As God’s people, we need to stir ourselves up to take hold of God. We should not be spiritually lazy and passive, just waiting to be acted upon by God or by other people. We need to exert ourselves spiritually.
Sometimes no one stirs himself to take hold of God (Isaiah 64:7). No one rouses himself, awakens himself, or gets excited about God. They don’t seem to care about God anymore. When this happens, we may wonder where God is. Why does he seem far off? Where is his power? God’s power is there, but he’s not going to force us to experience his miracles. He’s waiting for us to exercise our free will and stir ourselves up to take hold of him; he’s not going to force himself upon us.
People may try to take hold of someone for various reasons. We may take hold of someone because we need help getting out of a mess. If we are in a pit, we will take hold of someone’s hand to help us get out. We need wisdom, guidance, and deliverance, and we will experience these things from God as we take hold of him.
Taking hold of someone shows affection. Children take their parents hands or give them a hug. Spouses will hold hands. This shows that people love each other. Since we love God, we should take hold of him to show we love him.
God is our strength, and the Holy Spirit is divine energy. We need to touch the living power of God. When we take hold of God we will be strong. We will be filled with the Holy Spirit.
Lack of spiritual power is connected to a lack of stirring ourselves up. When we don’t stir ourselves up to take hold of God, we will be spiritually weak. Paul told Timothy to fan the flames of the gift of God in him (2 Timothy 1:6). This is something Timothy had to do himself. God lit the fire in us, but we have to actively tend this fire.
How do we stir up ourselves to take hold of God?
We must awaken when we read God’s word. The Bible is the most powerful book there is. It is not dull and boring, but it is full of divine life and power. Satan lies to us so we don’t want to read the Bible, or he tries to put us to sleep when we do read it. We need to stir ourselves up to the power of God’s word. Even if we’ve read the Bible 10 times through, there is still more we can get out of it because it is infinite. There is spiritual power in the Bible, and as we focus on it we can be filled with that power.
So it is with church meetings. We can always glean something from the word of God that is being shared. There is power when we come together, for Jesus is among us. The Lord’s Supper happens within church, and we need this for our spiritual health. When we stir ourselves up in church, others are benefited.
In prayer, we need to stir ourselves up to take hold of God. We don’t need dead prayers that have no life. Instead, we need effective, fervent prayers that avail much (James 5:16).
When the early church prayed, the fire of God fell upon them (Acts 2). When they prayed again, the building where they were praying was shaken (Acts 4:31). It was like a small earthquake when the early Christians prayed. Paul and Silas prayed, and another earthquake happened (Acts 16:25-26).
Stirring up ourselves is a spiritual operation. It begins in the spirit, and then it affects our souls and our bodies. There are signs and symptoms of being stirred up. We will be able to see when others are stirred up, and we will know it when we ourselves are stirred up. Remember, we have to stir ourselves up, no one is going to do this for us.
if we put forth this effort and stir ourselves up, we will take hold of God. We are not to just wait, but we must exert ourselves.
Jesus said violent people seize the kingdom of God (Matthew 11:12). We need zeal, vehemence, and energy regarding spiritual matters.
At the end of the age, there will be a people who will stir themselves up to take hold of God. The bride of Christ will prepare herself for the wedding supper of the lamb (Revelation 19:7). God’s people will arise and shake themselves from the dust of the earth (Isaiah 52:1-2) and be prepared for his return.
Even though God already took hold of us through Jesus Christ, he expects us to stir ourselves up to take hold of him. When we do this, we show that we understand and appreciate the great things he has done for us.
In conversations, when one person is not really listening to the other person, it gives the impression that that person doesn’t care about the other person. To maintain a healthy relationship with someone, we need to show interest and make time with that person a priority. Sometimes we can give an impression that we don’t really care about God. We correct that by stirring ourselves up to take hold of God.
We are to praise God. We are to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. But we can’t do these things if we don’t care.
Praise God that he loves us and gave his life for us. Now let’s stir ourselves up to take hold of God. As we do, he will bless us.
Lincoln House Churches 