I’m writing to encourage you to fan into a flame and rekindle the fire of the spiritual gift God imparted to you when I laid my hands upon you.
2 Timothy 1:6 TPT
Do you know that God has imparted spiritual gifts to you? Are you truly maximizing them to their full potential? Paul encourages Timothy to be bold and fully use the spiritual gifts God gives. The instruction is clear: rekindle or fan into flame the talents and abilities you have received through the Holy Spirit. Paul reminds Timothy of the means through which he received these gifts – by laying on hands, a common practice in the early church symbolising the impartation of spiritual authority and blessing.
Similarly, as a believer, you are not ordinary, at least not anymore, spiritually. The gifts of God are within you, meant for the profit of all (1 Corinthians 12:7). Believers must understand the many endowments of the Spirit as stated in 1 Corinthians 12:7. These gifts vary but come from the same Holy Spirit. Acts 1:8 says we shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon us. This grants us supernatural abilities to serve and minister to those around us. Meanwhile, it is important to understand that these supernatural gifts are at work within us, and we must not underestimate them.
As a believer, you have a responsibility to actively cultivate and use your God-given talents for the service of others and the glory of God. Remember the Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25:14-30. In this parable, Jesus tells the story of a master who entrusts his servants with various gifts (talents). To one servant, he gives five talents; to another, two talents; and to the third, one talent. The first two servants invest their talents and double the amount given to them.
However, the third servant buries his talent in the ground and does nothing about it. Upon the master’s return, he praises the first two servants for their diligence and rewards them with greater responsibilities. But, he reprimands the third servant for his inaction and casts him out, taking away even the single talent he had.
Consider whether you are truly using your talents or burying them like the unfaithful servant. Remember, only grace put to work multiplies, as stated in 2 Peter 3:18. We should not receive the grace of God in vain but grow in it. The gifts of God are given for the benefit of the body of Christ, as described in Ephesians 4:11-13: “So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”
Therefore, you are encouraged to put the gifts within you to work.
In conclusion, God entrusts believers with gifts and abilities, expecting us to use and develop them actively. Failure to do so wastes potential and can lead to negative consequences. Conversely, diligent and faithful use of one’s gifts leads to spiritual growth, fruitfulness, and multiplication. Let us seek to know God’s will and live in alignment with His divine plan, fulfilling our purpose and bringing glory to His name.
