Every morning for nearly 2 years, I drink bulletproof coffee. What a brilliant name … coffee that will make you bulletproof. And I gotta be honest with you, I’m pretty sure it kinda does. The classic trademarks of this coffee is its added fat. Traditionally this fat comes in the form of butter and coconut oil. I know I know, in the beginning that seems really counterproductive to be intentionally adding fat to your morning cup of coffee. However, this fat feeds your brain and I can attest to it’s magical powers of creating clarity and focus. Instead of butter, I use coconut milk as part of my clean keto plan. (Hang with me, I’m going somewhere with this!)

My can of coconut milk has a little problem. It’s hard on top and all the liquid is at the bottom. It’s a messy process stirring it all up to the creamy consistency of healthy fat I desire. But once stirred up, it is deliciousness for my morning cup of joe. Not only delicious, but serving a purpose of making it bulletproof.

I wonder what’s inside of us that has settled.

Where do we need to be stirred up?

Paul says in 2 Timothy 1: 6 & 7: “Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you … For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and self-discipline.”

God, stir us up!!!!!

We have been given the gift of power and love and self-discipline by God. It’s within us. The power to change anything you wish to change about your life is within you. The love to conquer any obstacle is within you. The self-discipline to follow through and do what you know you need to do is within you. Perhaps it has just settled. Your fears have floated to the top creating a solid layer of why you can’t and how you won’t.

So the question is, is this how you want to live your life? Letting your gifts go unused? Power untapped? Love untouched? Self-discipline under utilized? Will you allow the fears which are naturally part of life to control your life and steel your God given potential from you?

Will you?
Are you?

Here’s the problem, we’ve been fed a lie by the enemy that one day when we’re no longer afraid, things will change for us. He’s a peddler of delayed hope. And we buy this delayed hope and we waste precious days of this one life we have been given, waiting to wake up one day and no longer feel fear. And when we do, watch out world, we’re going to do something great. When we’re no longer too afraid to try, we’re really going to do something. But let’s do a quick fear check … fear, are you still here? Yip, there it is … at the top. I’m still afraid of failure and judgment and criticism and the myriad of things that could go horribly wrong, so today isn’t the day for me to take the next step.

But maybe next month I’ll get started. Or next year. Oh yes, next year is coming up and that will be the fresh start I’ve been waiting for. Come January I will be more confident and determined. That’s when it will happen. That all sounds nice and pretty, but rip off those fake plastic flowers sister … that’s delayed hope peddled by your enemy. His purpose is to delay you from yours. His power is found in robbing you of yours. You see, he has nothing he doesn’t take from you. You’ve been giving him his purpose and his power in your delays and excuses. Your fear has been feeding him.

The potential of failure will not just magically go away come January. The mob of naysayers and loud crowd of the “uh-ohhh squad” will still be standing outside of your door come the new year pointing out why you can’t change and why you’ll always be stuck where you are. And even worse than standing outside of your door, they’ll be screaming inside of your head every fear you’ve ever imagined.

So, what needs to happen here?

God needs to stir us up. We’ve been sitting idle for too long and we’ve settled. That which God has gifted us with has settled to the bottom and been covered with a thick layer of fear. STIR US UP GOD! Just like my can of coconut milk for my morning bulletproof coffee, stir us up!

There’s power in you. You are not helpless or hopeless. You have the power of the creator of the universe within you. The one who spoke all of existence into form – the one who imagined you then formed you with his thoughts – the one who holds the entire world in the palm of his hands (yes, get the visual of that, the entire world fits into the palm of his hand – YOUR entire world is all right there, held by a great big powerful God) – this is the power within you.

Stir that into your fear. Let your fear of failure come face to face with the power God has given you.

You have weaknesses. Introduce your weakness to the sheer strength God has placed within you.

We spend so much time telling God about our mountain, how about instead we begin telling our mountain about our God. Fears and obstacles will always be in our way, that’s life. We can stop waiting until the path is clear and the way is easy … that’s not happening. You’ll wait your entire life to have enough money to get started. You’ll be an old woman and still not be sure you can do it, stick with it, and follow through. You imagine a life without the mountain one day – without the fears and obstacles, but what you’re imagining is heaven. You’re here on Earth to live, so darn it LIVE! Stare down your mountain and tell it about your God. Tell your problems about the power and the love and the self-discipline your God has given you. Tell your mountain you’re climbing up and you’re not backing down.

GO AFRAID. Go shaking. Go unsure. No more settling.

If we only understood what is below that layer of fear. If we only knew the power we truly hold. God didn’t create you to be consumed by your weaknesses. He created you to overcome them and be better because of it.

A settled life is unfulfilling, unsatisfying and unlived. A stirred up life is exciting, adventurous, and totally available to you! God has placed within you the potential to be bulletproof, but first you must be stirred up. Your fear must meet your power. Your anxiety must meet your love. Your excuses must meet your self-discipline. Your mountain must know about your God.

And today is that day!
“Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you … For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and self-discipline.”