2 Timothy 1:7-10
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God; Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.
Anyone else do their best thinking while driving? I know I do! And as I was driving I started thinking of some cool things I would like my phone to do while I continued safely watching the road. I wished my phone would just talk to me without prompting about upcoming meetings, events, programs, concerts and all my many interest, and then create a schedule with a simple voice confirmation. And then I imagined how helpful it would be for the phone to automatically record all my meetings, make notes, create task and upload all that data to my calendar. Cool right? This dreaming went on and on until it hit me. This already exists. It’s called AI. And I have access to all these resources right now, if only I take the time to learn how to use them.
(The irony of this post is I could just talk and let my tablet write, but I’m sitting her typing with my thumbs. Lol)
I guarantee I’m not the only one doing this. Be honest. How many of us have apps on our computer or phone that we haven’t even opened to see how they work? Or programs we use everyday, but never maximize them? I guess we are just creatures of habit. And as they say, ‘old habits are hard to break’. Now that’s okay when it comes to technology, but what happens when we do the same thing spiritually?
The Apostle Paul admonished his young protégé Timothy to more effectively use the gifts inside him. So he opens his letter to him with words of encouragement and support. He says, “So I ask you to make full use of the gift God gave you when I placed my hands on you. Use it well”. 2 (1:6) This is so very important for us to hear and to know. There are gifts inside us that we receive as a result of salvation, and additional gifting that can take place as we join forces in partnership with other gifted individuals. We can not think of ourselves as alone or by ourselves in ministry. In every case we are more powerful together than we could ever be individually. Togetherness is the centerpiece of the plan of salvation.
Then Paul outlines for his student the parameters of his great gifting and declares, “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind”. Please note that the outline was not exclusive to Timothy, but an inclusive “us”. And this declaration is the crux of todays discussion.
Generally speaking, moving from old to new is often a daunting task. Just using the title, “The Power of AI” invokes gear in the hearts and minds of some people. And if you are one of them, forgive me. But I’m really not advocating for more technology this morning. I’m advocating for for anointing. More anointed thinking. Anointed intelligence.
Let’s use the guidance of Paul to Timothy to create our own environment of success and victory in Jesus. Fear should never be the impetus for action or no action. It doesn’t work with the gift God has given us. Our gift is activated through the use of power: the power of the Holy Ghost, the love of Christ and (anointed intelligence) sound mind.
Dear child of God, I know you’re extremely smart, talented, gifted and skilled. But honestly, without the anointing we have nothing. All of our thoughts, ideas, conjectures and opinions are simply hollow human rants. Only when our gift of thought and expression are infused with the power of Spirit of the Living God does it truly matter. So remember not to be afraid or intimidated to open and use the gift insIde you.
God bless
