KEEP THE FIRE !

 

” The fire must never go out,…”

Leviticus 6:12

God’s kingdom as recorded from Genesis to Revelation, is fire-dominated. Moses, first, encountered Him in a burning bush; Elijah got swallowed up by horse-like chariots; his servant, Elisha, wasn’t left out when he witnessed similar chariots of angels surrounding him later, and the list is endless. So Paul, The Apostle, simply concludes that God ( in whom we live ) is a consuming fire – Hebrews 12:29.

The fire of God is that zeal, passion or heated and burning urge contained in our spirits for The Lord. It originates from God, yet He charges us to keep it from going off, as revealed from our theme scripture above. This piece will, therefore, not be complete without unveiling a few ways of sustaining God’s holy fire.

THE WORD
” Is not my word like fire…?” Jeremiah 23:29. Then, the Prophet affirms, “… His word is in my heart like fire…” Jeremiah 20:9. So you can imagine what the Word offers our Spirit as we commune with it. They’re woods we stoke the fire with to keep it burning. But we must be guided by God’s Spirit into receiving the right word at a time. For words that are irrelevant to our conditions are like wet woods that may not spark fire.

FASTING AND PRAYING
Fasting kills the flesh but elevates The Spirit. By it, we’re divinely enabled to comply with God’s Word in obedience. When, through this divine empowerment, we successfully rid ourselves of bitterness, anger, unforgiveness or hatred, this burning fire can’t be hindered any longer. And if by prayer Elijah brought down God’s fire, then prayer can equally help sustain the fire.

LOVE
Our love for God and His kingdom advancement is, in itself, fire-productive. This is asserted by Solomon in Songs 8:6. “… For love is as strong as death, passion as intense as Sheol. The flames of love are flames of fire, a blaze that comes from the LORD.” Apparently, LOVE is Fire; genuine Love for God in our hearts will fuel the fire of God in us for greater exploits.

WORSHIP and PRAISE
God, the all consuming fire, doesn’t visit us alone when we praise Him; He’s followed by His host of blazing chariots – heavenly angels. Worshipping and praising God also cause Him to speak His Word into us, ignite His passion or Love in our hearts and create in us a strong desire for holiness ( which requires that we often fast ). Having already read the relevance of those three, it can be said that worship and praise are the most fundamental facilitators of God’s fire.

It’s only through fellowship – feeding on The Word, fasting, praying, worshipping and praising God, that we keep ourselves afired. Let us, thus, continue in this fervency so we can ultimately receive the testimony of John, the baptist – a burning and a shining Light ! ( John 5:35 )