Point 4: Be an Encourager, 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
When the fire starts fading, I either grab the fire bellows to blast air onto the hot coals underneath or a magazine to fan the flame. It doesn’t take long, then the wood ignites, and the fire is bright.
That is exactly what we are to do with the spiritual gift(s) God gives us.
We may look at others and wish we had their gift(s). For example: As mentioned in point 1, my friend, Susan, writes cards. Two hospitable friends, Kerri and Pec, immediately prepare meals and, if necessary, organize a food chain for others during times of need. Where I have good intentions of writing cards, Susan just does. Where I often don’t want to impose or I just say, “Please let me know if you need anything or when I can bring a meal?”, Kerri and Pec just do. Remember that we are all unique. God has equipped each of us to do certain tasks in life, and we can’t do it all or be all. (Someone needed to hear this! So, let me reiterate…we cannot do it all or be all.) Smile and be grateful for their gift. Let them know that you appreciate them and their talent. Maybe write them a little note of thankfulness (like we mention about verse 1…Susan, Kerri, and Pec, you should consider this my thank you card).
In the above paragraph, notice I said that each one mentioned “just does”. Y’all I can testify that when you have the natural ability to JUST DO something, that is a gift. You may not even realize that it is a gift because it is just like breathing to you…it comes naturally. Others may observe you performing a task and think, “how do they do it?” Tim has said to me several times how I don’t seem to fear speaking in public, when to the majority of people, this is definitely on their top 10 or 5 or 3 list of fears.
God gave each of us a spiritual gift. Use it. By you flaming your gift, you could be encouraging others in their walk with Christ.
Point 4, Fan the flame, means to: Ignite, intensify, luminate, excite (heat up), begin to glow, catch fire. Friend, I pray that you will fan the flame of the Holy Spirit within you, seek your gift, use it, and bring glory to God.
Below, I’ve attached three biblically based articles: “How do I identify my spiritual gift?”, “How does God distribute spiritual gifts?”, and “Is there a biblical spiritual gifts list?” I want to encourage you to read these and the verses within to help understand and to assist in pinpointing your gift(s).
Blessings to you and yours,
Stephanie
How do I identify my spiritual gift? | GotQuestions.org
How does God distribute spiritual gifts? | GotQuestions.org
Is there a biblical spiritual gifts list? | GotQuestions.org
Spending time with my man, around a fire…priceless.
I love spending time with my girl friends. Again, fireside chats are best. (me, Merrie, Suzie, Theresa, and Kim)