Day #138 - Impartation
The Presence - A Devotional for living in Thanksgiving, Worship and Wonder
“For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.”
2 Timothy 1:6-7 NIV
Have you ever experienced impartation?
I’ve had several experiences with the power of impartation in my life. I’ve been blessed to have many great men and women of God lay hands upon me in prayer that God might fill me up afresh and renew me. It is amazing to me that God has chosen to manifest His presence and power in our lives through the prayer and laying on of hands of others believers.
What is impartation? It is a stirring up of the gift of God in your life through the work of the Holy Spirit as someone lays hands on you in prayer. Paul writes to Timothy about impartation and uses this incredible phrase: “fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands.” Paul continues to describe the work of the Holy Spirit as a gift of power, love and self-discipline as opposed to a spirit of fear.
Impartation, this laying on of hands, can cause a renewed sense of the Spirit’s flame to be stirred up in our life. For me and my wife, this has included times of a physical manifestation where God’s manifest presence gives us an undeniable experience that marks our life for Him. We see here as we did in Acts 19, that there are times to intentionally pursue God and experiences with the Holy Spirit through the laying on of hands. Impartation can take us further in “the Presence.”
The laying on of hands seems like a secondary issue the way it is ignored by many Christians, but the Bible actually says at the top of Hebrews 6 that it is one of the elementary teachings of our faith. We are not meant to live the Christian life without the power of the laying on of hands and according to 2 Timothy 1, this stirs up a fire in our lives. Fire is related all throughout the Scriptures to the manifest presence and glory of God.
When you feel like “the Presence” is missing in your life, you may intentionally pursue impartation to rekindle the work of God’s Spirit and power in you. I am not trying to reduce “the Presence” to a mere feeling, it is so much more than that. But it should include some type of work that is tangible enough for us to liken it to a fire, power, love and self-discipline. This is the work of the Spirit in us through others in the body of Christ.
Go after God with all your heart and seek the impartation of the Spirit.
God, thank You for the flame that is resident in my life through the work of the Holy Spirit. Impart to me a fresh stirring. You have given me power, love and self-discipline through Your Spirit. Bring me into contact with holy men and women of God who can bring an impartation of Your presence into my life and let me impart the same to others. In Jesus name, amen.
“fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands.” This gift has changed my life in so many ways that I can't even imagine being without it! Thank You Lord Jesus!!!