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For this reason I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you through the laying on of my hands; for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline. (2 Timothy 1: 6-7)
Our oldest granddaughter, Saraí Evangelina, 10, is staying with us. Last night Nellie went in and prayed with her, and I went in after. I like to share a story with her from the Bible and she is a brilliant girl with a great grasp of all that we have shared with her. Last week I started to share the story of David and Goliath, but grandpa had to go back to Samuel and his call. I tried to catch up last night and I think I did too good a job of making Goliath scarier than I should have. "If Goliath would try to get into this room, he'd have to kneel down and crawl in; and once he stood up he would hit his head on the ceiling!" Great, grandpa. I spoke of the power of God and how David knew how to access it and overcome all enemies that he encountered. I prayed, turned out the light, went to bed. This morning as I'm making my way through the mountain of boxes to my home study, I see that Saraí slept with the light on. I felt bad. But, you know, sometimes we are afraid. Some things scare us and make us wonder of possible outcomes. And it is okay to tell God, "God, I'm afraid!" And sometimes we can call on someone we trust and share with them our feelings of fear. I have shared how two dear colleagues in ministry facing early death from cancer, both called, and both said in the same words, "I'm afraid."
Paul knew fear, but he also knew Christ. His life story was one death scare after another, and his end here on earth would have frightened any one. But listen to the words he shares with young Timothy. And I encourage you to read the entire first chapter, for in it he reminds Timothy of his family member Eunice and her faith. The Message version for verse six says, "Keep that fire of faith ablaze" meaning remember what you received from Jesus and still claim it and use it. At your baptism, someone laid hands on you and you were blessed by God Himself. And when you do remember that, know this: God does not give out the spirit of fear (cowardice); God gives out these three things; 1) A spirit of power. What words come to mind when you think of power? Strength. Victory. Overcoming.2) A spirit of love. It's hard to go up against love. Love conquers all is the saying we've heard, also, "And the greatest of these is love." 3) Self-discipline. The power of self-control; other versions say "a sound mind," meaning that along with power and love, it helps to keep all in perspective.
In other words, dear friend, what can possibly come against that would defeat us? If we believe God as Paul did, the answer is nothing.
PRAYER: Loving God, bless this dear reader in the struggles of today. Yes, we sometimes get afraid and wonder about our finances, our health, our family, our friends; but Lord we ask that we keep burning brightly and strongly, the fire of faith that You have given us along with those three special gifts of power, love, and self-discipline. May those bless us in ways that glorify You. I also ask a special prayer for Rev. Bill Henderson as he recovered from unexpected surgery last night. We pray that full strength be his and You bring him back to wholeness. This we pray in Christ Jesus' awesome name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord. Live an undefeated life today. Tackle your problems head on!
Eradio Valverde
Prayer Update: Rev. Bill Henderson had an appendectomy last night close to 11 p.m. He knew from early morning this was coming and he had to wait until that hour for it to be removed. The surgery took longer than expected, but he is out and resting in his room. Please continue to pray for Bill throughout the day.
