Be His Fire
It is important in our lives to periodically do a heart check, making sure we are not working for the Lord, but truly being carriers of His presence. With the daily pressures of what each of us face, we find ourselves being caught up in life and being pushed by it. We must stop the swirling, and pause to hear Him clearly. This isn’t negotiable. We aren’t His workers, we are His children. And our good Father desires to spend time with us, to share His heart, to hear ours, and hang out with his kids.
Today our friend Gina Gholston is going to be sharing with us. She begins the post by sharing one of her own experiences when she was spending time with Jesus:
“At the beginning of this year, I spent some time alone with God at a cabin in the middle of the woods. I went there just to spend time with Yahweh; I needed to hear from Him. Because I am a minister, my desire was to hear fresh revelation for the year ahead. ‘Where are we, Lord? What do we do now? What are You saying concerning today and the days ahead?’ I asked Him each of these questions everyday. Four days passed, and I heard nothing. However, each day I was met with an unmistakable awareness of His sweet presence in that secluded place.
“The day before I was to leave, it snowed and was very cold. I was sitting next to a roaring fire in the fireplace, snuggled up in a blanket while drinking a hot cup of coffee, when I heard that familiar voice responding to my sincere questions. His answer wasn’t what I expected, but it was definitely Him. He said, ‘Rekindle the fire that is to always be burning on My altar and build My house!’ His words were firm and full of passion.
“At first, I didn’t understand His response. I soon came to realize He was telling me that the urgency of our time requires an awakened Ekklesia, one built to be a habitation of God and burning with the undeniable and unquenchable fire from His presence.
“The move of God we have entered into is requiring more from us than some expected; it’s a movement of Spirit and truth. The Ekklesia must encounter God and be ignited with fresh fire, wisdom, and revelation while moving deeper in their relationship with Jesus. This will produce a demonstration of His exceeding, great power resulting in signs and wonders.
“God is powerful and when in His presence, His power can transform us and shine through us in unmistakable ways. God desires to fill us with Holy Spirit, causing us to burn with His fire. His light will then shine brightly through us, enabling us to know Him and make Him known.
“Leviticus 6:13 tell us that God instructed the priests who attended the altar of the Tabernacle, to tend the fire so it would never go out. Then in Leviticus 9:24 (NIV) we read:
“‘Fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed the burnt offering and the fat portions on the altar. And when all the people saw it, they shouted for joy and fell facedown.’
“The fire came from God’s presence - He Himself started it. His command to the priests was not just to make sure the fire never went out, but that it burned intensely, because it had come directly from Him, His presence. As the fire came from the presence of the Lord, it consumed the burnt offering. That demonstration captured the people’s attention and the response was one of joy, reverence, and awe of God. All who saw it were impacted. This was a result of the priests fulfilling their assignment in keeping the fire of God burning continuously.
“Just as the priests were faithful with the their calling, God is challenging us to do the same. His desire is that we steward well what He has done for us and begun in us.
“The degree of fervency released through our daily lives and our churches is determined by the proximity of His presence. He is the fire, and the closer we come to Him, the closer He comes to us. And where He is, there is power and fire that will ignite us. The church began in the fire and demonstration of the presence of God (see Acts chapter 2), and we must never allow that fire to go out. Though at times, it has seemed to dwindle, the wind is blowing, and the fire is beginning to burn again. Get ready because God’s fire in us will capture the attention of those around us.”
Gina then begins to prophesy: “I heard the Spirit of the Lord say,
‘The wind is blowing! Hear it and know that I will blow My breath into this nation—resurrection and Pentecost, all rolled up into one unprecedented move of My Spirit. It will be an undeniable, gushing blast of the wind of My Spirit. It will not be a momentary stirring, but it will be a transforming habitation of My fiery glory, even My manifest presence.’
“God has not forgotten the seeds of prophetic promises that He gave the church in the book of Acts. He has not forgotten the seeds of prophetic promises that He has spoken concerning this nation. He has not forgotten the seeds of prophetic promises He has spoken concerning you—and He has not forgotten one word that He spoke through the pioneers and revivalists of days gone by concerning another great awakening! He remembers and He declares, ‘My covenant I will not break, nor alter the word that has gone out of My lips’ (Psalm 89:34, NKJV). Those seeds have been waiting for their moment, and this is that moment. Awakening has begun. The wind is blowing, reigniting the fire, and the knowledge of the glory of God will once again cover the earth as the waters cover the sea (Habbakuk 2:14). Will you be one of the faithful who carries His Spirit and burns with the fire of His presence?”
Gina shares: “I have always been impacted by this amazing quote by Jim Elliot:
‘He makes His ministers a flame of fire. Am I ignitable? God deliver me from the dread asbestos of ‘other things.’ Saturate me with the oil of the Spirit that I may be a flame. Make me Thy fuel, flame of God.’(1)
“May this be our sincere prayer as we take our place on the timeline of history: ‘Make us Your flame, O God!’ May our generation shout to the next generation regarding the goodness of God - not using words, but with power and demonstration of the undeniable works of the Spirit of God.”
Pray with me:
Father, take us to a deeper place in You, beyond just the surface benefits and understandings of Your kingdom. Take us to that deep place within You that produces fresh, new fire in us. We must experience this to be all You desire in this time. May we be touched by the fire of Your glory. We ask that Your touch would cause us to abandon our comfort in order to pursue the depths of who You are. Our desire is that we lose ourselves as You consume us with Your fire! May we be those who burn with Your power and manifested presence. Show us Your glory, and mark us with Your fire!
And Lord, help us to BE Your fire - to represent You, to be Your ekklesia on the earth. Mark us with your fire and cause us to burn for You, carrying Your likeness, Your authority, and Your healing touch to those who need Your touch today.
In Jesus’ name. Amen!
Our Decree:
We are clothed in the righteous robes of glory-fire, hidden in Christ. It is no longer we who are living, but Christ living in and through us. We WILL be His representatives on the earth.
Today’s post was contributed by Gina Gholston and came from her book Awaken the Church to Awaken a Nation. You can find out more about Gina here
Click on the link below to watch the full video.
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https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&q=Make+me+thy+fuel&commit=Search
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