Fire is a beautiful, fascinating thing to observe, entrancing and hypnotic at times, but it is also a mysterious, sometimes dangerous, double-edged sword-- a tool for good or evil.
Many enjoy hours of enjoyment when toasting marshmallows for smores or roasting hotdogs on tree-branch forks over a bonfire, and who can deny the romance of snuggling near a glowing fireplace on a chilly, wintery night?
Fire provides warmth in the cold, cooks our food, purifies contaminated items, and removes unsafe structures in a controlled way. It provides pleasure as well as protection from harm and danger. Properly used, it is a great gift.
But flames can also be destructive. Buildings catch fire and are destroyed, at times taking human lives with it. It can leave permanent, debilitating scars on the life of one who encounters its powers too closely and cause intense pain. Rarely is it extinguished without leaving a definitive, and at times ugly, reminder of its presence. Whether used for good or evil purposes, nothing touched by fire remains unchanged.
It is a living thing. It devours whatever is given for fuel, and sucks in the surrounding air as if gasping for breath. Just as a physical fire needs these things to survive, so does the invisible "fire" inside each of us. It, too, is fueled by the things we feed it.
We are daily bombarded with visual and auditory "kindling" for our inner fire. Paraded in front of us like sweets in a candy store, we are drawn in. Glamorized sex, violence, abuse, vulgarity, laziness, materialism-- all presented over and over causing us to become engrossed in them. Just like the hypnotic flames of a fire, we find it hard to turn away because we may miss something. Before long, we become captivated by an unholy fire.
The unholy fire's burn comes because it is a trap. To continue watching the mesmerizing dance of this fire it must be fed, and just like a physical fire, this fire consumes what it burns. It starts small-- maybe just a smoldering-- but as it is fueled by continued exposure, the flames grow until the person is completely engulfed. This unholy fire leads to pain, suffering, loss, and eventual death. Its enchantment is deceptive.
But there is another fire. It is the holy fire of God Almighty. Deuteronomy 4:24 states, "For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God."
But flames can also be destructive. Buildings catch fire and are destroyed, at times taking human lives with it. It can leave permanent, debilitating scars on the life of one who encounters its powers too closely and cause intense pain. Rarely is it extinguished without leaving a definitive, and at times ugly, reminder of its presence. Whether used for good or evil purposes, nothing touched by fire remains unchanged.
It is a living thing. It devours whatever is given for fuel, and sucks in the surrounding air as if gasping for breath. Just as a physical fire needs these things to survive, so does the invisible "fire" inside each of us. It, too, is fueled by the things we feed it.
We are daily bombarded with visual and auditory "kindling" for our inner fire. Paraded in front of us like sweets in a candy store, we are drawn in. Glamorized sex, violence, abuse, vulgarity, laziness, materialism-- all presented over and over causing us to become engrossed in them. Just like the hypnotic flames of a fire, we find it hard to turn away because we may miss something. Before long, we become captivated by an unholy fire.
The unholy fire's burn comes because it is a trap. To continue watching the mesmerizing dance of this fire it must be fed, and just like a physical fire, this fire consumes what it burns. It starts small-- maybe just a smoldering-- but as it is fueled by continued exposure, the flames grow until the person is completely engulfed. This unholy fire leads to pain, suffering, loss, and eventual death. Its enchantment is deceptive.
But there is another fire. It is the holy fire of God Almighty. Deuteronomy 4:24 states, "For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God."
He is Holy, and all who come to Him will feel His purifying fire. When we submit ourselves to Him, His holiness burns and consumes all that is not of Him-- evil and unrighteousness; all impurities and sin within us. Then the Holy Spirit ignites a fire within our hearts. As we give ourselves to Him, this holy fire guides and directs our lives and we find purpose and a plan from God Himself.
Our spiritual fire must also be fed to continue burning. Reading God's Word, worshiping and praying and singing to Him, all fuel the blaze inside us. God's fire consumes more and more of us as we become more like the One who created us. He brings hope and peace; He brings eternal life.
Our lives are going to burn with either a holy fire, or an unholy one. Whichever one we choose, whichever one we feed, will determine the type of fire we are captivated by. We will either be beguiled by the enticing display the world presents, or we can be consumed by a holy God, changed forever to live for Him, and with Him.
We cannot be smoldering embers. Our inner fire will either die out and be extinguished, or it will be fanned into brilliant flame. Which will you choose? Will you allow the evil of this world to fan your desires into an unholy fire leading to destruction and death, or will you allow the Holy Spirit to blow the embers of your heart into a shining blaze for God?
As for me, I choose a Holy God. I choose the HOLY Fire.
Our lives are going to burn with either a holy fire, or an unholy one. Whichever one we choose, whichever one we feed, will determine the type of fire we are captivated by. We will either be beguiled by the enticing display the world presents, or we can be consumed by a holy God, changed forever to live for Him, and with Him.
We cannot be smoldering embers. Our inner fire will either die out and be extinguished, or it will be fanned into brilliant flame. Which will you choose? Will you allow the evil of this world to fan your desires into an unholy fire leading to destruction and death, or will you allow the Holy Spirit to blow the embers of your heart into a shining blaze for God?
As for me, I choose a Holy God. I choose the HOLY Fire.
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