We all want our prayers to be heard. There is certainly no shortage of important matters to be praying about. We want more healings in the Church, and we all want to draw closer to God. So, what should we be doing to ensure the effectiveness of our prayers?
Our prayers are effective to the degree that we use the spiritual power that is available to us. If we possess more of God’s Spirit, our prayers will be greatly energized—and consequently will be more effective. The Apostle Paul admonished the young evangelist, Timothy: “Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands” (2 Timothy 1:6).
This gift from God is not the “spirit of fear.” Rather, it is the Spirit of “power and of love and of a sound mind” (v. 7). Having more of God’s Spirit will also lead to greater faith and belief (Ephesians 2:8).
All converted Christians possess the Holy Spirit, which was received upon the laying on of hands at the time of baptism. God’s power is infinite, but we—though finite—may access some of that power to use in harmony with God’s will and purpose. However, this power is something we have to stir up in order to have more of it and reap its benefits. How do we do this? One key is to understand the meaning of “stir up.”
The Amplified Version helpfully translates 2 Timothy 1:6 as follows: “That is why I would remind you to stir up (rekindle the embers of, fan the flame of, and keep burning) the [gracious] gift of God, [the inner fire] that is in you by means of the laying on of my hands.”
Many of us are familiar with fire as a fascinating and evocative image of the Holy Spirit. At one time or another, perhaps you have made a fire—or lit, tended or built one up so that it would burn more strongly and brightly. Paul in his letter to Timothy likens God’s gift of the Holy Spirit to an inner fire that ought to burn strongly and powerfully within each of us.
But how do we get all this sense from the simple English word “stir”? The answer, of course, is that the Greek word actually means more than is seen by the simple translation. The Greek word Paul uses metaphorically for “stir” is anazopureo (from ana = up or again; zoos = alive; pur = fire) and means “to kindle afresh” or “keep in full flame.” In Vine’s Expository Dictionary, we read, “The gift of God is regarded as a fire capable of dying out through neglect or lack of attention” (see article “Stir”). Put simply, the purpose of a physical fire is to provide light and heat; it imparts these characteristics to its immediate surroundings.
This analogy helps us better understand how to increase the amount or the flow of God’s Spirit—His supply of divine power and energy—to each of us. Consider that in order to have a strongly burning fire, we need several things:
- A source of fuel—something flammable like wood, coal, gas or oil.
- A spark to get the fire going—a match, a flint, a lighter.
- Kindling—something that burns easily, to start the fire, such as tinder-dry twigs, wood shavings or paper.
There are two other elements that we may take for granted, but that are vital:
- The environment. A fire needs oxygen to burn strongly. Surround it with carbon dioxide, and it will rapidly go out.
- Time and effort to tend the fire. Once started, the fire requires attention, as we must rake out the ash, add new fuel and regulate the flow of oxygen.
How does all this apply spiritually? Well, for our personal spiritual fire, God calls us and opens our minds to His truth; He feeds us “the milk of the word” (1 Peter 2:2)—a kind of spiritual kindling. He provides the vital spark by His Spirit. Then, He trusts us with the job of fanning this divine spark into a flame. If we “bear fruits worthy of repentance” (Matthew 3:8), God brings us to conversion and gives His Spirit to dwell in us permanently and provide that “inner fire.”
God’s Spirit then imparts its characteristics to each of us. With it comes a sound mind, love and strength—and especially faith, or belief. The fire must be continually fed, tended and nurtured, or it will go out. Sin is the great enemy of this fire—it creates the wrong kind of environment, in which our spiritual strength will fail (Psalm 31:10) and God’s Spirit will be quenched (1 Thessalonians 5:19). So, we have to be prepared to spend the time and the energy necessary to keep our inner fire burning strongly.
For What Purpose?
Why should we care about this inner fire? If we do not understand the reason and purpose for having it in our lives, we will not put forth the effort to keep it burning strongly, or even to keep it alive.
God’s Spirit is a projection of His will and purpose. It is the Spirit of great power and strength (Ephesians 6:10). It is the power to live a godly life in words, deeds and by personal example (Titus 2:12). It is the power to preach the gospel of “the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ” (Acts 8:12). It is the power that enables the ministry to preach wisely and with strength (Ephesians 6:19). It is the power by which God fulfills His promises. This includes His promise of divine healing (James 5:15–16). By the working of God’s all-powerful Spirit, any and all challenges, problems and crises can be met and resolved (Philippians 4:19).
So, how can we have more of the amazing power of God’s Spirit? Jesus Christ Himself provides the answer: “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened” (Luke 11:9–10). In verse 13, Christ makes it plain that He is speaking about making the Holy Spirit available to those who ask for it!
If, through prayer, we diligently ask, seek and knock—asking God to makethe power of His Spirit available to us—He promises to hear us. God’s Spirit is fuel for our spiritual fire. Its power will then go to work to accomplish God’s will and purpose in our lives. Our prayers will be energized. Our spiritual growth will speed up. Our spiritual accomplishments will increase. There is nothing too small—and nothing too big—that God cannot accomplish through the power of His Spirit (Genesis 18:14; Jeremiah 32:27). God is all-powerful, and we all need to learn how to tap into that power source more effectively. God is able “to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us” (Ephesians 3:20).
Faith is the key. When the disciples failed to heal the epileptic possessed by a demon, Christ explained that their failure came about because of their unbelief (Matthew 17:15–21). Without the power of faith, they could not heal. Notice that, when Christ gave this instruction, the disciples had not yet been converted—they had not yet received the Holy Spirit. Yet Christ did not tell them, in the first instance, to become converted. He told them that they needed to pray and fast. Doing so would bring them closer to God, and would connect them more effectively to the power of God that they needed.
Of course, conversion is still vitally necessary for us as Christians. The disciples went on to become powerful instruments in God’s service after they were converted. But Christ’s words here make it plain that even as converted Christians, they would still need to pray and fast regularly in order to heap more fuel on their spiritual inner fires.
An “Energy Circuit”
The energy and power of fire can be enhanced greatly by establishing an energy circuit. A fire in a grate will heat one room, and you in that room. However, if you place a boiler behind the fire, and you put some radiators and a pump in a circuit throughout the house, the heat from the fire can be transferred to all the other rooms of the house, and even provide hot water for washing. Energy can be transferred around a circuit—in this example, through the agency of water moving through a radiator and pump.
Think of how an old steam locomotive functions. Coal is burned under a boiler that heats water into steam, which drives a piston, which turns the wheels and provides motion. This transfer of energy from the original coal allows much valuable work to be performed.
Next, think on an even larger scale. Consider a fire many miles away, in a power station. The burning fuel now heats water into steam, which powers an electrical turbine, which generates electricity. Now, the prospects for energy transfer become far greater. Connect this power station to an electrical grid, and thousands of homes and businesses can be heated and lit, and many electrical devices in those homes and businesses can be powered. Although you cannot see the electricity directly, you can see the work it accomplishes.
Now, consider this analogy spiritually. God possesses an infinite degree of divine energy, and thus is an infinite source of power. That supremely powerful God, for those of us who have His Holy Spirit, is our “power station.” Each Christian is connected to this source of spiritual power and is part of the “power grid” comprised of members of God’s Church, who are to be one with each other and with God (John 17:20–23). Because of our connection, we can tap into this source of energy. When God’s word goes forth, it is a fruitful and marvelous extension of His power. “For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth, and make it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it” (Isaiah 55:10–11).
What Isaiah is describing can be thought of, in our analogy, as a remarkable power circuit—a projection of divine power to accomplish God’s purpose and will. You and I, as Christians with the Holy Spirit, can tap into this source of power, whenever we “plug in” to it.
We “plug in” when we ask, seek and knock for more of God’s Holy Spirit to accomplish a godly purpose. Our tools for doing this include prayer, Bible study, meditation and fasting. And we know God will provide His power, as He says so—repeatedly—in Scripture. We just need to “complete the circuit.”
Using this analogy, our faith is like a switch that closes a divine power circuit. Without faith, the switch is off, and the power simply cannot flow. However, if you believe, the switch is on and the power can flow. And once the power is flowing, it can be “turned up” to higher levels—just as we can increase our faith! Amazingly, God promises that whenever we ask for something, according to His will, He will answer and provide (Mark 11:22–24). This is the faith that proverbially moves mountains (v. 23)!
Prayer, Bible study, meditation and fasting are vital spiritual tools—the “weapons of our warfare” (2 Corinthians 10:4). They bring us closer to God, and connect us to more of His power. They activate and increase our faith by adding fuel to our inner spiritual fire. Put enough fuel on that fire, and it can become a raging inferno to accomplish God’s will. But we cannot kindle a great fire within unless we pay continuing attention to doing those things that fan the flames of God’s Spirit within us.
So, be sure to “stir up God’s Spirit.” You may be astounded at the result in your life, in the lives of those for whom you ardently pray, and in the Work to which God has called you to do your part.