Power, Love, Self-Discipline

Paul writes to the Evangelist Timothy saying this: "For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline." (2 Timothy 1:7)

This past Sunday we talked about being led by the Spirit, moving from the ordinary to the extraordinary. (You can listen to it here ). To move from the ordinary to the extraordinary means we are going to need to take some risks. We can't be timid.

So if we have been given a spirit of power what does that mean? It means we need to pray for God's power to come. We should not pray timid prayers, we need to boldly pray for God to heal people, intervene in life events and world events. We are calling on Him to do miracles today. Will every prayer end up in a miracle--no. But that should not stop us from asking God to do the impossible. Try it today. Boldly pray for God to bless you or someone else, calling on Him to perform a miracle. Be persistent, don't stop after one day. If God does the miraculous comment on this post so others can see the power of God. Pray for the extraordinary to happen.

If he gives us a spirit of love what does that mean? It means we need to love people extraordinarily. It is not an ordinary or normal love. Jesus talks about this love in the Sermon on the Mount. In Matthew 5:43-48, he teaches us that His followers don't just love those who love them--they love their enemies, those who persecute them and those who are unlovable. How can you show the love of Jesus this week by loving the unlovable? Try it this week. Love someone extraordinarily, someone one that is hard to love. Show them love in a simple and practical way.

Then he say we have been given a spirit of self-discipline. Where do you need the Spirit to help you when it comes to self-discipline? Is there a sin you are struggling with? Is it a spiritual practice you need to do better? Is it a life change? Don't be like everyone else, don't do what is normal--add some self-discipline to your life and let God help you through whatever your struggle may be.

We all need to recognize this spirit that God has given us and allow Him to move us from being ordinary to extraordinary.