2 Timothy 1:6 (ESV) 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,
2 Timothy 1:6 (NKJV) Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.
STIRRING: If you have ever sat by the fire and watched the flames diminish, if you understand the ways of fires, you take a stick or poker and stir up the coals. In the process, you knock off the ashes that are smothering the fire lurking in the coals. You may even, if you are an expert, move and lift the half-burned logs so that air can reach the coals and ignite them.
FANNING: Fanning the fire also helps it to burn brighter—momentarily. Fanning is a quick fix, it doesn’t remove the ashes as affectively as stirring and it doesn’t lift the wood to allow in more air.
Am I being picky? I hope not. I’m just thinking it through and making applications.
The admonition is to aid the gift of God that is in you. Sometimes we only fan the fire by more activity, and for a while, it works—there are more flames. Ah, but stirring means digging down to the coals that once burned brightly and WANT to burn brightly once again. I may need to poke and jab places that have become dead and complacent in my life—those areas that have laid dormant for too long. I may need to tap the logs that are covered with ashes of past glories to allow new flames (maybe even new ideas from someone younger!) to burst on the scene. And then I may need to lift the logs of my own ideas, my own ways, and let new air—new life—seep into the closed areas of my stubborn heart allowing those coals—the gifts placed there by God—to have His way. Oh, how brightly THAT flame will glow!!!
Beyond Common Sense 