Four times in Scripture God is referred to as a Consuming Fire. Fire proceeds from the throne room of heaven and there is an altar in heaven that burns perpetually. The Holy Spirit baptized the church in Acts 2 and there was a manifestation of cloven tongues of fire! God manifested to the Israelites in the Exodus as a Pillar of Fire during the night. Bottom line—God’s presence is signified by fire.
Most people enjoy a good bonfire. Our family has been building bonfires since the days Andrea and I were dating and then our kids grew up with regular bonfires. I am glad to report that all of my kids (daughters included) can build their own bonfire and do a marvelous job doing so! When you sit by the fire not only will the fire keep you warm, but you notice that your shoes can get extremely hot; your clothes can get hot, and even your skin can get scorched if you get too close. When you are near the fire you will get HOT! When you get too hot, you simply move a step backward from the fire and you cool down a bit.
The thing is in the body of Christ—as we are close to God we are going to be HOT! Just like that bonfire—when we stay in close proximity to the Lord it is going to give us a HOT faith! When we step back from the fire of God—we begin to cool down.
The Laodicean church in Revelation 3 was rebuked by Jesus. It is one of the harshest rebukes in the Bible. Jesus told them they were not hot, not cold, but they were lukewarm. He stated He would rather they be hot or cold but due to their lukewarmness He wanted to vomit them out of His mouth! That is a harsh statement!
The Laodiceans thought they were fine. They had their needs met, plenty of goods, and were prospering in this earthly realm. But Jesus had a completely different assessment. He said this about them: You are blind, wretched, poor, miserable, and naked! These are the words Jesus used to describe a church that was lukewarm.
How is your faith today? Are you hot for God? Is your faith burning with passion? Or have you cooled down a bit? Here are some things that would indicate your faith is cooling down.
- Staying in ungodly relationships. Many would state, “Jesus ate with sinners.” That is true. But at the end of the meal—the sinners either got radically saved or they despised Jesus. He allowed no one to remain neutral and stay in fellowship. Are the relationships in your life that you give your time to causing your faith to burn brighter or cool down?
- The things of God become burdensome. Things like going to church, giving, serving, reading, and praying feel like a chore. They are drab and dreary. This is an indication the fire is burning out.
- Sin becomes appealing. Fire is a purifier. It purifies gold, silver, and precious metals. The fire of God will cause us to live holy and pure. When we begin to flirt with the world it is an indication we have stepped back from the fire of God.
- Easily offended. In Jesus’s address of the last days He states that many shall be offended. When our hearts are cool we allow other people to have undue place in our souls. Our right to be offended becomes greater than our duty to forgive when we step away from the Consuming Fire.
- Comfort and Convenience take place over obedience and sacrifice
- Sharing the faith becomes non-existent
- The things of this world take priority over the things of God
Based on those 7 thoughts, is your faith showing the evidence of being near the fire of God, or is it bearing the negative fruit of lukewarmness?
The Lord gave these 5 instructions to the Laodiceans to get back to being hot:
- Buy of Me gold tried in the fire (Rev. 3:18).
(This represents true faith)
- Buy of Me white garment (Rev. 3:18).
(Righteousness)
- Anoint your eyes with eye salve.
(Enlightenment of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God)
- Be zealous to save your souls (Rev. 3:19).
(Make a very concentrated and definitive effort)
(Turn around. Not merely asking forgiveness but changing your life) Friends I pray for you today. May the fire of God burn in your life. May His Presence be upon you as you reflect His glory to the world around you. May the Holy Spirit convict us all if there be any lukewarmness named among us and may we take the counsel of the Most High—that we would repent with great fervency and passion, walking in righteousness, true faith, with our paths being illuminated by the Word of God and Holy Spirit. Amen!
