The apostle Paul admonished members in one of the churches he started, "Do
not quench the Spirit" (1 Thessalonians 5:19). He also urged the
young evangelist Timothy: ". . . Stir up [rekindle] the gift of
God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not
given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind" (2 Timothy 1:6-7).
Paul likened God's Spirit to an ember in a dying fire. He encouraged
Timothy to stir up that live coal, to fan it into flames. He knew that
we must guard against neglecting the gift of God's Spirit and letting
it grow cold.
How can we maintain the courage, strength and love God gives us through
His Spirit? We find the answers in several scriptures.
Paul tells us: ". . . Take up the whole armor of God, that you
may be able to withstand in the evil day . . ." (Ephesians 6:13).
Satan will do all in his power to discourage us, to induce us to become
disillusioned and afraid-to abandon our confidence in God. What,
then, did Paul mean by putting on "the whole armor of God" as
our defense? What may we use to resist such self-defeating attitudes
as fear, apathy and discouragement?
Paul continues: "Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth
around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. As shoes
for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel
of peace. With all of these, take the shield of faith, with which you
will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take
the helmet of [the hope of] salvation, and the sword of the Spirit,
which is the word of God" (verses 14-17, NRSV).
