We are continuing our pursuit of revival, pursuing Jesus with even greater intentionality and focus. I pray that your heart has done some 180-degree turns with the Lord again and again this year. I pray that broken places have been healed and restored. I pray that you are experiencing your own personal revival so that you can carry forth the fires of revival in this significant moment in His story.
“‘Everyone will be salted with fire.’” -Mark 9:49
When I read this Scripture months ago, it spoke to me of the many things that we must take hold of as we traverse 2025. Lord, salt us with fire for the days in which we are living!
Jesus had been teaching in Mark 9 about the seriousness of sin, calling His followers to carefully consider the consecration of a pure and faithful life. In this verse, Jesus uses powerful metaphors—salt and fire—to illustrate how God refines and purifies us.
The Significance of Salt and Fire
In ancient times, salt was used to preserve, purify, and sustain life. In the Old Testament, salt was symbolic of covenant faithfulness (Leviticus 2:13). Christ is continually sustaining us and purifying us, making us ready for the coming of Jesus. He sets us apart for His purposes in the Earth and works with you to preserve the spiritual health of your life. All the while, you are being sanctified through and through, being made more like Jesus.
Fire often represents purification (Malachi 3:2-3) or testing (1 Peter 1:7) in Scripture. As fire refines metal by removing impurities, God uses trials to refine our faith. Each one of us can list the fires we have walked through or are walking through. I would say the Church in America is in the fire, and we have a choice to make: How will we choose to come forth?
We don’t get to get through life without enduring trials. They are a part of the human experience. We will all be salted with fire, most likely again and again. But what is brought forth is a purity and holiness, refining and strengthening in the Lord and the faith we place in Him.
The Importance of Repentance and Consecration
Jesus wants the perpetual, addictive, recurring sin to be purged out of us. He’s longing for a people who are Holy in heart and conduct just as much as they are in identity. We bear the holiness of Christ, so the inside and outside need to come together in perfect alignment. Therefore our prayer becomes, “Lord Jesus, circumcise my heart, crucify my flesh, and consecrate every part of my life unto holiness.” Repentance has played a key role in our returning to Him. I love what Dr. Rob Reimer writes regarding this sacred turning:
“Repentance is returning to the safety of God’s house. This is why God calls us to follow Him, and when we wander, He calls us to repent. He is calling us back home, into His presence. It isn’t with judgment that He calls us home; it is with the tender heart of love.” -Dr. Rob Reimer, “The Tenderness of Jesus”
There is safety in the shadow of the Almighty. Jesus is the fourth man in the fire with us. He will be faithful when we are faithless. We can bank our lives on all of these truths. But will He find faith when He comes to take you home? Jesus asks us even today, “‘… when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth (Luke 18:8 )?’”
Perhaps my prayer articulates the desire of your own heart:
Lord, will You so consecrate my life that its saltiness attracts others to desire the purity and holiness of Jesus? Let the fire of holiness burn deep in my bones. Whatever and whoever is not of You, remove so that the sacred places of my heart hold affection for the One my heart so desires. Let the love for my first love burn even hotter; revive me once again. Jesus, remove the foxes in my vineyard that bring destruction and devastation. Keep my eyes in laser-focused vision on the One my heart adores. May I come out of this year with fresh vision, passion, fire, and love for You, Jesus. Today, I cry out to You. Consecrate me afresh in 2025, and salt me with fire!
“May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” -1 Thessalonians 5:23
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