Worship

“Fresh Fire” by Maverick City Music, featuring Brandon Lake and Naomi Raine

Scripture

“O Lord , in the morning you hear my voice; in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch.” -Psalm 5:3, ESV

“He makes the clouds his chariot; he rides on the wings of the wind; he makes his messengers winds, his ministers a flaming fire.” -Psalm 104:3b-4, ESV

God’s Fire in the Old Testament

Fire is one of the greatest symbols that God used in Scripture. Fire was the evidence showing something in the natural becoming consumed by the supernatural to put His power on display. All through the Old Testament, God appeared in fire!

• Moses stood on holy ground at the burning bush (Exodus 3:2-3).
• The Israelites were guided by a pillar of fire by night and a column of cloud by day (Exodus 13:21).
• God descended on Mount Sinai in fire before giving Moses the 10 Commandments (Exodus 19:18).
• Gideon prepared a sacrifice before the Lord, and He consumed it with fire (Judges 6:20-21).
• David built an altar to the Lord, and fire fell and consumed it (1 Chronicles 21:26).
• Elijah covered the altar with water before the prophets of Baal; fire fell and consumed both the altar and the water (1 Kings 18:38-39).
• Solomon finished praying in preparation for the dedication of the temple; fire came down and consumed the sacrifice, and the glory of God filled the temple (2 Chronicles 7:1).

The Israelites would have recounted these stories and many others as they told their children about the power of God. Generations would have recounted God’s ways and His glory displayed to His people. But then we reach a period in history when many things changed. In the New Testament, fire also symbolized an internal source of power for God’s people!

The New Testament Transformation

“When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.” -Acts 2:1-4 (ESV)

This was the moment when the fire of God fell in Scripture for the very last time! From here on out, we would carry the fire of God inside of us! He would not need to consume sacrifices on the altar because we became living sacrifices, full of God’s fire. He came to rest—not on wood, lambs, rocks, bushes, or mountains, but rather on His people. From this moment onward in Scripture, we see no more references to God’s fire falling. How profound is that?

His fire is now inside of us, burning for all the world to see! 

Understanding Our Role Today

“Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.” -Hebrews 12:28-29 (ESV)

What God consumes with His presence, He (figuratively) sets on fire. He sets us ablaze with His power and His glory for all the world to see. Will you allow Him to consume you today? We cry out for more of Him, and yet God has given us all of Himself—nothing held back or reserved! He’s looking for us to give Him more of ourselves. No reservations and no hesitations because God is good, He is kind, and He fills everything with the fullness of Himself!

“Do you know where the hope for your city is? It’s sitting in your chair right now. God’s plan of revival for your city is you—Him working in you and through you. There’s no need to wait for something else to come. You’ve come. And because you’ve come, Christ has shown up. I pray that you believe that. I pray that you grab hold of God’s promises for you. Christ came to seek and to save what was lost and to destroy the works of the enemy. Because taking His power and presence to the streets is important to Him, it’s got to be important to you and me.” -Robby Dawkins, “Do What Jesus Did”

A Prayer for Renewed Purpose

I am going to invite you to do something with me. Will you ask the Lord to stir up a fresh fire in you, that you would love Him with passion and go wherever He says to go?

God is raising up an army of fiery and passionate revivalists, and the invitation is before you in this hour! Will you say, “Yes,” to a life of joyous adventure with the Lover of your soul? 

“Fire can also represent revival. If we define one element of revival as simply being more in love with Jesus and completely yielded for His purposes, then as we focus our gaze upon the fire in His eyes, signs, wonders, and miracles are sure to follow. We don’t need to strive for revival to be released through our lives when our hearts burn for the One Thing more than any other lover. Revival is something that will naturally flow from the fire of God’s presence in our lives and our intimate communion with Him.” -Jennifer Miskov, “Fasting for Fire”

Take my hands, and let’s pray together while we look at Jesus’ beaming face with all that we are, for the sake of His glory and His goodness.

Lord, I thank You that where You once fell with fire to consume something as an offering, You now reside in us. We have become the offering set ablaze with the Spirit of God! I pray that those reading these words would have an encounter with You, Jesus, that sets them in a new trajectory of revival. I pray that these ones fold their lives into You, Jesus, and lay it all down. I pray for hearts and dreams and desires to change in Your presence. I pray for places that need healing to be touched with the power of God. I pray for minds to be changed and wills to be submitted to the very Lover of their souls. I pray for this army of revivalists to arise in this hour and put You on display. Take us, like Paul, to cities and nations to proclaim the gospel with fearlessness and courage and joy! Stir it up, Lord. Stir up Your Spirit inside of us, and set our precious feet running to the rhythm of Your heart for the world! In the powerful name of Jesus, amen!

• I will see you at the Arise luncheon today at 11:30 a.m. CT. Heres’ the link to register virtually if you have not yet done so!
• Dallas residents, don’t miss out on our in-person Prayer Retreat on February 25! This will be a relaxing and intentional day in the presence of your Bridegroom.