Stir Up the Gift in You

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 healing power of God is inside of believers. On the inside of you is the healing that you need on your physical body. You may say, "How do I get it out on my body?" I'm glad you asked the question. I Timothy 4:14 says, "Neglect not the gift that is in thee." Now, the word "neglect" means this: to ignore or to be careless of. So it says, don't ignore the gift that's in you. Don't be careless about the gift that's in you. He said, neglect not the gift that is in thee. Which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery.

In II Timothy 1:6, (Paul still writing to Timothy) says to stir up the gift for God has not given us the spirit of fear but of power, love and a sound mind. Don't be afraid to access the gift that is within you.

Well, what gift is that? The Holy Ghost. And the Holy Ghost is the manifestation of God's healing power. There is no healing power in the earth that is apart from God. Healing comes from God. Healing power is God. When God touches you, you get healed.

So it is necessary to stir up the gift that is in you. That's why we can't go to church and just shout all day. There is a time to shout, but there is also a time teach to the word of God too. That way we will know what we're shouting about.

So act on the word of God today and see the power of God work in your life.

Scripture Reference: James: 1:21-25
The Best Gift


If you travel in the mountains of North Georgia, you might pass by a church with the unusual name of Dewberry Baptist Church #2. If you drive on a little while longer, you will come upon another church called Dewberry Baptist Church. When I first encountered these two churches years ago, I asked a friend of mine who was the resident Baptist historian for North Georgia about it. His face lit up. "Oh, that's a great story. That church split over a chicken leg."

Well, now I was hooked. I had to hear the rest of the story. It is, as they say, a doozy! It seems that in the mid-1800s a controversy arose in the congregation of Dewberry Baptist Church about the doctrine of predestination. About half of the congregation had strong feelings about pro-predestination and the other half had very strong anti-predestination beliefs. At the height of the controversy, the two chief proponents - or antagonists might be a better description - of the two points of view were sitting across from each other at a covered dish dinner. At some point in the meal the non-predestination ringleader turned to the predestination ringleader and said, "You mean to tell me that before the beginning of time I it was predetermined that I was to eat this drumstick?" "Yes, brother, you were" replied the other.

The non-predestination leader then said, "HA!", threw the chicken leg across the room and walked out. About half of the church walked out with him. They started a new church, but did not want to give up the church name to "those people," so they named their new church Dewberry Baptist Church #2.

Today, many years later, the controversy is long forgotten, and the two churches get along wonderfully.


Have you ever noticed how easy it is for us to allow ourselves to get sidetracked by things that aren't even a blip on the radar in the grand scheme of eternal consequences? We all can tell horror stories that we have either experienced personally or have heard from someone who was there about churches splitting apart over the color of carpet, the shape of the chandeliers, the style of music, the pastor's salary, building programs, or any number of things that in the context of eternity are utterly meaningless.


This is exactly what motivated the Apostle Paul to write one of the most, if not the most beautiful passages in the entire Bible: I Corinthians 13. We know these four paragraphs of Paul's letter as "the love chapter," but many people don't realize the context in which it is placed. The gist of I Corinthians 13 is that if we as followers of Jesus Christ do not have love as our overarching goal, aim and passion, then we are worthless to the world and to the Kingdom.

The Corinthian Church had many problems, and one of them was that people were using the gifts of the Spirit, and tongues in particular as some sort of spiritual merit badge. Those who exercised the gift of tongues felt they were more spiritual than others, which apparently caused other people to seek earnestly after that gift so they, too would be considered spiritual. In chapter 12, Paul states clearly that God gives a variety of spiritual gifts to people so the church can function well. Just as the eye can't say to the hand, "I don't need you" we cannot say that one gift is more important, or spiritual than another.

At the end of chapter 12, Paul says, "I will show you a more excellent way." His next paragraph (what we know as Chapter 13) begins with, "Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal..."

Here is what Paul is saying to you and me in those four brief paragraphs: All of the things that we would use to boast of our spirituality or advance the Kingdom are meaningless and worthless unless love rules our lives and our actions!


Want to be a spiritual giant? Let God's love consume you and guide everything that you do. See the world - and the church - through the eyes of Jesus and with the heart of God the Father. Love others as you are loved.

That is the most excellent way.

Is Your Gift Bigger Than You?


"O Lord, who may dwell on Your holy hill? He who walks with Integrity." Psalm 15:1-2 NAS

You wouldn't give your 5-year-old a 12-gauge shotgun or a big Harley-Davidson motorcycle. Shotguns and motorcycles are great - but they're for adults. You need maturity to handle them. Giving such gifts to your child would endanger them, and everybody else around them. The gifts just don't fit the person.

Perhaps you're a talented individual. God's given you some large gifts like the ability to speak well, or organize things, or create and design. But we sabotage ourselves when our gift becomes bigger than we are. How does this happen? When we begin to lean on the talents God gave us and don't mature emotionally and spiritually - we ruin our chance to use those talents as God designed them. When our character doesn't keep up with our talent, we learn to "wing it" through life. We live on the surface but lack real strength underneath. And it shows up when the crisis hits, the storm comes, or we are under pressure. You can't "wing it" when it comes to character building.

The greater the size of your gifts, the more you must dedicate time to developing your character. Eugene Peterson paraphrases the Psalmist in The Message: "God, who gets invited to dinner at your place? How do we get on your guest list? Walk straight, act right, tell the truth. Don't hurt your friend, don't blame your neighbor; despise the despicable. Keep your word even when it costs you, make an honest living, never take a bribe. You'll never get blacklisted if you live like this" (Ps 15:1-5 TM).

So, do you live that way?

Greatest of Them All One of the greatest and most underestimated provisions God has made available to us to make our lives fruitful and fulfilling is His love! Nothing we achieve or possess is worth anything unless we possess the love of God. The apostle Paul testified, "If I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing" (1 Cor. 13:3). Love is the greatest commandment (Matt. 22:36-39), the greatest gift (1 Cor. 13:13), and the greatest of any spiritual fruit we can possess (Gal. 5:22). The perfect love of God casts out fear (1John 4:8) and covers a multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8). Love is both a "gift" and a "fruit" given by the Spirit of God to empower us to live life to its fullest! I've discovered through years of ministering to people that many of them truly do not believe that God cares about their day-to-day well-being. They believe that getting saved and being spared the horrors of hell is all God has planned for them in this life. They mistakenly assume that "abundant life" is synonymous with the "after life." This misconception causes many people to conclude that they must wait until they die to experience abundant life. They perceive life as something to be endured instead of something to be enjoyed. This is wrong! Jesus said that He came that we might have and enjoy life in abundance, to the full, till it overflows (John 10:10, Amp.). He came not only to save our souls but also to offer us a more abundant way of living that is full and overflowing. In 3John 1:2, God expressed His will for our earthly lives when He stated through the pen of the apostle John, "I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers." God desires that we prosper and be fruitful in all respects. Can you receive this revelation? Well, it is the truth! Armed with this revelation we should raise our expectations of life and pursue one that is full and overflowing. God wants us to do more than merely exist and endure life. He wants us to enjoy, prosper, and live fruitful lives. Understanding the preeminence of God's love and its impact on every area of our lives is essential to our living an abundant and fruitful life that glorifies God (John 15:8). When we possess and live according to God's love, we possess and live in God's best. We possess everything we need to succeed and prosper. Jesus proclaimed that, "I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing" (John 15:5). "Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love" (John 15:9). Jesus reveals that the effective agent that flows from Him to us and empowers us to live an abundant and fruitful life is the love of God. Everything flows from and depends upon the love of God! The abundant life is more than an abundance of possession but engenders the concept of wholeness. Living the abundant life involves our being divinely directed, empowered,and supplied to fulfill God's purpose for us in life. We must first possess abundance internally before it will manifest externally in our lives. Abundance is the fruit of God's "agape" love. Agape is the limitless, selfless, and overflowing love of God that transcends our sins, situations, and stations in life. It makes our lives full, complete, and worth living. In making our transition from our situation to our destination, we must be cognizant of the source of every blessing and success we experience along the way. Without God's love in us, and our willingness to share this love with others, it all means nothing. Always remember that, "your situation, is not your destination- only preparation! The Gift ...or The Gifts.... Produce........The Fruit ............The Holy Ghost ..... The Gift or Gifts Notice...The Fruit of the Spirit is Plural.....Yet it does not say........Fruits of the Spirit...no S. LOL I could not Resist. Ok haha.......The same is True Here.... The [Gift] of GOD or The Holy Spirit........Gift is Plural ... Because God is Multi- also....Comforter, Counselor, Provider, Healer, Prince of Peace, Good, Kind, Gentle, Love. Now Notice The [Gift] of God.....Becomes the Fruit in us Below when it is allowed to Manifest. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV) As we continue the daily journey of our Christian life, it's important for us to take our spiritual temperature. How hungry are we to walk with Jesus? How excited are we about where we are in our walk with God? Are we feeling frustrated, or a little depressed, about our inability to get excited about our walk with God? Maybe you feel like I did for many years. I thought that the magic formula in the Christian life was "try harder!" I used to say to myself, "If you can't get excited about your walk with Jesus, maybe you ought to just give up," or, "I blew it again, there must be something wrong with my commitment," or "I'm just not giving this thing my best shot. If I would only try harder, maybe someday God would be pleased with my walk. I'm just not cutting it." The issue for me was that I was trying harder and harder in my own strength to produce in my life the fruit that only the Holy Spirit can produce. I had missed the beginning of today's verse, for it says, "the fruit of the Spirit is...". It is the Holy Spirit that produces these character qualities in our lives, not us. This was a major problem in the Church of Galatia. The Galatians had accepted Jesus Christ by faith, but were now seeking to live the Christian life in their own power, not relying on the Holy Spirit by faith to make them more like Jesus. It is God, who is at work in us, giving us the desire and also the ability to do what He wants us to do. If we have been trying to produce in our lives what only the Holy Spirit can produce in us, then we need to be honest with Him. He knows exactly what we are thinking and how we feel. If we lack enthusiasm about our walk with Him or lack even the desire to walk with Him, we can give that to Him today. Next, we can ask Him to give us a passionate desire to know Him. Remember, He has promised to be at work in us and give us the desire to know Him. Father, help us believe in you more fully and to depend on you to produce the fruit of the Holy Spirit in our lives, rather than relying on our own strength. Amen. LOVE is a Gift ...He is Love ...& He is Our Gift From Heaven. & a Gift that We are to Share......We Share Him....His Story [history] & all through out His-Story He Said to go & Tell The Story. Does He want Us to Use Love as a Gift? Or is That Gift.....Doing the Action of Loving done away with also 2000 Years ago ?? So if You do think People should be Loving Towards others.....?? & The Word says This is How You know My Disciples [test] if they do not they Fail [test]. So the Doing away with.... That by itself I could Never Beleive....The Word says He is Where Ever 2 or More are gathered in His Name ....[ HE IS RIGHT THERE ] in their Midst. He Jesus is .......The Gifts ........& All of Them. Components......the items....used in a recipe.....making Apple Pie?? Just the Using of Apples alone You do not make a Pie out ......I would love see You Try. Apples are ....Yes.....The Main Ingredient......but the other minor ingredients are to add to the Flavor. The Pie without.....the Salt.....would taste.....blah. & without Sugar.....well Who does not have a Sweet Tooth? How about cinnamon.....All Apple Pie....without Cinnamon ?? No must have The Spice . & What about a Good Crust......Ummmm. This is getting Me Thinking of Holidays......Aren't You Glad for Holy-Days. Thanksgiving, Christmas.....How I love Christmas.....Smelling Shirley’s Home Made Pies Baking in The Kitchen. I HOPE.......That People.....can see Jesus....is The Main Ingredient Most certainly Like The Apple. But He is Not Blah.......& without Flavor.......He is Multi.....Flavored Just like The Pie. Having...... [1) Crust a) Flour, b) Butter ] 2) Sugar 3) Salt 4) Spices 5) Apples But We Still Need a Baker ??( No not Shirley this time) See at the Holy-Days.....Shirley Spoils us with All The Home Made Cooking.. Christians........are to Be Like the Baker’s......Home Made Cooking, Baking. Jesus is Flavorful be cause He is ALL Those Ingredients. The Gifts that are All Contained in Him......are to Be Shared ...so Christians like the bakers are to Deliver the finished product...The Pie.. Jesus Would be The Pie in this Story Sweet, Spicey, some salt.....I Hope everyone does understand what I am getting at. & If God is Love...containing all the Flavors Mixed like the Pie....The Pie is Best served as a Pie. I think People Like to Eat a Apple.....But.....like The Pie Better. Jesus would be more than a Apple Alone Or a Pie......He is The Feast....to Satisfy all Our Taste Buds. Tasting of The Sweet Love of Jesus..........is Every Possible Gift. & Incredient. He Desires us To Deliver His Flavor Filled Pies. Christians Just Serve Him......Service is Serving The Pie. (Serving them Jesus)