Take up your responsibility
written by Lenora Andrade
Over the past few months, a few of us here on Staff would come together every morning to do a small study and just share what God impressed on our hearts. I realized that many times at devotion I would share my own thoughts, not what God was actually saying to me. One morning in particular, I prayed and asked God to speak to me. Something specific. Something I needed to hear. Something I can also share with His people.
We’ve recently started reading the book of 2nd Timothy. And as I was reading chapter 1, God started to remind me of something. In verse 6 it says,
For this reason, I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God,
And then this very important and most often missed out line...
which is in you through the laying on of my hands,
Then we go to verse 7, another scripture usually taken out of context because it’s a comma that divides the verses not a full stop.
For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.
Now this is just one thing that stuck out, but then again, we’re so familiar with the verse that maybe it’s instinct that it sticks out... But Paul beautifully writes later in verse 8...
therefore, do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God,
Take in that line but share in the suffering... We know it says in Philippians 2:12-13 to work out our salvation. We know we must build a relationship with God. Everything doesn’t become alright just because you accepted Jesus into your life. That’s why it says to Fan into flame the gift of God which is in you through the laying of hands. It's not a one-time thing, but a continual fanning of that flame. I believe that there is also a big responsibility when someone has prophesied and laid hands over you. (If you feel like your flame or passion for Jesus has died out, or If you’ve never had it to begin with, seek God, ask a leader or a pastor to pray over you, and prophesy over you) You have a responsibility. A BIG ONE!! To use the gifts that God has given you. To Fan that flame. We’ve been told quite often that we must pay a sacrifice when it comes to what God has called us for. For each one of us those sacrifices differ, and God honours you and the sacrifices you’ve made to share His gospel. Because when you begin to do all of this, you do it with power, love and self-control. So come on, take that responsibility God has placed over each one of us and get going into what God has called you for!
