Some time ago, I was having a conversation with a coworker, who began to describe how he owns a beautiful, rare, powerful vehicle. I became so excited and interested about the vehicle that I asked him if he can bring it to work the next day. To my surprise, he began to tell me how he hasn’t driven the vehicle for almost a decade, and that it is just sitting covered in their garage. I didn’t say it out loud but my immediate thought was why have such a powerful, beautiful, expensive car if it just stays locked up in the garage?

In the Bible, Paul encourages Timothy to take the gift of God out of the garage. It’s found in 1 Timothy 2:6, 7: “Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” After doing a word study on the words “stir-up,” I learned it means to activate or to set in motion — the gifts of God that were already inside of Timothy. In other words, those gifts will do nobody any good if they stay inside of Timothy (the garage). He must exercise them and step out in faith and allow God to use him.

It is interesting that verse 7 addresses the issue of fear. And truth be told, that is what keeps most of the gifting that God has given the believer parked in the garage. We allow the fear of our past, or the fear of looking weird, or the fear of offending somebody to stop us from getting out of the boat and truly allowing God to use us. The Bible says to lay our hands on the sick and they shall recover. But yet, most believers don’t even attempt to do this because of fear.

Well, I have made a decision to step out of the boat and set in motion/activate the gifts and the power that resides in me. And it is not my job to worry about the results, rather just commit myself to never leave the car locked inside the garage.

• The Rev. Gilbert Ybarra is pastor of River of Life Christian Fellowship. Sermon Notes is a column by local religious leaders.