Flirting With An Old Flame

But it’s not about God. It’s about us; it’s about our cowardice. There was no reason for me to be afraid of the young lady in the choir, she with the wandering strands of hair. She was not the problem; I was. It was about my self-image. It was about my anxiety. It was about my cowardice. And so it is about us, too, when we only brush past our God and never really engage Him. It is about us and our faithlessness when we reach hesitantly toward a relationship with God but draw back before anything real happens. The Bible calls it cowardice.

So hear the word of the Lord, “God did not give us a spirit of cowardice.” God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, and so, Timothy, “Rekindle the gift of God that is within you.” Rekindle the flame you once had. Relight the fire that was once in your belly. Find again the passion you had for the things of the spirit. Discover again what God wants to give. For God wants to give us Himself; but we are too cowardly to come closer than flirting with an old flame.

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For example, “God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power …” God wants to give us power. God wants us to feel competent and equipped and capable, powerful. “God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power …”.

We shy away from power. We stay away from power. Maybe it’s because we live in this capital region, where we see too many people who are addicted to power. Or maybe it’s because we do not want to appear to be arrogant. But I see Christians who think they have no power; I see Christians who refuse to use the gift of power. Not political power, nor financial power, but spiritual power.

Do we realize that God is giving us the spirit of power? Spiritual cowardice means we are afraid to use spiritual power.

I find myself in a hospital room visiting a sick friend, and what do I say? I say, “Well, I wish there was something I could do for you, but all I can do is pray.” All I can do is pray? As if that were practically nothing? As if prayer were not powerful? Brothers and sisters, prayer is not a nothing! Prayer is tapping into the very power of God. But if we are cowards about it, if we do not believe that our prayers will heal, then indeed not much will happen. We have given in to the spirit of cowardice and have not accepted the spirit of power. But this word says, “Rekindle …”. Rekindle the spirit of power.

A friend of mine who had earned a doctorate in theology was introduced to a stranger as “Dr. Whoever.” The person to whom he was introduced said, “Doctor? Oh, what is your speciality?” He thought he was meeting a medical doctor. But my friend laughed it off and said, “No, I’m not the kind of doctor that can do you any good!” Great God, is that what we think of ourselves? That no matter how much we know, it has no power, it can’t do anybody any good? No, no, no. We need to rekindle the spirit of power. “God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power.”

I find myself listening to someone with serious conflicts and agony of heart. He has done something very wrong, and he knows it. She has violated her own soul, and she realizes it. So when I find myself listening to someone in deep trouble, what do I want to do? The truth is that I want to run! I want to move on! Deep down I don’t think I have any answers, I don’t believe that I have any solutions. I am afraid of the spiritual power that God wants to use through me! I am afraid to fail, and, most of all, I am afraid that this guy out here telling me all this about himself will lay a claim on me and I will not know what to do! I still have a few folks like that left over from my pastoring days; they call and they want help and I feel powerless. I wish they’d go away.