1. Our God is a consuming Fire
Deuteronomy 4:24 “For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.”
God’s purity and holiness is absolute, and it is symbolized by Fire. Just as fire purifies metals by burning away the impurities, God’s presence burns away sin and impurity in our lives. One of the works of the Holy Spirit is that He is constantly at work, purifying us and making us holy.
God being a consuming fire is also linked to His jealousy and zeal. God is the only One who can be jealous and not sin. James 4 says the Spirit yearns for us with a jealous love. Fire represents His zeal for His covenant relationship with His people and His intolerance for unfaithfulness.
Lastly Fire is a reference to His presence and power. God appeared to Moses in a burning bush, He appeared on Pentecost as tongues of Fire, and to Paul as a bright light. John say Jesus with eyes like fire and feet like bronze. In the Old Testament God would lead His people by a cloud by day and a pillar of Fire by night. His Presence is like a Fire. It provides warmth in the cool of the night, and protection from our enemies. His presence leads us forward. When the Fire means, we move, when the Fire stops, we stop!
2. The Fire of God Purifies
Matthew 3:11-12 “I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
Being around revival for so many years, you realize people cry out for something and they don’t even know what they are asking for! Yes, you will have an encounter with Him that changes your life, but you are also inviting a specific work of the Holy Spirit! You are asking Him to come and judge your life with Fire! Do you know what that means? Anything that is unpleasing, anything that is wrong, anything built by the hands of man or the flesh is going to start burning. Anything that is wood, hay or stubble is going to go. It will be consumed in His Fire!
Proverbs 17:3: “In the same way that gold and silver are refined by fire, the Lord purifies your heart by the tests and trials of life”.
I don’t know about you, but I say “God, come with Your Fire and burn out anything that is not of You! I want it all to go, and I want to be more like Jesus in 2024 that I ever have been!” I had a saying in Bible school, “It hurts so good!” Yes, things are removed and burnt up, but only to give room for more of what God has for you!
3. The Fire of God Protects
Deuteronomy 9:3 “But be assured today that the Lord your God is the one who goes across ahead of you like a devouring fire. He will destroy them; he will subdue them before you. And you will drive them out and annihilate them quickly, as the Lord has promised you.”
It’s so important that you get the Fire of God, and once you have it KEEP the Fire of God! Stay on Fire! In fact, if you protect the Fire of God, the Fire of God will protect you! Always keep yourself hot, on Fire for Jesus. And that’s as simple as a decision you make every morning when you get out of bed.
Paul told Timothy to stir up the inner fire. Every day we have to stir ourselves. I’ve determined years ago I would live, to the best of my ability, a lift on Fire for God. It would be a part of my DNA and who I was. It took years for the Lord to do a work in me, but I wouldn’t take it back for anything in the world!
The safest place you can be is in the Fire of God. No where else! The Bible says our lives our hidden in Christ. When you are in the Fire, the devil can’t touch you. Sure, he can cause a storm around you, he can lie to you, but you realize over time that the attacks of the enemy are meant to draw you out of the Fire so he can whoop you! Stay in the Fire, don’t stick your neck out! God will deal with your enemies.
4. The Fire of God Propels
I’ve never seen a rocket go into space without fire. Sampson went out, caught 300 foxes and put fire on their tails. They ran, two by two (with a sense of urgency) and burnt down the vineyards and barns of the enemy. Hallelujah!
I don’t care if you’re 8, or 80, when the Fire of God gets on you you are going to RUN! You will accomplish more these next 6 months than the last 6 years! Invite Him in to do a deep work, to go where the knife of man could never go, and set your heart ablaze!