Message: Is
the Fire Still Burning?
Texts: Luke
6:13; Habakkuk 3:2; Revelations 3:15-16; Revelations 2:4; Matthew 24:12.
In the Old
testament, God dwelt in tabernacles built with hands but in the New Testament,
he now resides in the hearts of men through the agency of the Holy Spirit which
descended on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4).
The moment a
person yields to God through repentance and conversion, the Spirit of God comes
into his life in some measure and a fire is kindled within which can either be
kept burning or be quenched.
Leviticus
6:13 referring to the altar in the Ark of God in the Old Testament says:
‘The fire
shall ever be burning upon the altar: it shall never go out ‘’
This is
applicable to the Christian in the New Testament.
Our body is
the temple of God and our heart is the altar of God within this temple. There
are always two forces – God and Satan - seeking to gain control of the heart of
a man and the one that gains possession and control determines the eternal
destination of that soul either to eternal life or eternal destruction.
God is
commanding that the fire kindled in our hearts during repentance and conversion
be kept burning always and should not be quenched. We are expected to be
growing in grace; growing in the faith and growing in the
Lord.
Are we
growing or are we stagnated in our Christian race? Examine yourself whether you
are still in the faith? (2 Corinthians 13:5). Have we become lukewarm and
neither hot nor cold (Revelations 3:15-16)? Has our love for God and the things
of God waxed cold (Matthew 24:12)? Have we abandoned our first love
(Revelations 2:4)?
Have we
allowed the perilous times, the economic distress, the persecution of our
faith, the tribulations, the famine of the times, fear of the sword, perils and
nakedness to discourage us and to separate us from the love of Christ (Romans
8:35-39)?
Are we on a
spiritual vacation? The Christian race has no vacation because the forces of
darkness are on a 24 hour-7 days a week full time battle against our souls. If
we are not progressing, then we are regressing and degenerating.
Is our fire
still burning? Are we sleeping spiritually? Can we die for the Lord like the
children of the bondwoman who are always ready to die for their god and the
cause they believe in and actually die for him?
Have we
abandoned our Christian race like Demas and returned to the world of sin,
darkness and iniquity? Remember Lot’s wife! She was already saved and delivered
from the destruction of Sodom & Gomorrah but looked back contrary to
instruction and was destroyed. Are you looking back already or intending to
look back (Luke 9:62)?
When last
did you pray in the night alone? When last did you do a personal fast? Why are
you lazy towards the study of the Word of God? Wake up!
It is time
to wake up and to return to your first love and be strongly motivated like the
children of the bondwoman for God. May heaven not vomit us (Revelations 3:16).
Christ did
not promise us a bread and butter race to eternity but He assured us of a safe
landing if we endure to the end (Luke 6:22) (Matthew 24:13). Have we abandoned
holiness and righteousness and have we subscribed to the lies of the devil that
holiness is not possible (Hebrews 12:14)?
Let heaven
set you on fire again today. It is time to have a revival (Habakkuk 3:2). You
need a revival where:
1)
You
have lost focus of those things that are eternal (Colossians 3:2) and focusing
on the things that are mundane, earthly and temporal.
2)
Your
zeal for prayers, bible study and meditation, quiet times with the Lord,
evangelism, holiness and righteousness, etc. is dying or totally dead
(Revelations 3:1-2).
3)
You
are no longer seeking first the kingdom of God and its righteousness (Matthew
6:33)
4)
You
are running your Christian race without joy, as if you are being forced
(Nehemiah 8:10)
Prayers:
Lord, have mercy on me and revive me again
Lord, rekindle your fire in me and restore me to my first
love
Lord, rearrange my life and ministry
Pentecostal Fire of God, possess my life afresh
Holy Ghost, sharpen my spiritual axe
Holy Ghost, rebuild my armour (Ephesians 6:10-18)
Ayodele John Adegbulugbe
www.xtianrace.blogspot.com
www.xtianrace.blogspot.com
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