Stay in the Fire!

Stay in the Fire! The fire I am referring to is the intense and pure presence of God.  Fire comes when we seek after God’s heart through worship and prayer, as we focus and fix our gaze on Him. The fire is one of the safest places to be.  It is a fire of love and passion. This fire of love burns so hot, it burns up impurities and the things that are not of His character and nature.  When we get in the fire, our hidden motives, sins, and wounds become exposed; the ugly comes out.  We don’t always like the ugly, so our tendency may be to run away from the fire because we don’t really want to see what is in us. The fire causes mind sets and thoughts to be exposed, jealousy, rejection, lust, hate, fear, offense, all to be brought to light.

I have had my moments in the fire and I am sure more are to come.  But God was always gentle as He began to bring sin and hurts to the forefront of my mind.  Those moments were not always initially exciting or pleasant, most often painful.  No one likes to see their ugly brought to light.  I have said at times, ooh…I didn’t know that was in me, or defended why I had the right to feel that way, or blame the circumstance or person(s) brought to memory.  But in the fire, truth cannot be hidden.  As I stayed in the fire, my heart was revealed and I was given the opportunity to be set free, forgiven, healed, and restored.

The great thing about the fire of God’s presence is, when He reveals a matter of our heart and we allow Him to come in, the fire purifies and there are no remains left behind.   Just like the story in Daniel 3 in the bible of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, they refused to bow down and worship king Nebuchadnezzar because they were committed to God alone.  So, the king had them thrown into a fiery furnace.  The king told his servants to make it seven times hotter than normal. It was so hot that some of the servants died by the fire as they threw Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego into the furnace.  But as the three men of God stood in the fire, an angel of the Lord was with them to protect them.  The king saw this and called them out of the fire.  When Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego came out of the fire, not one hair on their head or piece of clothing was singed. They did not even smell of smoke.  That is how the fire of God works in our lives as well.  The fire comes in, it gets hot, it purifies, but God is with us through the whole process. He doesn’t abandon us in the fire.  We stay in the fire, God finishes the work, and we are called out to step into destiny.  What was exposed in the fire, remains in the fire. Leaving nothing on us as we move forward.  Not a singe, not a missing hair, not a smell of the past. Pure, whole, clean, and healed.

So, don’t run from the fire, it is the very thing that will that will cause an explosion of destiny.  If the fire starts to get too hot, say to God before you try to run, TURN UP THE HEAT!!!  Bring on the fire, all I want is more, I need You more! To be on fire for Him; ignited and burning as a pure, passionate flame for God.  For in the fire you hear more clearly, you see more clearly, you know the Father’s heart more deeply. For in His fire is love, peace, and joy. There is no other place I would rather be, than in the fire.