The Fire of God for God

“And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;” – 2 Peter 1:5 

One experience with God, no matter how earth shattering, how magnificent, how powerful, is not enough to coast on all the way to a home in heaven.  You cannot approach God today expecting to get a blessing that will carry you for the next 30 years.  There is no spiritual elixir of invincibility.  Jesus came so that God and man could once again be one.  Sanctification is simply the reunion of God and man; here on this earth.  It is a spiritual experience, obtained through grace, by faith; accomplished by the Holy Ghost.  It can and will bring you back into perfect fellowship with God, but it is not designed to be obtained, admired, and then put on a shelf like a piece of fine china.  No, this is a misconception that (in my opinion) is costing many their salvation, confusing countless others, and inhibiting the wonderful work of God.

Think of your spiritual life, if you will, as a fire.  When you are a sinner (one who intentionally disobeys a personally known law of God) you are nothing but logs, a pile of raw material; but don’t be discourage everyone is, unless they give their life to God.  When you repent (that means you make a U-turn, away from sin and to God), God forgives you and you feel wonderful!  Now you’re a stack of logs, the lattice and tepee looking kind.  You are a ready vessel, waiting, for the flame.  When you have totally consecrated everything and “reckon ye also yourself to be dead indeed unto sin”; you then pray to God to send his blessed Holy Ghost to set fire to your ready vessel; he will not terry, he will pour out his Spirit.  Now you are sanctified, now you are alive, now you are burning……….now what do you do? 

The experience describe above is a powerful wonderful experience, but again, the initial explosion is not enough to carry you through your whole life; remember you are a fire, and fires must be fed.  You need to begin to add to your new found faith.  God is consistent and he will consume whatever sacrifice you continually give, but you must continually and diligently give.  What to give?  Your all, day after day, you give your all; each morning rising with the prayer of our Savior “thy will be done.”  As you diligently add to your faith, to your fire; like a fire it grows and dispels the darkness around it.  Furthermore, it attracts those who are cold and travel wearier, to the warmth of the flame of God.  It all is to the glory of God.  The fire of God is fed for God and burns brighter and brighter to bring in those who know not the light of God.  We all must come to see that when we believe the debilitating misconception that the initial flame is to be obtained, felt, and then ignored; we cease to burn long enough and bright enough to draw many others, and we certainly decrease the power of God in our lives.  Moreover, the flame soon goes out and we are left in utter confusion with no sure testimony.  The devil would have us believe that “surely a flame this great and a awaking this powerful is enough to burn all my life.”  No friend, you must feed your fire with the kindling that God requires or you will soon burn out; and then all those who would see your fire, will not. 

This is the reality of today, the reality that daily God is setting ablaze many willing souls who are not feeding the flame and shortly burning out.  Their neglect is not solely, but certainly one of refusal to sacrifice.  This kindling is needed to sustain, and can only be added with our consent.  If you have not been set ablaze, then please, at all cost, seek the flame of God.  If you have, then feed the flame, and burn for him who hath brought you light.