by Tammy Phillips
January 25, 2022
“Therefore, I remind you to STIR UP THE GIFT OF GOD which is in you …” (2 Timothy 1:6 NKJV)
When you know the LORD, and file away His words within, the Holy Spirit will send you reminders. He will give you “the word,” the power you need just at the right time. Last week, I heard Holy Spirit, clear as day, “I AM your Warrior. You are my warrior. STIR IT UP!”
Then Holy Spirit prompted me, “Write the vision and make [it] plain on tablets that he may run who reads it. For the vision [is] yet for an appointed time; But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; Because it will surely come, It will not tarry. ‘Behold the proud, His soul is not upright in him; But the just shall live by his faith.” (Habakkuk 2:2-4 NKJV)
I am going to make this as plain as I can. I pray that you will run with it. I did and it made all the difference.
The Lord is our Warrior. (See yesterday’s post if you need encouragement.)
“The LORD [is] a man of war; The LORD [is] His name.” (Exodus 15:1-3 NKJV)
We are His warriors following His lead.
“A warrior filled with wisdom ascends into the high place and releases breakthrough, bringing down the strongholds of the mighty.” (Proverbs 21:22 TPT)
We have a mission; go. However, the enemy bombards us with the things of life in order to stop us from going. The responsibilities of life hinder us from hearing the spoken word, praying, reading the word, and even gathering together in His name. The coals of our spirits still smolder but need to be “stirred up” to keep the flame and passion inside burning.
Leave it to David to teach us about getting stirred up! David had been going, doing, leading, and conquering. He and his men came back home from a mission to find that the enemy had invaded, burned their city down, taken everything, wives, children, and all their stuff. His men were none too happy with him and talked of stoning him. He was distressed! Life was beating him up and pressing in hard on him. (1 Samuel 30:1-6).
“… but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.” (1 Samuel 30:6 KJV)
The Hebrew word for encourage is chazaq. It means…
- He fastened himself on the LORD.
- He seized, squeezed, cleaved, and grabbed hold of the LORD.
- He grew firm and strong in the LORD.
- He was courageous in the LORD
- He established himself in the LORD.
- He took hold of the LORD.
- He withstood in the Lord.
When the world pressed in on Him, he pressed into the LORD. How did he encourage himself? How did he stir himself up? Take a look at the Psalms. Why do we love them so much? We read and see how David struggled just like us, how real he was with God, how he encouraged and strengthened himself. When David got down, he stirred himself up in the Lord. He called on the Lord. He asked the LORD to get stirred up on his behalf. Have you ever stirred up the Warrior on your behalf?
“[A Psalm] of David. Plead [my cause], O LORD, with those who strive with me; Fight against those who fight against me. Take hold of shield and buckler and stand up for my help. Also draw out the spear and stop those who pursue me. Say to my soul, “I [am] your salvation.” … Stir up Yourself, and awake to my vindication, to my cause, my God and my Lord.” (Psalm 35:1-3, 23 NKJV)
The Hebrew word David used above for stir is “ur” which means open your eyes; awake; arise; ardent; to be hot. We can only laugh and learn at David’s candor with the LORD. He asks the Warrior to wake up twice to his cause! Then he asks the LORD to open his ears and stir up his strength. David IS talking to ALMIGHTY, ALL-POWERFUL GOD and asking Him to get stirred up.
“Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, You who lead Joseph like a flock; You who dwell [between] the cherubim, shine forth! Before Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh, Stir up Your strength and come [and] save us! Restore us, O God; Cause Your face to shine, And we shall be saved!” (Psalm 80:1-3 NKJV)
Then David made exuberant declarations of faith like Psalm 3 , Psalm 27, Psalm 31 and pretty much every other Psalm. He encouraged Himself in the Lord. He declared who the Lord is, what He would do and confidently believed in the awoke Warrior!
“Wait on the LORD; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the LORD!”(Psalm 27:14 NKJV)
“Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart, All you who hope in the LORD.” (Psalm 31:24 NKJV)
I enCOURAGE and “remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.” (2 Timothy 1:6 NKJV). Stir up in the preceding is the Greek word, “anadzoopureoo.” It is a derivative of three words. First, “ana” has the idea of doing it again; “zōos” is from zao: which means enjoy real life, alive, be enthusiastic, fervent, passionate, wholehearted, and zealous. And, “pyr” means fire. Put these all together and we see Paul is urging Timothy to “stir it up,” to rekindle, inflame, strengthen, remain on fire, and to resuscitate the flame within.
My bold interpretation of Paul’s words to myself and you: “Light the fire! Put on your big girl britches. Everybody faces adversity. Remember whose daughter you are. Remember, the Warrior within, beside, in front of and behind you. He is your Daddy, the Ultimate Warrior. You are a warrior. Stir it up! Let’s go. Be responsible and fill up your gas tank to keep the fire burning. Live on purpose, a life ablaze.”
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV) So…“Let us hold fast the confession of [our] hope without wavering, for He who promised [is] faithful.“ (Hebrews 10:23 NKJV)
Complete in Him 