Fire

Fire is something you can see in total darkness or in light. Fire can be seen up close or from a distance. We use fire for heat, for entertainment and sometimes to get rid of these we don’t want. You can’t hide fire even if you conceal the flames there is smoke and heat that will lead you to the flames. Anyone who has ever started a fire knows the flame starts out small and but the more attention you give it and the more wood you feed it the larger the flames get. However, if you don’t continue to give it attention and continue to feed it wood it will go out. Sometimes you think the fire has gone out but if you began to poke around in the ashes you will find a hot ember and with a little attention you can turn that ember into a roaring flame again.

I believe as Christians we are like a fire. When we first get saved we are on fire for God. We fuel ourselves with prayer and add wood from the Word of God to increase our flames. You can see that fire in the world of darkness that we live in from a mile away. You can’t hide the flames due to the smoke and heat that is inside of you. You want to witness to everyone because you want everyone to feel exactly what you are feeling. You invite people to church and you are at church for every service because you can’t get enough. You have conversations about Jesus and what he has done for you. You give him the glory for everything. You walk around thanking him throughout your day for the smallest things. You are consumed with God and his greatness.

Over time we stop feeding our fire and the flames get smaller and smaller. The smoke dies down and you can’t really feel the heat anymore. We are not fueling ourselves in prayer or reading God’s Word so our flames began to die down. Now we just have a lot of ashes that remind us of that fire we once had. We began to miss church one service at a time and before you know it you have not been in months. In the beginning you feel convicted for not going to church, reading your bible, or spending time in prayer but eventually you don’t feel the conviction at all.

Why do we allow this to happen? I believe we let it happen one compromise at a time. We get busy in our day to day life and the first thing we give up is God. We will say I will read my bible tomorrow or I will pray tomorrow because I’ve got too much going on today. We put God on a shelf and leave him there. We may pull him down from time to time in the beginning but before long he has been on the shelf for months and then years. The sad thing is you don’t even miss him. You make excuses and say I’m still a Christian but there is no smoke or flame visible in your life to support this. You don’t even realize you have walked away from God.

What does it take to get that fire back? This is the great thing about God. It may only appear to be ashes left but if you began to poke around you will find an ember that is still burning. God is an eternal flame he will never go out, so all you need to do is begin to fuel that ember with prayer and you will begin to see a little smoke. As you begin to add wood and start reading God’s word the flames slowly return and before you know it you have a roaring fire again.

Let’s pray today that we stay on fire for God. Let’s end the cycle of being on fire one minute for God and cold the next. Can you imagine what we could accomplish for God if we kept the fire we had when we first got saved? I don’t believe our world, our country, or our communities would be in the shape they are today if we kept our fire roaring. I believe our churches would be overflowing and that God’s presence would be so palpable you could feel him when you pulled in the parking lot at church. All of this is possible and doable if we keep our fire burning. Let’s make a conscience choice today to keep our fire burning by feeding our flames with prayer and the Word of God.

Thanks for reading this and I hope you have a great day in Jesus Christ!!

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