Fire for Power and Unending Victories!
John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire ~ Luke 3:16.
Introduction
One day, Elijah called everyone to Mount Carmel and gave the audacious challenge: “…the God that answereth by fire, let him be God …” (1 Kings 18:24). He stood up for the God of Truth against 850 false prophets. He offered a simple prayer, then God’s fire fell, and by that single sign from heaven, God showcased His glory and dramatically changed the destiny of an entire nation.
What did Elijah actually mean by “the God that answereth by fire”? The God that answers by fire is the God that shows forth, and flows in His liquid power on behalf of His people. Yes, Satan sends “fire” too, but only in a negative sense! He sends fire to destroy people (John 10:10). However, our God is the only One who sends fire to transform destinies of individual persons, peoples and nations.
Fire is a mainstay of life, the sole source of energy and light. It is a purifier that equally generates motion. Fire is a pure symbol of God’s very nature: His purity, His perfection, His passion, His energy and His vigor (Malachi 4:2). The burning and the yearnings of fire describe who God is: a Supreme, overwhelming personality that fuels everything He does.
Fire has for long been a sign of God's presence. In the Bible days, God copiously manifested Himself as an incredible fire force. He spoke to Moses from the strange burning bush (Exodus 3:2). As a Pillar of Fire, He guided Israel through the uncharted paths in the wilderness, and equally shielded them away from their stubborn pursuers (Exodus 13:21; 40:38).
God appeared to Moses as a quaking fire on Mount Sinai, where he received the law (Exodus 19:18). Moreover, whenever God accepted a sacrifice and wanted to show His pleasure, He always did so by sending fire to consume the sacrifice (1Chronicles 21:26).
To the Church, God showed up as tongues of fire on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:3). Indeed, He is a Consuming Fire, with utmost power, passion and energy (Hebrews 12:29). And, the fire must be ever-burning on the altars of our hearts!
What The Fire Is Like Today!
The Fire emblematizes the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:3). It is that peculiar presence of the Holy Spirit that provokes answers to this doubting and very sinful world (1 Kings 18:21,24,38; Acts 2:8-11). The Fire is that spectacular experience that accompanies the Holy Spirit when He comes into the life of a person, to quicken, energize and reposition that individual for the fulfillment of his destiny on earth.
On Mount Carmel, the Fire fell and it humbled the oppressors. The Fire fell, it roasted affliction, terminated frustration and melted the chains of captivity. The Fire fell and released the destined greatness of God’s people, to glorify God. Today, the fire of the Holy Spirit still gives strength and rids destinies of unwanted burdens.
The tangible appearance of the Holy Spirit generally signifies the Presence of the Lord (Exodus 3:2), the seal of His approval (Leviticus 9:24; 1Kings 18:38), and the hedges of His protection and guidance (Exodus 13:21). When the fire of the Holy Spirit abides with you, He purifies you of sin, burns in your hearts and inside your bones with the zeal of the Lord, and consumes the stubbles of your enemies.
It is perfectly scriptural to speak of one who is filled with the Holy Spirit as being "on fire for God". The disciples on their way to Emmaus spoke of their hearts burning when Jesus spoke with them (Luke 24:32). This fire is highly contagious!Happily, Jesus Christ promised to baptize us with the Holy Ghost. However, by heavenly design, our baptism in the Holy Spirit must be accompanied with the baptism of His fire.
God Wants to Breathe Into Your Life Now!
The Lord is strong and mighty. His fire is uniquely intense and pure, and such that cannot be extinguished by natural extinguishers: water, dust, stones etc (1Kings 18:38). And, by virtue of our position in Christ, we have a most powerful Spiritual Engine inside us, that only needs to be set working (Luke 24:49).
Whenever God moves, one of His accompanying Protocols is Holy Ghost fire. When He answers, there is rapid response, quick intervention and positive results. His breath is full of fire, and He wears fire as a garment (Job 41:19-22; Psalms 18:8; 97:3; 2 Samuel 22:9).
When God breathed into the first man, Adam, he received the breath of life and of fire; therefore, he could do many things with positive results. Even, his authority and wisdom were mind-boggling!
Holy Spirit fire is eternal and unquenchable (Luke 3:17). Nothing can extinguish it if you don’t give room to sin, indiscipline and indolence. When the Lord’s fire falls, every obstinate problem is consumed by it. No problem, no demon, no sickness, no disease in your life can stand the Lord’s fire (Psalms 21:8-9).
Meanwhile, we must understand that all the fiery manifestations of the Holy Spirit, which we see today, like tonguing, quaking and falling under the power, are just by-the-side wonders of His infilling. The main focus of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit is the power it gives to make us vital witnesses of Christ (Acts 1:8).
No wonder then that the Holy Ghost experience on the day of Pentecost did much more to transform lives and to further the spread of the Gospel than any other single event in Church history. When the early Church received that baptism in the Holy Spirit with His fire, they did great exploits, with signs and miracles following (Acts 2:3).
Friends, the hour has come for the Lord’s fire to be released into your life: to work for you against forces that oppose the fulfillment of your destiny, and through you to win the world for Christ. It is time to evoke the fire of God against the devil in every area of our lives.
The stage is now set again for a showdown between the fakes and the real God, to put a clear separation between them. Arise, command “the fire of the Lord” to consume and destroy every force of darkness operating against your destiny, and every unbelief spirit holding people captive in your vicinity (1 Samuel 2:10). By the fire, the enemy will always be defeated.
Your fire is your answer that terminates shame and reproaches. Your fire is your perpetual victory, and it is your basic and authentic proof that you’re alive for God. You won’t lose your fire, you will rather gain speed and momentum, in Jesus name. Amen. Happy Sunday!
Rhema Christian Church,
Otta, Ogun State, Nigeria.
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