Day 23: Fire
Matthew 3:11
“I baptise 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 baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”
Today’s Unshakeable Promise from God is his Unquenchable Fire.
A while ago Nick and I responded to a call for help from friends of ours who are farmers. They needed help to clean up after a barn fire. When we arrived the fire engines had left – it was an utterly dismal scene. The farmyard was flooded and thousands of gallons of water were still cascading down through the sodden, ruined hay into the building below….and yet, two days later, the fire broke out again! It reminded me of the story in 1 Kings 18 where Elijah puts King Ahab and the prophets of Baal to shame when God descends on the waterlogged sacrifice and completely burns it up.
He is (1 Kings 18:24) “the God who answers by fire”
You may be feeling more ‘burned out’ than on fire but it’s highly unlikely you’ll be enjoying a spa day to recover! So if you think you can see clouds of steam, it may be from the wet blanket of disappointment, discouragement, bereavement and fear the enemy has thrown over your heart.
1 Thess 5:19 makes it clear we have a choice to make “Do not quench the Spirit”. We can believe the lie that the enemy can snuff us out, or we can allow the wind of His Holy Spirit to blow on our hearts, the God who answers by fire!
If you’ve never been baptised in the Holy Spirit, you will know from the DNA course that it’s not an ‘added extra’. We don’t have the supernatural power needed to overcome without this fire in our hearts. We need Him today as much as the disciples needed him at Pentecost. Ask someone to pray with you today to be equipped with this awesome power.
Prayer
“Holy Spirit, we need your fire more than ever. We want to agree with you to reject the lies of the enemy and embrace your unshakeable truth that your fire is unquenchable. I want to thrive, not just survive today. Burst into flame in me again Lord. Amen”.
If you’re able , listen to ‘Firefall’ by Planetshakers and make it your declaration of intent.
“Refuel the fire, I wanna burn brighter, I wanna burn brighter. My all on the altar, to carry your fire, carry your fire.”
Judy Reynolds
Campus Pastor, Workington