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May 12, 2015 – 2 Timothy 1:6-7

2-Timothy-1-6-7I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands,  for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. 2 Timothy 1:6-7Our God-given gifts can not be hidden.  What is my gift?  How can I fan it into a flame of obedience?  First of all, God gave us a spirit of power, love and self-control.This isn’t any power, it is not self-propelled power that abuses and distorts.  It is power in a heart of love yet with the discipline of self-control.  Self-Control.  What is this?  Self-control does not just appear when we go on a diet. It is knowing and choosing to do the right and honorable thing without debate.  Where does this sense of right and honorable come from?  It comes from being in and living in God’s Word.  This one book of books gives us the confidence of knowing who God is and following His precepts.Knowing what road we follow, we lose fear.  We gain God’s power for our lives.I can still hear my Dad singing from the brown Favorite Hymns song book in his enthusiastic tenor voice, a bit off-key, “And I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded to keep that which I’ve committed,  Unto Him against that Day!” (Whittle)  This is the hymn we sang, as we walked down the aisle for his funeral service.  He had won the victory and knew what his faith and trust meant.Yes!  When we believe and nothing can sway us from believing we join the Hebrews 11 Faith heroes. Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.  Hebrews 11:1-3Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us.  Ephesians 3:20I am NOT ashamed!But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that Day what has been entrusted to me. 2 Timothy 1:12