model in your life?

Timothy had multiple examples, including his mother, grandma, and Paul, according to reports. Nonetheless, I find it fascinating that right after Paul acknowledged his mother and grandmother's impact, he pushed the young pastor to “Through the laying on of my hands, stir up the gift of God that is in you” (2 Timothy 1:6, NKJV).

Timothy had to work hard even though he had obtained spiritual gifts via the influence of others “He was the one who “stirred up” those gifts.

What does it mean to “stir up” God's gift? Consider what occurs when you make lemonade or sweet tea. The sugar settles to the bottom of the drink when you first pour it in. It takes a lot of stirring to get the sugar to dissolve completely and serve its objective of sweetening the entire beverage.

Similarly, we may possess faith or spiritual gifts, but we must keep them stimulated so that they do not remain hidden or buried. Other people can impact you spiritually, but you must cultivate your gifts and faith on your own.

Another Bible translation renders Paul's advice to Timothy as follows: “Fan the fires of the spiritual talent that God has given you” (NLT). You may have a spiritual gift that is smoldering within you, but you have the ability to fire it into flames. To establish strong, lasting faith, you must keep stoking your spiritual flames.

I admire Paul's choice of words to characterize Timothy's mother and grandmother's faith. Some translations use the terms “sincere” or “true” instead of “genuine” faith “faith that isn't feigned That Timothy learnt to establish a steady, authentic, battle-tested, and pure connection with God. That is the type of trust we should all strive towards!

If your religion is strong today, be grateful for the contributions others have made to your spiritual life. Allow their example to inspire you to make a difference in other people's lives. Find positive spiritual figures who can serve as role models for you if you need to improve in your faith.

We can develop our own true, sincere, unfeigned confidence in God by learning from others and continuously stirring up our spiritual abilities.

What does the Bible say about stirring up the spirit?

Pastors, have you given serious consideration to the most significant words of encouragement, wisdom, and caution you would pass on to your loving family and flock before you leave this earth? The apostle Peter epitomizes the proverb, “It's how you finish that counts.” He gave us his last will and testament, if you will, in the two books of Holy Scripture that bear his name, delivering both dire warnings and immense encouragement to his readers.

“Though you know and are established in the current reality, I will not be remiss in reminding you of these things at all times.” Yes, I believe it is proper, while I am still in this tent, to agitate you by reminding you…. Furthermore, after my death, I will make certain that you have a constant reminder of these things” (2 Pet. 1:12-15, NKJV).

“Beloved, I now write to you this second epistle (in both of which I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder), that you may remember the words uttered previously by the holy prophets, as well as the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior” (2 Pet. 3:1-2, NKJV).

To “wake up” from sleep, to arouse, and to activate the intellect and understanding is to “stir up.” The word for “pure” in this verse is particularly remarkable because it appears only twice in the Bible. Another example can be found in Philippians 1:10. The word implies to test and judge something's purity and sincerity using sunlight in both cases. In the New Testament, the word pure is used in an ethical and moral meaning to encourage us to be free of impure and concealed intentions, as well as to avoid lying.

He wants us to be aware that “mockers” will appear in the last days (2 Pet. 3:3). Mockers live “according to their own lusts,” and they doubt “His future promise.” The latter is a direct challenge to Jesus' promise of a second coming. “Nothing has changed from the beginning of creation,” they claim as an excuse (3:4). I don't believe it's controversial to suggest that we are currently living in a generation of mockers who willfully deny the truth of God's Word in order to live as gods to themselves by indulging in evil impulses.

These mockers forget that God created everything in the beginning by His word, that He devastated the world by flooding it with water, and that He is now maintaining the world by His word (3:5-7).

Peter reminds the cherished ones that God does not measure time in the same way that we do. On Earth, he created time, yet he is not bound by it. He maintains His promises and is patient with humanity, longing for everyone to repent (3:8-9). He tells us that the Lord's Day will come as a thief in the night, with loud noise and cleansing fire, dissolving the skies and melting the elements when we least expect it (3:10).

So, knowing that these events will occur, how will we live, walk, and speak as a result? As if they were duped mockers? Please, God, do not let this happen!

Thankfully, Peter instructs us on how to live in the midst of mockers and deceivers: with holy and godly behavior that is unspoiled by the world. We must be “diligent to be discovered in peace by Him.” We are to strive to meet His goals and will. We must continue to grow in “the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,” according to the Bible (3:11-18). And we are to wait with bated breath for the soon-to-arrive Savior.

Pastors, if you follow Peter's advice, your life will be a model for those you lead. Allow the Holy Spirit to cast a light into your heart, revealing the areas where you may have strayed from the path and allowed ministry fatigue and cultural persecution to damage your endurance. Continue to proclaim God's Word with zeal. Keep going—the Holy Spirit is with you and will see you through to the end. God has prepared a crown of splendor for you! 1 Peter 5:4

What does it mean to pray in the Holy Ghost?

For this is God's will, that you may silence the ignorance of foolish men by doing good (living in love) — 1 Peter 2:15.

God's will is for you to be sanctified in this way (purification from sin, so capacity for love increases)… 4:3 — 1 Thessalonians

But you, friends, recall what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ said before: how they warned you that there would be mockers in the last days who would act according to their own wicked desires. These are sensual people who generate divisions because they lack the Holy Spirit. But you, beloved, keep yourselves in the love of God, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life (beloved, pray in a way that helps you avoid ungodly lusts and helps you remain in the love of God so you can love others and inherit eternal life), looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life — Jude 1:18–21.

The whole of the evidence from Christian Scriptures reveals that whether we are praying in the Holy Spirit is determined by the character with which we pray and the extent to which our desires and requests are not lustful, but rather aimed at increasing our capacity to love others. Given that none of us is flawless in character, or possibly even in the purity of our aspirations and petitions, we will always need the Holy Spirit's intercession in the presence of our heavenly Father, the Father of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

If you want to pray in the Holy Spirit, you want to build Jesus Christ's love character, and you want to shape your prayers around desires that aren't sexual, but rather desires that grow your capacity for love. This means that desires for professions, wives, children, material goods, and so on are all based on love rather than lust.

What does the Bible say about the laying on of hands?

The laying on of hands was related with receiving the Holy Spirit in the New Testament (see Acts 8:14–19). The Apostles initially lay hands on both new and old believers (Acts 6:5–6).

The laying on of hands is also associated with the conferral of power or the appointment of a person to a position of responsibility in the New Testament. (See, for example, Acts 6:6, Acts 13:3, and 1 Timothy 4:14.) Also possible in Acts 14:23, where “ordained”—Greek: v—could be rendered as “stretched the hand.”) In various sects of Christianity, the laying on of hands for the ordination of church executives is still practiced.

Which you received by the laying on of hands?

The laying on of hands (Greek: cheirotonia – v, literally “laying on of hands”) is a symbolic and formal method of invoking the Holy Spirit in Christianity. It is used primarily during baptisms and confirmations, healing services, blessings, and the ordination of priests, ministers, elders, deacons, and other church officers, as well as a variety of other church sacraments and holy ceremonies.

The laying on of hands was related in the New Testament with Christ curing the sick (Luke 4:40) and receiving the Holy Spirit after his ascension (Acts 8:14–19). The Apostles initially lay hands on both new and old believers. (According to Acts 6:5–6). The practice persisted in the early church and is now employed in a variety of church rites, such as confirmation.