DATE POSTED: Thursday, June 8, 2023, and I was blessed to be at O’Brien, FL when God inspired me to write this blog post. My Footnote will tell you how to find, read or listen to any and all episodes that I have shared over the years.

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE FROM THE Easy-to-Read Version (ERV) IS FOUND IN 2 Timothy 1:6-7

THE BIBLE TEXT IS: … I want you to remember the gift God gave you. God gave you that gift when I laid my hands on you. Now I want you to use that gift and let it grow more and more, like a small flame grows into a fire. The Spirit God gave us does not make us afraid. His Spirit is a source of power and love and self-control.

MY INITIAL THOUGHTS: There are many excuses we give for not sharing our story with others nor the wonderful love of Jesus and the amazing sacrifice that He made, just for His children who accept Him as Lord and Savior. But as we remind ourselves of the great counsel given to Timothy, by Paul, in these verses, I wonder if we realize how meaningless those excuses are. Continue with me so we might think about this together.

APPLICATION OF THE WORD: The excuses started with our ancestors of Bible times. Why Moses thought he could not speak clearly enough to accept God’s order to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. Yet under the guidance, and with the power of, Almighty God, Moses led, fed and nurtured over a million people out of the slavery restraints of Pharoah, through the desert and the Red Sea as they headed towards the Promised Land. David, just a young lad, offered to battle Goliath, a giant whom the whole Israelite army feared, and in spite of the many excuses by the army generals, this young man’s dependence on God helped him to bring the giant down. Paul, a man in prison for simply spreading the love of Jesus Christ, yet God worked through him to save prison guards, break free from the prison chains and, against all possible odds, open the well secured gates to walk out and continue his ministry. I could go on and on about our miraculous God but suffice it to say that our excuses have no hold on the power of Almighty God, who stands ready to accomplish His work through simple old us, and against all doubts of sinful men. Timothy was very much like us, where he doubted his capabilities and possibly even the power of God. But praise God, Paul, who had seen God deliver him from many challenges, especially the constraints of the evil one, stood ready to mentor, encourage and help open up the spiritual eyes of Timothy. And because of God including this story in His Word, you and I could also be encouraged to face our giants in confidence knowing that the Holy Son of God, who came from very humble beginnings and encountered much mockery and scorn, sits at the right hand of the Father ready to help us overcome our fears, timidity and doubt. Friends, God wants us to simply do what the Holy Spirit leads us to do and say, so that the glory of God may still be revealed, even today, as we attempt to lead the unsaved into the joys of heaven, through the very Son of God. Sure, there may be mockery, doubt and even push-back by the nay sayers and those aiming to restrain the Word of God, but we must always remember that greater is He who lives and reigns inside of us, than he who continues to create havoc and all forms of sin among those of this world who refuse to accept Jesus as Lord. My fellow believers, Jesus is the source of our power, love and self-control, and there isn’t anything that He can’t do through us to accomplish His kingdom’s mission. Let us learn to go out into our mission field and share the love and ministry of Jesus Christ so that the world might know and believe in the very Son of God. Let’s no longer give the world reason to doubt God because of our timidity, we know that Jesus lives, because He lives inside of us. And from that power, we can do all things through Him who saved us from our sin and continues to ready us for heaven! What an awesome God we serve!

BLESSINGS WORTH NOTING: His Spirit, God’s Holy Spirit, is our source of power and love and self-control and we no longer need to make excuses for not being worthy or able to accomplish His work.

PRAYER BECAUSE OF THE IMPACT OF TODAY’S SCRIPTURE: Please, Lord Jesus, remind us constantly of the awesome power of our Holy and Mighty God that lives inside of us and stands ready to accomplish Your work through us. Any doubt or fear can only be attributed to the evil one who is constantly trying to block the work and power of God. I believe that one of Your greatest commands given to us is ‘Go ye into the world and preach the gospel’ and it’s probably one of the things that we work hardest at fighting, because in many ways we are still way too attuned to the voice of Satan. Lord, please fill us again today, so that we may stand bold in our faith and know without a doubt that You are our source of power, love and self-control, and that we can do ALL things through You – the One who saved us and works mightily through us. For the unsaved that we will cross paths with today, please help us to show the love and power of Jesus Christ, their only hope for eternity in heaven with You. AMEN!

FOOTNOTE: There’s another page on my website, entitled ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading or listening to this devotional, please go to this page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin or continue your walk with Jesus. If you would like to read more of my devotionals, or subscribe for a daily email containing each new devotional, please go online to NuggetsFromGodsWord.org. Go online to Apple Podcasts, or using the Apple Podcast app, simply search for Nuggets From God’s Word to hear more episodes, or click ‘Follow’ to be notified of Podcast updates. Please allow me to encourage you to find a church home near by your home and attend as frequently as you could. Get to know God and allow His people to encourage and strengthen you in your Christian walk, while making every effort to be a blessing to them. God is at work among His people! Please consider growing in your faith, as you worship with fellow believers!