The Fire of God, is like natural fire, it has a dual nature, as fire can be used to comfort and assist, but also destroy. It is a vital element of our existence, alongside water, and both are transformative. It is a chemical reaction that releases light and heat.
Dual Nature of Fire
While God’s fire is seen in divine judgement, it also represents God’s awesome presence. Both reveal the majesty of a holy and just God. However, you cannot know the fire of God by head knowledge, it has to be experienced. Fire is an event not a thing, requiring fuel, oxygen and heat to burn, but the fire of God is an internal event that flows outward.
Fire is the most used earthly element to attempt to reveal the nature of God to mere mortals. The Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God, Deuteronomy 4:24 Hebrews 12:9. Our mind and soul needs to be consumed and filled with the glory of the Fire of God.
Imagine trying to describe fire to someone who has never seen fire. It would be impossible, just as it takes similes to describe who the great I Am Who I Am is.
Baptism of Fire
John the Baptist prophesied there would come One who would baptize with the Holy Spirit and Fire, Matthew 3:11. This was seen in all its fulness on the day of Pentecost. Sadly, there are millions of Christians who are not baptized with the fire of the Holy Spirit.
The devastated believers of Christ had gathered in the upper room, after the death and post-resurrection appearances of their Lord. The previous weeks had been an unbelievable roller coaster of emotions. Suddenly there was the noise of a violent rushing wind and there appeared to them tongues as of fire. These rested on each one of them and they were filled with the Holy Spirit, Acts 2:1-3.
They were transformed from broken-hearted disciples, to men and women on fire and full of the Holy Spirit. From deep sorrow to glorious joy and passion, where daily thousands were converted to being followers of the Messiah.
God’s Word is a Fire
God’s word is a fire and like a hammer which shatters a rock, Jeremiah 23:29. It becomes like a burning fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in and I cannot endure it, Jeremiah 20:9. God’s desire is to break down the hardness of man’s heart and set it alight that we might become passionate about God’s Word.
Jesus Christ is that Word, John 1:1, who will judge every person who has ever lived on earth, 2 Timothy 4:1. No one will be able to use the excuse they never heard the word of God, for even nature points to the greatness and power of Almighty God, Romans 1:20,21.
It is the word that makes the difference. If anyone loves Me he will keep My word. And My Father will love him and We will come to him and make our abode with him. John 14:23.
Fire of God His Glory
Moses lived for 40 years in the high court of Egypt and then spent 40 years in the backside of the desert tending sheep. However, it was the fire of God that transformed his life. He saw the fire of God in a bush that was never consumed, Exodus 3:3. That was where God commissioned him.
Any who experienced the intense presence of God fell on their face, Isaiah 6:1-9; Ezekiel 1; Revelation 1:1-17. Paul saw things that he was not permitted to speak of, saying only to boast of his weaknesses. 2 Corinthians 12:4ff. Experiencing the fire of God is to be humbled, changed and invigorated, all at the same time.
Earth is the only planet where fire can burn. The fire of God readies the repentant sinner for an eternal life in the intense presence of God.
Fire of God is God’s Presence
There are many biblical instances where God used fire to express His righteous judgement. However, there are also times where the fire of God shows His approval and presence.
Israel was to be a fire on earth, as a witness to their holy God, Isaiah 10:17. The Israelites saw the presence of God as a pillar of fire by night and a cloud by day, Exodus 13:21. The shekinah glory, or fire of God, filled the Most Holy Place in the Tabernacle where only the High Priest could enter once a year.
Fire came from heaven and consumed the burnt offering of 20,000 oxen and 120,000 sheep, at the dedication of Solomon’s temple. The priests could not enter the Lord’s house because the glory of the Lord filled the house, 2 Chronicles 7:2. Elijah’s sacrifice was spectacularly consumed by fire when the prophets of Baal challenged him, 1 Kings 18:38.
Fire of God and Commitment
Believers are justified when they accept that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, died in their place. Then follows the walk of sanctification, empowered by the Holy Spirit of fire. It is how the believer moves from being a spiritual baby into a mature follower of Jesus Christ. Once the fire is lit it needs to be daily fed by the Word.
This involves being tried in the fiery trials of life, as the believer learns to walk God’s way. To be in the world but not of the world, but heavenly minded as Jesus was, John 17:11.
Jesus underwent unbelievable suffering when He went through the fires of Calvary, that He might secure eternal life for us. God’s fire is available for all, yet only those who seek it shall find it. However, there is a cost to seeking the fire of God, for it means death to self and all selfish ways.
Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God and that you are not your own, 1 Corinthians 6:19. God paid the price for your redemption and desires to fill the temple with His presence like an unquenchable fire.
Fire of God a Cleansing Agent
The fire of God is a cleansing agent in the lives of believers, that they might become true lights of God in a sin-ridden world that is so dark. Everything that can go through the fire, you shall pass through the fire and it shall be clean, Numbers 31:33. Not every Christian is tested in the same way. It all comes back to an earnest desire and the willingness to yield to God.
The bride of Christ is permitted to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean, the righteous acts of the saints, Revelation 19:8. This is a conscious decision to seek a deeper relationship with God, that affects every area of a believer’s life.
Fire Begets Fire
If the fuel supply, heat and oxygen levels are stable, a typical house fire will double in size every minute. Fire begets fire in the natural. You start with a tiny flame and soon you have a raging inferno if it roams unchecked in a dry and thirsty land.
So, it is in the spiritual world. As one believer gets on fire for God, it becomes infectious. The valley of dry bones can be set on fire by the presence of the Holy Spirit.
Fire of God and Regrowth
No one enjoys fiery trials, but just as fire destroys naturally, it is also the seed-bed of regeneration. As the Spirit of God burns out the dross in a believer’s life, it makes room for new growth in the spirit.
God’s fire needs to burn deep in the soul of every follower of Jesus Christ, for it alone has the power to transform a believer’s life. We should desire to be so on fire with the Spirit of God, we cannot contain it. For all eternity the true believer will shine with the glory of the Fire of God.
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