This is a student message that can be scaled to reach children or youth audiences. I recently preached this at The Calvary Academy weekly chapel.
🥣 STIR IT UP!
I want to start by talking about something I really love—cereal. Now here’s a question for you: do you put the milk in first or the cereal in first? Most people pour the cereal first and then the milk. But not me. I do it a little differently. I pour the milk in first, then I squeeze in about half a bottle of chocolate syrup, and I stir it up real good until I’ve got chocolate milk. After that, I pour in an entire box of COCO-PUFFS to create what I think is the perfect chocolate breakfast. And just to make it complete, I grab an ice-cold Sprite to wash it all down.
Sounds pretty amazing, right? But here’s the problem. I get distracted so easily. I’ll make that perfect bowl of chocolate cereal, then wander off to do something else—talk on the phone, start a new project, or just get caught up in something. By the time I come back, two things have happened: the cereal is soggy, and the chocolate has all sunk to the bottom. What was once exciting and perfect now feels ruined.
And you know what? The same thing can happen in our spiritual lives. If we don’t keep stirring things up, our faith can settle, grow stale, and lose the fire it once had.
🔥 PAUL’S CHALLENGE
The Apostle Paul talked about this with Timothy. In 2 Timothy 1:6, Paul says, “Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee…” That phrase “stir up” literally means “rekindle the fire,” “fan the flame,” or “bring the spark back to life.” Paul is telling Timothy not to let his gift get cold, not to let his faith grow soggy, but to keep it stirred up.
👥 S.TAY CONNECTED
Paul could say this to Timothy because Timothy had a mentor. He had someone close enough to see when his fire was starting to fade. Paul loved Timothy enough to say, “Hey, stir it up. Don’t let your gift settle.” That’s why it’s so important for us to have people in our lives who will challenge us, encourage us, and remind us to stay on fire for God. Who do you allow to speak into your life? Who is close enough to you to notice when your fire starts to dim? We need those connections.
🛠️ T.OOLS FOR RECOVERY
Paul didn’t just tell Timothy to stir it up, he also gave him the tools to do it. In 2 Timothy 1:7 he writes, “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”
God gives us power—the strength to face trials, to stand for what’s right, and to do what He calls us to do. God gives us love—and perfect love casts out fear (1 John 4:18). And God gives us a sound mind—the ability to make good decisions, to think clearly, and to keep our hearts and passions focused on Him. These are the tools we can use to stir our faith back to life.
🔍 I.NSPECT YOURSELF
Paul also tells us to take a look at ourselves. In 2 Corinthians 13:5 he says, “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves.” When your spiritual life feels soggy or stale, you need to check your vitals. Are you praying? Are you fasting? Are you reading the Bible?
Pastor Rick Warren gives six steps that are a good guide for us:
- Review every area of your life.
- Repent of every sin.
- Make restitution where you need to.
- Receive God’s forgiveness.
- Reveal your faults to a trusted friend.
- Repeat these steps regularly.
Inspection is how we keep our faith alive and stirred up.
🌍 R.EACH OTHERS
Finally, Paul tells Timothy in 2 Timothy 1:8, “Be not ashamed of the testimony of our Lord… but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God.” In other words, don’t just hold onto your gift—share it. Release it. Use it to reach others. The more we give away, the more God pours back into us. Our gifts are not meant to sit at the bottom of the bowl; they are meant to be stirred up and poured out.
✍️ RESPONSE
Here’s how I want us to respond today. Everyone will receive a “stir stick.” I want you to take a marker and write on that stick one thing you need to stir up in your life or your ministry. Maybe it’s prayer. Maybe it’s worship. Maybe it’s reading the Word. Whatever it is, write it down and then bring it to the altar. Let this be your commitment to God today—that you will stir up the gift He has placed inside of you.
Bottom Line: If you’ve lost “it” in your ministry or your faith, return to the practices that gave you “it” in the first place—prayer, worship, fasting, and time in God’s Word. That’s how we stir it up.
STUDENT HANDOUT
SERMON POWERPOINT
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