Flames of Fire: Burning for the Lord

Flame of Fire: Burning for the Lord!
Fire in the scripture has always been a symbol of the Holyspirit, it has been used to signify the power of the spirit of God.
You remember in the book of Acts 2:1-3, on the day of Pentecost, wind and fire were welded together to signify the baptism of the Holyspirit and it was the same fire baptism that transformed the disciples in the upper room into misisters of Flames of Fire who would go out and testify and turn the sinful world upside down.
In the primitive time, christianity did not spread quickly, but it swept over territories and vast areas like a raging fire but sadly today, the fire has long been extinguished while for most Christians or perhaps for some reading this blog, the fire was never kindled. In Europe today,  Christianity is seen as irrelevant to their daily lives. The fire is completely out.
Today Christians do not know anything about the fire, as a car is programmed to move when ignited so also a Christian and the Fire. You’re designed to be empowered by the Fire of the Holyspirit. When the fire is out, you can’t function optimally. Maybe as a Christian you have little affection for things of the Spirit, it could be an indication that that the Fire is out, or you’re not people positively the Fire is likely out.
There are some questions that need to be asked in other to shed more light on what we’re really talking about
Why Fire? Why is the Holyspirit compared to fire, why is it not the gentle spirit which hovered over Jesus when He was baptized?
What does Fire signify?
How is the Fire caught?
How is the Fire quenched?
So shall we start?
Why Fire? We’re used to seeing the Holyspirit being represented as a Dove, and you will agree with me that a dove is tender, gentle and sensitive; so what is now the correlation between the gentle dove and fire.
Fire brings a whole new concept to the character of the Holyspirit of God; fire is used to describe the Holyspirit because fire is part of the Shekinah glory of God. The word ‘Shekinah’ in Hebrew means ‘to dwell’ that is ‘the visible manifestation of The Invincible in His personal presence’. In the old testament, you can hear of the light, wind, fire, cloud, earthquake which all signified the presence of God but in the new testament, the Shekinah glory comes in a new form which is ‘God coming to dwell in His temple-our body’ through His Holyspirit which was signified by flame of fire and this is why the Holyspirit and fire are compared together because the spirit brings the very presence of God into our lives and church. 
What does fire signify?
Fire signifies the following functions in a Christian life:
Fire enlightens and illuminates – the presence of the Holyspirit of God in our lives enlightens us, it guides us, it exposes those dark secrets of our lives that have been blocking us from moving forward.  Like the Israelites were guided by pillar of cloud by the day and the pillar of fire by night to lead them in darkness (Ex 13:21) so also to we Christians, it shines light unto our dark paths to show guidance.
Warming/Revival of the spirit – (Luke 24:13-32) talks about two people walking to Emmaus and Jesus drew near to them along the way and taught them from the books of the prophets and holy scriptures but what happened in verse 32 of the same chapter, the bible recorded that they gained more knowledge about the scripture and they burned with the fire of the Holyspirit within them, meaning they were fired up from within, passions for the things of God were reignited within them. That is the kind of warming/revival that we all need in our lives, churches and pulpits, to be hot for the Lord always. Remember Paul wrote to the Corinthians that “we’re ministers of the spirit, not of letter because the letter kills but the spirit gives life” (2 Cor 3:6). So when the fire is in you, you’ll be continually burning and on fire for the Lord. So reignite your fire today and let it bring life back into you and those seemingly hopeless situations in your life.
It consumes – it’s a spirit of judgment. When it comes into your life, it burns and consumes dross of corruption and sin and worthless things (chaff), and when you walk continually with the spirit, He’ll continue to purge you of those things (worldly weights) until you’re totally free from their shackles and bondages. Psalm 97:3
It cleanses and purifies – now when you give your life to Christ as a new convert; God forgives and takes away our sins, isn’t it? But does it mean you do not sin again? I guess you answered ‘No’ but when the spirit enters into you and the fire is glowing within you, it shows bare/open your sins and loopholes that the devil might exploit so that you’ll be aware of them and take necessary steps towards correcting them. That’s what the fire does in you; it cleanses, purges and purifies you. I saith 1:25;6:6-7

HOW IS THE FIRE CAUGHT?  What conditions should be available before the fire is obtained?
You need to repent of all unknown sins in your life, feel, you surrender everything and all things unto Him, you've got to drop them all at His feet.
Ask for the infallIng of the Holy spirit in faith -  Jesus talked about earthly fathers who are evil Yet giving good gifts to their  children,  how much more God who is more than ready and willing to give you even better gifts if only you can ask.
Next you must obey to do what the spirit lays within you to expunge those dirty,  those impurities, obstacles that cannot work with the fire.  And after expunging  and flushing them  out you'll be filled the more and consumed by the Fire.

How is the fire quenched?
If you ignore  the fire,  Resisted  -  Holy spirit is  a gentle spirit,  He wants all the spaces in your heart,  He wants all the attention,  so when you relegate Him to the background,  you grieve Him and He's embarrassed; when you allow sin to to take His place He'll leave and the fire will die. For instance when He says to you "David don't do that,  don't go that way and you shut Him up,  you're simply  resisting Him and He can't do much in that respect.  1Thess 5:19. Heb 3:19,Acts 7:51
If you no longer tend to Him - When the fire you once carried,  the gift you once were endowed with become underutilized,  when you refuse to feed your spirit man with the needed spiritual food,  when your focus shifts from things of God to ephemeral things,  when you're no longer committed as you once were then the fire dies off,  the fire quenches and you give the devil a breeding space to take over the affairs of your life.  2Tim 1:6.
If Smothered,  silenced  -  when you put a bucket over a candle,  the result is what you and I know very well that the fire will definitely go out.  So what happens when the cares and worries of this life take over the reins of your life, when tradition is standing in your way to serving God truthfully and faithfully,  when titles,  fames,  positions,  wealth, relationship have each taken sizeable chunks of your devotion to God,  what you have left is either a mow-burnig fire which cannot be a threat to the devil or an outrightly dead fire which makes you vulnerable to the attacks of the devil.  1Thess5:19-20

From Charles Spurgeon's "Faith's Checkbook" God Only, You Can Trust December 26 Peter answered and said unto him, Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended. (Matthew 26:33) "Why," cries one, "this is no promise of God." Just so, but it was a promise of man, and therefore it came to nothing. Peter thought that he was saying what he should assuredly carry out; but a promise which has no better foundation than a human resolve will fall to the ground. No sooner did temptations arise than Peter denied his Master and used oaths to confirm his denial. What is man's word? An earthen pot broken with a stroke. What is your own resolve? A blossom, which, with God's care, may come to fruit, but which, left to itself, will fall to the ground with the first wind that moves the bough. On man's word hang only what it will bear. On thine own resolve depend not at all. On the promise of thy God hang time and eternity, this world and the next, thine all and the all of all thy beloved ones. This volume is a checkbook for believers, and this page is meant as a warning as to what bank they draw upon and whose signature they accept. Rely upon Jesus without limit. Trust not thyself nor any horn of woman, beyond due bounds; but trust thou only and wholly in the Lord. From the Faith's Checkbook Mobile Devotional Android app - http://www.LookingUpwardApps.com/fcb

From Charles Spurgeon's "Faith's Checkbook" Precious Things December 23 And of Joseph he said, Blessed of the lord be his land, for the precious things of heaven, for the dew, and for the deep that coucheth beneath. (Deuteronomy 33:13) We may be rich in such things as Joseph obtained, and we may have them in a higher sense. Oh, for "the precious things of heaven"! Power with God and the manifestation of power from God are most precious. We would enjoy the peace of God, the joy of the Lord, the glory of our God. The benediction of the three divine Persons in love, and grace, and fellowship we prize beyond the most fine gold. The things of earth are as nothing in preciousness compared with the things in heaven. "The dew." How precious is this! How we pray and praise when we have the dew! What refreshing, what growth, what perfume, what life there is in us when the dew is about? Above all things else, as plants of the Lord's own right hand planting, we need the dew of His Holy Spirit. "The deep that coucheth beneath." Surely this refers to that unseen ocean underground which supplies all the fresh springs which make glad the earth. Oh, to tap the eternal fountains! This is an unspeakable boon; let no believer rest till he possesses it. The all-sufficiency of Jehovah is ours forever. Let us resort to it now. From the Faith's Checkbook Mobile Devotional Android app - http://www.LookingUpwardApps.com/fcb

Our Journey through the Bible in the year 2013

Our journey began at Genesis through Exodus. On the way, we saw Leviticus recording the Numbers of people at Deuteronomy, while Joshua was waiting at the beautiful gate for Judges  to see Ruth calling loudly "Samuel, Samuel". At a stage, the, first and second Kings of Chronicles were coming to visit Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther for the misfortune of Job, their brother. Then they noticed that Mr. Psalms was teaching his children Proverbs concerning Ecclesiastes and Songs of Solomon. This coincided with the period that Isaiah and Jeremiah were engaged in Lamentation for Ezekiel and Daniel their friend.
By that time, Amos and Obadiah were not around. Three days later, Hosea, Joel and Jonah traveled in the same ship with Micah and Nahum to Jerusalem.
More also, Habakkuk visited Zephaniah who introduced him to Haggai a friend of Zechariah whose cousin is Malachi.
Immediately after the old tradition, Mathew, Mark, Luke and John got involved in Acts with the Romans who were behaving like the Corinthians, who were always at loggerheads with the Galatians. At that time too, the Ephesians realizing that the Philippians were close to the Colossians, suggested to the Thessalonians that they should first of all see Timothy who had gone to the house of Titus to teach Philemon his younger brother how to read and write Hebrew. On hearing, James asked Peter to explain to him how the three Johns have disclosed to Jude the Revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ.

FATHER IS OVERPROTECTIVE

‘FATHER IS OVERPROTECTIVE’ By Bran Wambugu

Can l just tell you that Dad/God is overprotective of you? He doesn’t want what is good for you, but what is best for you. Just like your earthly parents/Dad, He has to make some strict rules, even stricter than other dads because He wants the best for His children. So in order for you to grow up and became a mature, responsible person, he puts rules you must abide by. Sometimes He even goes as far as telling you not to hangout with some people because He doesn’t want you hanging out with the wrong crowd/company who will only mess you up and leave you crying or betrayed. He even knows about that young man/woman who has been holding your attention so much that you no longer want to hangout with Him/Dad. But He is overprotective of you and since He knows they are only after one thing in you, your innocence. He is overprotective of you.

He/Dad doesn’t want you to lose anything which will scar you for life and regret your entire life. He wants and wishes you trust Him/Dad like before even when you were Daddy’s boy/girl, when He was the one who chose what is and was good for you, even if you are all grown up. He chooses for you friends because, He doesn’t want you to make the wrong decisions. You see, Dad is concerned about your now, today, tomorrow, later and future altogether.

He puts up rules for you such as do not go outside at night or do not go to that party because He doesn’t want anything to happen to you, He has got the perfect plan laid out for you. He wants you to remain in purity so that you may remain to be daddy’s little girl/boy, He doesn’t want you exposed and disposed to modern things because He loves the tradition of keeping you safe and being the only man in your life.
He doesn’t want you to invest your heart and love in someone who doesn’t deserve it and who will break your heart, so He is overprotective of you, for Him/Dad, nothing is more important than you. Dad/God knows that you are sometimes afraid, discouraged, frustrated, down and all but you know what, He understands all that you feel, because He is also in you and He put a little of Himself in you.

He wants to be the one who teaches you to walk through this life, He wants to be the one you call out the first name "papa" when you learn to speak/wake up in the morning, He wants to be the one you cry out to when you cry, and when you want to learn to drive your first car/job, He wants to be the one who teaches you to drive the car and through life, He wants to be the one who introduces you to men/women, teach you how to handle men/women and the one who gives you the consent of who to date or see and who not to, so don’t be rebellious son/daughter just let God be Dad in your life, believe me He wants to!!!

ONCE SHE GETS ATTACHED!!!

ONCE SHE GETS ATTACHED!!!

Once she gets attached, she's loyal, she's committed, she's honest, she's faithful, she's dependable, and she’s caring. But you know what comes with that? She's jealous, she's clingy, she's annoying, she's over-protective, she's emotional, and she’s crazy.

You could push her away, but she'll still come back to you. You could piss her off, but she can never stay mad at you. You could lie to her, but she'll still try to trust you. You could keep making mistakes, but she'll forgive you over & over again. She has no dime but she can save the little she gets to call you, text you just to know how you are doing. 

 

You could make her hate you, but she'll soon start loving you all over again. Men, if you have got such a kind of girl or lady, just don’t let her go. Do whatever it takes for both of you to last forever. If you pissed her off, Go and apologize to her, if you have been disrespecting her, dude just cease that.

Make her feel special if you truly love her. You may take her for granted now but once she goes out of your life that’s when you will realize what she meant to you. You'll miss her, cry and plead for her but she will be gone forever. So if you still have those chances use it. Think about it guys and act accordingly.