Session 1

Find the fire within you

From 2 Timothy: A 4-Day Devotional

If you’ve ever tried to start a campfire and keep it going all night, you know it has to be done just right.  You’ll need the proper materials and some skill. A great campfire starts with some wood shavings at the bottom. Then add some kindling and dry wood piled up just right — you have to allow for proper airflow to get the flame going good. And of course, your power source, something to light that baby up.

Discovering our God-given gifts and abilities takes the same careful attention as starting and maintaining a campfire. Our gifts from God are ignited when we believe and use them for His purposes. Because God wants us to “fan [our gifts] into flame,” He gives us exactly what we need to identify and develop them:  a spirit of boldness, power, love and self-discipline (2 Timothy 1:6-7).

When we love the way Jesus loves, our passion reveals our gifts. Once identified, self-discipline with maintenance and regular use will develop our gift into the perfect instrument of God’s will. And when we let God work through us for His purposes, He gives us the power to use our gifts in supernatural ways.  

The fire God ignites when we know and use our gifts cannot be contained like a campfire. God also gives us the boldness to use our gifts to serve everyone we meet, to fan our flame into a roaring bonfire whose light would pierce the darkness for miles (Matthew 5:14-16).

Reflect:

• Do you need help identifying your spiritual gift?  What are you passionate about?  What are you good at?
• Is your next step to start serving in the church? What’s holding you back?
• What would you do for God if you knew you couldn’t fail? How can you take a step this week toward pursuing that dream?