Fan into Flame the Gift Which is in You

2 Timothy 1.7 has long been a favorite of mine.

“If it’s fear, we know one thing,” I’ve often said, “we know who it’s NOT from.” It was one of my lighthouse texts for 2024.

Reviewing it in the segue weeks from 2024 – 2025 and looking for a new one-word for 2025, I read it in context. I love those moments when it seems The Spirit pulls up a chair next to me and points something out. “Look, Phil. What did Paul tell his protege in the verse before this?”

“Fan into flame the gift which is in me…
Stir into flame, another translation says.
Rekindle, says another.”

“I want you to take those words to heart,” He seemed to whisper.

“I will.”
I’ve known for a long time why He has me on planet Earth, but I’ve been walking with a limp from a decade-old injury of being crowded out of a ministry I loved. Largely to protect myself, I’ve held a left-hand, right-hand mentality to work and ministry, secretly afraid of being hurt like that again. I knew the divided effort was counterproductive, but … Some of you reading this may know how that feels.

I hadn’t planned to watch the whole inauguration ceremony yesterday. I’ve had a “wait and see” attitude about our country’s election and change of administration, and have held my opinions close to my vest. But something about President Trump caught my attention. His demeanor, his gait, his posture (and it wasn’t because he was standing next to Melania).

Then in his inauguration speech, our new president said

“We will not forget our country, we will not forget our Constitution,
and we will not forget our God. – We can’t do that.”

“God,” I whispered, “I’ve been categorizing things You don’t intend for me to categorize. Help me please.”
In that silent defining moment I felt His quiet confidence shine through.
“Fan into flame the gift of God which is in you.”

It may take a little while to fan into flame. Then again it may not. I’m not in charge. What I can tell you is this. My faith and my work are inseparable. Like they should have been all along. The ff you see in the lower right of the picture above is to remind me to “fan into flame” what He’s given me.

Hopefully I’ll soon be able to announce that it now stands for “fully flourishing.”

Stay tuned.