“For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you…” 2 Timothy 1:6 (NIV)

God Himself lit the flame that burned at the altar of sacrifice. He instructed the priests that the fire was never to go out. They had to add wood continually to insure the flame was never exhausted. As Beth Moore puts it on page 80 of my study, “God lit the fire, but humans had to fuel it.”

She also points out that if we have accepted Christ as Lord and Savior of our lives, then a flame was lit in each of us at the moment of salvation. The Holy Spirit came in bringing with Him the spiritual gifts God intended for us as individuals to be used to fulfill our life’s purposes.

The fire was lit, but we have to fuel it. Praying and studying His word to discern His will for our lives adds fuel. But it’s not enough to just add wood. We have to stoke the fire. If you have ever sat and watched a fire for any length of time, then you know that simply watching it does not keep it burning. You must move. You need to protect it from the wind and the rain that threatens to extinguish it in the form of fear and disobedience.

I am sitting still. I can see the fire. It has burned down to glowing embers. I want to fan it, make it burn hot and bright again, but I feel paralyzed. What to do?