Living with Fire

“LIVING WITH FIRE”

Matthew 3:11

I.  God sends His Fire/Holy Spirit for cleansing.  Malachi 3:1-3

A.  His character is that of a “spirit-cleaner”

B.  The process of purifying silver

II.  God sends His Fire/Holy Spirit for empowerment.  Acts 1:8

A.  His instruction to the church – Matthew 10:7-8

B.  His promise to believers – John 14:10-13

III.  God sends His Fire/Holy Spirit for boldness.  Acts 4:23-31

A.  God does not give us a Spirit of timidity, but of power and love and self-control.  2 Tim. 1:7

B.  God intends for us to speak forth His greatness and goodness.  Acts 2:14-21

            When I think of the phrase, “Living with Fire,” I think of all three of those things listed; but I also think of something more – of living in total love with Jesus that gives life a quality of excitement and expectation.  Many of us may have lost that awareness of His joy that we had at first.  Perhaps the cares of this world have crowded Him to the background of our thinking and living.  Perhaps we have been distracted by the voices of the world that call us away from Him.  The Bible tells us that we are always in danger of “quenching the Spirit,” of putting out His fire in us.  Since He chooses to speak in a still, small voice, it is easy to ignore Him and to allow His fire to burn low.  The Apostle Paul had to go so far as to instruct his younger protégé, Timothy, “to kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.”

            I have a three-year-old grand-daughter that reminds me of how God intends for me to live every day.  She has gotten into the habit of walking and running on her tiptoes everywhere she goes.  She may wear out the soles of her shoes, but the heels will be brand new.  I want to live that way.  Each new day is an opportunity for God to fire me up and turn me loose in the world as someone ablaze for Him.  I want to live on tiptoe with love and joy and the excitement of living for Jesus in the fullness of His Holy Spirit.

            In the Old Testament Moses has become a pattern for me.  In Exodus 34:29-35, we read about how Moses would go into the Lord’s presence to speak with Him, when he came out the skin on his face would be shining with the glory of God.  He had to put a veil over his face so the Israelites would not be afraid of him.  I long to see us believers with the shine of Jesus on our faces.  My desire is to be so alive to God that, like Peter and John, others will “recognize” that I have “been with Jesus.”

            What do we need to do to live with fire?  Do we need a re-kindling of the fire within us today?  Are we on tiptoe with excitement for what God is going to do in us and through us for our generation?

Are we cleansed, empowered and emboldened to carry Him with us everywhere we go?