The fire of God is available for you to release in your life today. The same fire of God that was released on the hundred and twenty in the upper room and transformed them from fearful disciples to powerful witnesses.
Do you feel as if there is more to the Christian life than what you currently have? Does it seem as if the power of the Holy Spirit was different in the Book of Acts than it is today? Are you hungering for more of God? Is there a desire inside you that wants to see a move of God in your life?
If you answered yes to any of those questions, then what you are looking for is the fire of God. You can have the same power in your life that the apostles had in their life. Read on and learn how to release the fire of God into your life today.
What is the Fire of God?
The fire of God is a sign of the divine presence of Almighty God. It is a pure and holy fire that can’t be fueled by natural fuels but is fueled spiritually. It will light up the believer’s life with passion and purpose.
The fire of God in the Old Testament revealed itself differently than in the New Testament. In the Old Testament, it was an outward manifestation revealing God’s power. In the New Testament, it is an inward manifestation that reveals itself through the believer having the power to be a witness.
This change happened with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and is available today for every Christian. Through the Holy Spirit, God is dwelling in us. He no longer needs to prove His power through outward manifestations of the fire of God.
Because He dwells in every Christian, He reveals His presence and power through born-again people. It is power in the life of the believer that shows God’s power.
Now we have this treasure in clay jars, so that this extraordinary power may be from God and not from us. (2 Corinthians 4:7 CSB)
Believers reveal this power in different ways. By their love, a changed life, and supernatural signs such as casting out demons and healing the sick are some of those ways.
This doesn’t mean that God hasn’t shown the outward sign of His fire since the upper room. On the contrary. History is full of examples over the last 2,000 years of the fire of God.
How to Receive the Fire of God
How do we receive the fire of God? The example God gives us in the Bible is in the upper room when the Holy Spirit was first released. When the 120 received the Holy Spirit, they also received the fire of God. They serve as our example of how to receive the fire of God.
4 Steps to Receiving the Fire of God
- Be born again
- Desire the fire of God
- Have no unconfessed sin in your life
- Give yourself as a living sacrifice
First Step: Be Born Again
This is what most churches call “being saved.” It happens when you believe in your heart and confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord.” (see: Romans 10:9-10) When you do this, it is at that moment you become born again and new creation. (see: 2 Corinthians 5:17)
This is the first step because nothing happens spiritually until you are born again. This is your entrance into all that God has for you. It is the most important step you can ever take in your life.
Second Step: Desire the Fire of God
You must desire the fire of God to receive it. During Jesus ministry, thousands upon thousands are healed. Why then, were there only 120 people in the upper room? After His resurrection, Jesus is seen by 500 people at one time. (see: 1 Corinthians 15:6) Again, why were only 120 in the upper room?
The answer to this is desire. This is the element that is missing in the average Christian. I believe it has always been this way. Desire is why such a small percentage of church members attend Sunday night service and Wednesday bible study.
We make a place for what we desire. Without the desire, you won’t receive the fire of God. How do you recognize this desire? It is revealed by a yearning inside you for more of God. You feel as if you are missing something and want more.
I know that may seem a little vague, but when you experience it, you will recognize it. This yearning will create the desire in you to say, “Whatever it takes. No matter what it costs me. I want it.”
Third Step: Have No Unconfessed Sin in Your Life
I am talking about a known sin. If you know you missed the mark and haven’t confessed it, that is an unconfessed sin. It isn’t what you did you don’t know is sin. Too many people worry about sins they do they don’t know is sin.
Use 1 John 1:9 and get sin out of your life.
Fourth Step: Give Yourself as a Living Sacrifice
Romans 12:1-2 says, “Therefore, brothers and sisters, in view of the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your true worship. Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.”
Giving yourself as a living sacrifice is when you surrender your will and all that you are to God’s will. It is the same as humbling yourself before God. You recognize God’s plan, and His ways are better than your plans and your way.
But even more than recognizing this, you also do it by presenting yourself as a living sacrifice. This means living your life God’s way and not your way.
How to Fuel the Fire of God
Just like a natural fire, the fire of God needs to be fueled. No fuel-no fire. If you have a campfire and never put more wood on the fire, you will end up with ugly old black ashes. If you keep fueling the fire with wood, you have a continuous display of lively flames and an output of heat.
It is the same with the fire of God. It needs to be fueled. But as I said before, it can’t be fueled naturally. The fire of God can only be fueled spiritually. Fuel the fire-keep the fire.
The Fuel for the Fire of God:
- Bible study
- Prayer
- Worship
- Fellowship with like-minded believers
- Oil of the Holy Spirit
These are what fuel the fire of God. You must fuel it from the spiritual aspect instead of the physical.
Bible Study
It all begins with Bible study. You must study the Bible daily. Why is this so all important? Because the Word is where faith comes from. (see: Romans 10:17) And without faith, it is impossible to please God. (see: Hebrews 11:6)
This is the reason Bible study is so important. You must be in the Word of God daily to keep your spirit strong and your faith full.
Bible study should be a daily habit for every believer. It doesn’t have to be an in-depth study like I do for teaching or preaching. It can be as simple as a chapter a day. Read the chapter with a notebook and pen at your side.
Then you just take notes on what you learn, any revelation God gives you, and the application to your life. This is nothing complicated or difficult. You don’t need to get any deep revelations or learn something new every time you read. It often can be knowledge supporting what you already know.
Prayer
The prayer I am particularly talking about here is a prayer that builds intimacy with God. It is getting alone with God, talking, and listening to Him. Intimacy is built by spending time with someone. Every Christian needs alone time with God. This is how we learn His character and attributes.
It is in this prayer we also learn how to hear His voice. We must learn to hear His voice. With all the voices talking to us in the world, God’s voice needs to be the loudest.
Worship
Worshiping the Lord also fuels the fire of God. Time spent in worship and praise brings His powerful presence into our life. God inhabits the praise of His people.
Worship reminds us of who God is. All His characteristics and attributes. Part of worship recognizes what God has done in the past, which affects our outlook on the future.
Fellowship With Like-Minded Believers
This is an important fuel for the fire of God. Fellowshiping with believers that are as on fire for God as you or even more on fire for God than you help fuel your fire. It is very difficult to stay on fire when you spend time with those that have little or no fire of God in them.
Fire spreads more fire. It is true in the natural and it is true in the spiritual.
Oil of the Holy Spirit
If you study the temple, you will find the lamps being fueled by oil. This is the type of the Holy Spirit fueling the fire of God in the spirit of a believer. Yes, we receive the Holy Spirit when we are born again, but I also believe in the subsequent experience of the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
Therefore, I believe that you need the baptism of the Holy Spirit to have the fire of God.
What Does the Fire of God Do in Our Lives?
What does the fire of God do in our lives? Does it make a difference? Is the fire of God important for the believer?
The fire of God will light up the believer’s life with passion and purpose. This passion and purpose will move the believer to be a more effective witness for Jesus.
The fire of God will fill you with a passion for Jesus. Jesus will no longer be just a savior to you. He will become your Lord. Jesus will be your boss. This passion will compel you to love Him more and to serve Him better.
This passion then creates a purpose for the believer. The believer’s primary purpose will become the overwhelming desire to please Jesus in every aspect of their life.
Therefore, bible study will take on a deeper depth with revelation coming more frequently. While studying, the believer with the fire of God will continually ask, “How can I do this in my life?”
This passion is exhibited to others in two ways. One way is by a more compassionate love for people. This is the agape love of God. They love others in a better more compassionate way.
The other way this passion is exhibited outwardly is in witnessing. There will be more power to be a witness and more passion to witness. The believer filled with the fire of God will be more acutely aware of the horrors of hell and not want anyone to experience it for eternity.
Passion and purpose are how the fire of God is outwardly exhibited in the life of the believer.
The Challenge
Do you feel as if there is more to being a Christian than what you are currently experiencing? Is there a deep-seated yearning in your spirit for a more intimate relationship with our Heavenly Father? Are you desiring to be a more passionate witness for Jesus?
If you answered yes to one or more of these questions, then you want the fire of God in your life. Take the time to go over again “How to Receive the Fire of God” portion of this article. The passion and purpose the fire of God will create in your life is worth the effort and sacrifice.
Once you experience the fire of God, your only desire will be to experience even more.
For more complete information, you may be interested in these articles:
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