Yes FM Morning Munch
January 8th Fan Into Flame
I am sensing a pattern here and if it continues I may just have to call in from home on Friday morning because the glaciers are coming. There was an undercurrent of glee in the children’s classes at church last night as the kids anticipated another day off from school with temperatures and wind chills plunging well into the danger zone.
In weather like this a flame can be the difference between life and death. I recall a movie from my youth where one of the characters is desperately trying to kindle a flame with hand that have no feeling and a body that just wants to lay down and sleep. Honestly I cannot recall if he gets the fire going or not. However I do know this there have been times in my life as a child of God that I have felt just like that. My spirit is numb and cold. I feel like I fumble everything that I try to do. I just want to lay down and sleep. I have become convinced of my own ineffectiveness, shame overcomes my desire to serve, perhaps even my desire to live. I have fallen prey to the lies of the enemy that tell me I am unloved, unworthy and will never amount to anything.
It is definitely time to Fan Into Flame the Gift of God, to refuse to be ashamed to testify about our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and to move on to Paul’s second step for Fanning into Flame the active presence of God in our lives.
“Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God,” 2 Timothy 1:8
Paul does not call Timothy to do something that he has not done or is unwilling to do. Here is one of those translation idiosyncrasies that just makes my day (yes I know that is pathetic but what can you do). Our next step in Fanning the Flame is “Join with me in suffering” and in the Greek that is 1 yes count it 1 word… soong-kak-op-ath-eh’-o perhaps even better than hupomone (if you want to follow that rabbit trail you can look it up on fanintoflame.net or you can look through the past two years of Yes FM morning munches to find the series on hupomone) Ok off the rabbit trail and back to the suffering. Paul tosses out this big word (which only he uses and only twice and only in this book) to give Timothy a key to Fanning that gift of power, love and self-discipline into a raging fire. Join with me in suffering, in experiencing the rough stuff in all the irritations, inconveniences and yes sometimes flat out persecution that comes with being a child of the living God in an ungodly world. You do not have to go it alone. Jesus said “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” Walk the path of hardship and do not be afraid to ask someone to walk with you or if your path is currently smooth do not be afraid to walk the path of hardship with a brother (or sister) and remember that no matter where you walk, Jesus is walking there with you.
Fan Into Flame Ministries 
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