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 (2 Timothy 1:6).
When Paul told Timothy to stir up the gift of God in him, he was referring to the power of the Holy Spirit—the dynamic ability to effect changes. This was the
same power Jesus talked about when He said, “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you…”(Acts 1:8).
If you’ve received the Holy Spirit, that power resides in you. That power can however be dormant unless activated, and the quickest way to activate it is by speaking in other tongues. 1 Corinthians 14:4 says, “He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself….” As you speak in other tongues, not only are you building yourself, you’re also energizing yourself in the supernatural; you’re stirring up divine power from within to effect changes in every area of your life.
The glory of God is revealed in your life as you charge yourself up in the spirit and stir up the power of God inside you. In Ephesians 3:16, we see the Spirit’s desire for God’s people to be invigorated with miracle-working ability by the Holy Ghost; praying in tongues can make that happen for you.
Praying in other tongues also energizes your faith. The Bible says in Jude 1:20, “But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost.” Faith comes to you when you hear the Word of God. The more you hear the Word, the higher your faith goes. However, you sustain yourself at the highest peak of faith by praying in other tongues.
And that special gift of ministry you were given when the leaders of the church laid hands on you and prayed–keep that dusted off and in use (1 Timothy 4:14 MSG).
If you aren’t careful to watch whatever God gives you, you could lose it. And part of watching it is that you’re using it. For example, if you were given the gift of prophecy and you aren’t using it, after a while, it’ll become more difficult for you to manifest that gift or edify the church with it.
It brings to mind the question a dear lady once asked me. She said, “Pastor Chris, when I got born again, I was blessed with the gift of prophecy, but I don’t know where the gift has gone; what can I do?” First, Romans 11:29 says, “For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.” That means He doesn’t take them away.
For that dear lady, the gift was always in her; it didn’t go anywhere. She was the one that might have strayed from it or made it dormant by not using it. If you’re in a similar situation today, it’s simple what you should do: Get back in the flow of the Spirit, and stay in it. First, make sure your commitment to God is very clear in your spirit. Be totally committed to serving the Lord.
Secondly, get back to praying. Prophecy is bringing forth the Word of God that’s given to your spirit. But you don’t get that Word when you’re not in fellowship with Him. Get yourself back to fellowshipping with the Lord, and your spirit will be stirred.
Thirdly, pray in tongues more often; this will energize, strengthen and inspire your spirit. It’ll make your spirit become more sensitive. Then, study the Word and meditate on it. Remember, it’s the Holy Spirit who inspires prophecy in your spirit, and He’s the author of the Scriptures (2 Timothy 3:16). He’ll make His Word and message more palatable to your spirit. And because your spirit has become more sensitive, you’d be able to pick His Word, His message, and make it available to yourself, and to God’s people in prophecy. Hallelujah!
The heart’s desire of any Christian should be to please the Lord by doing His will and fulfilling His call. Many sincerely want to do this but don’t know how. So you hear them say, “I want to serve God with all my heart; I want to be on fire for Him, but I don’t know how to stay consistent in the things of the Spirit.”
What such folks need, first and foremost, is to be constantly filled with the Spirit. Without the Holy Spirit, you can’t do anything for the Lord that will be acceptable to Him or that’ll make any impact in the world. That’s why Ephesians 5:18 says, “and be nor drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit.” The next verse tells us how to do this: “Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:19).
Secondly, be careful not to listen to your feelings or emotions for they’ll lie to you. That you “felt” close to God on a certain day doesn’t mean you’re spiritual, or that you sometimes “feel” far from God doesn’t mean God has left you or is far from you. Our closeness to God has nothing to do with how we feel on a certain day. Somebody said “I prayed to God and I didn’t feel as though God heard me; the prayers didn’t seem to have gone beyond the ceiling”
Well, you never needed to feel like your prayers went through the ceiling to God, for He’s under the ceiling with you; He lives in you. So don’t rely on your emotions or feelings in relating with God; rely on His Word. God is a Spirit, and He relates with you with your spirit through the Word.
Thirdly, learn to speak in other tongues fervently and lavishly. This is one of those blessings the Holy Spirit has brought into our lives. Speaking in other tongues regularly will activate your spirit until you’re filled to overflowing. The Apostle Paul, in writing to Timothy, said, “…stir up (rekindle the embers of, fan the flame of, and keep burning) the [gracious] gift of God, [the inner fire] that is in you by means of the laying on of my hands…” (2 Timothy 1:6 AMP).
If you would consciously take advantage of the aforementioned by giving attention to them, your life will constantly be aglow, and you’ll know no downtime in your walk with the Lord.
Say these after me, ‘Dear Father, thank you for the immense benefits of being filled with the Spirit. Thank you for your Word that inspires faith in me today. As I charge my spirit right now by speaking in other tongues, my zeal and passion for spiritual things is fanned to flame in Jesus’ name. Amen.