KEEP THE FIRE BURNING
Quite a number of people have experienced fire incidents in their homes or offices. Petrol or kerosene spill, candle falling from its stand, hot iron left on, an electrical spark somewhere, can all result in a fire outbreak. Some of such fires are easy to put out; you don’t need to call the Fire Service. But for some fires, you need special help, skill and serious equipment to put them off.
Imagine seeing a building, car or tree where there’s a fire. The fire keeps burning, keeps releasing flames but the place or thing it is burning never gets burnt up. Moses saw such a fire in Exodus 3:2. That’s the kind of fire the Holy Spirit carries. When the Holy Spirit comes into a person’s life, He comes with fire. The Holy Spirit is full of fire and power. But as hot and intense as the fire of the Holy Spirit is, you don’t get burnt up by His fire. You could have so much fire in you and around you yet you don’t get scorched, you aren’t blackened or discolored by the red hot flames of the Holy Spirit.
The fire of the Holy Spirit is to make you a refined, purified, spiritually awake, vibrant believer. But if you take time to observe most believers, they are like a fire that flares up quickly but soon dies out. They appear to be on fire for God but before you know what is happening, the fire, passion and zeal dies out. God wants the fire of revival; the fire of the Holy Spirit in our hearts to be a burning flame that doesn’t go out. Not a fire that is on today, off the next day. Not the kind of fire any little discomfort or challenge can put out. We are to be a burning flame filled with God’s power and glory (Hebrews 1:7), a burning flame very hard to put out.
There’s a lot of spiritual excitement in most churches. People are invited to revival services. You see them get all sober and ready to do so much for God as they hear the message of the revival preacher. But after a few days or weeks, things have returned back to the status quo. All the fire they exhibited during and immediately after the revival service goes out. What we need today are not just words and people that will excite us, but real revival fire burning in our hearts and leading us to repent of what is wrong in our lives. This is the kind of fire the Holy Spirit carries.
When people look at your life, what kind of fire for the Lord do they see? Is it a red, hot fire, or a dim, flickering fire, or do they see flames dying out? Or are you just releasing smoke?
Nothing can take the place of personal devotion and communion with God. This is what stirs up the fire of God on the inside of us. The consistent and devoted time of fellowship Jesus regularly spent with God, kept Him burning bright for the Lord all through His earthly ministry.
You can be at a church service or revival program every day of the week, but if you regularly neglect personal time with the Lord, your spiritual condition will turn from burning as a fire into a stench of smoke. You will lose your passion for God, sensitivity towards the Spirit, joy of the Lord and zeal to serve God. Sadly, this is the state many believers are in.
How is your spiritual fire? Be honest with your spiritual condition. Examine yourself to see if there’s any fire in you. Give your spiritual life a true assessment and ask God to help you see the truth.
If your fire has gone out, turn with all sincerity to Jesus who is the ultimate source of power. He is the One who baptizes with fire. He can fill your life with a fire for God that will make you unstoppable! Ask Him today to forgive you for neglecting Him; for neglecting His Word, presence and Spirit. Invite the Holy Spirit afresh into your life. Call on God to pour His revival fire on your life so everything dead or dying in your life will come back to life today. Shake off every form of weariness and indifference to the things of God that has quenched the fire of the Holy Spirit in your life. Refuse to remain without the fire of God. Desire fresh fire from above.
As the Holy Spirit comes anew on you and God releases His fire on you, understand it is for a purpose. It is not for your personal enjoyment. It’s not for you to show off and boast to people about how loaded you are with the fire and anointing of God. It is for you to positively affect others for God.
May the Lord fill you with fresh fire from above and make you a channel of blessing to others. May you become a flaming fire for God no person, force, or situation can extinguish.
PHOTO CREDIT: Unsplash
