I had these thoughts of the word of God this morning regarding efforts to stir up zeal, and passion, and fire.The wind blows where it will.Who has gathered the wind in his fists?
_________________Christopher Joel Dandrow
Could you explain your thoughts a bit more clearly, what were your conclusions and results regarding the above scriptures?
You are right on brother ChrisJn.8:32-33,36 32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. 33 They answered him, We be Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free? 36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.Gal.3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.Eph.6:8 Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free.Col.3:11. Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.)
_________________Eddie
Hi Revolution34, how are you?I was thinking that godly zeal and passion and fire comes from the Holy Spirit and can not be worked up by man. As if [b]we[/b] could take the wind in our fists(Proverbs 30:4).Take care for now,Chris
Brother Chris wrote:
I was thinking that godly zeal and passion and fire comes from the Holy Spirit and can not be worked up by man. As if we could take the wind in our fists(Proverbs 30:4).
_________________Jeff Marshalek
Make of this scripture what you will.2 Timothy 1v6Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.God bless
Hi enid, hope you are well.Have thought about this verse you mentioned for us. Thank you for sharing.One thing which stands out to me is this: that the gift was already there. That is, it was not as though Paul were admonishing Timothy to kindle a fire that was not already there. And so he writes [i]...the gift of God which is in you [/i].But that is what I think concerns us; the idea that we could work up the fire, that methods and means would be employed, whether it be music or arts or shows or whatever, that some means would be employed to stirr up or create fire, rather than that fire being sent down from above, from God Himself. As brother Paulwest put it in another thread, sent down [i]upon a prepared sacrifice[/i].I think of how the Holy Spirit was poured out upon those in the upper room and the cloven tounges of fire settled upon each of them. Or how, as Peter was yet speaking, the Holy Spirit fell upon them which heard him at the house of Cornelius. And Peter writes elsewhere of those having [i]...preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven[/i].We think of John who said of himself, and of the Lord Jesus"I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and [i]with[/i] fire:" - Matthew chapter 3 verse 11(KJV)And then again, when the Holy Spirit was poured out upon them in the upper room Peter explained"This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear." - Acts chapter 2 verses 32-33(KJV)Send the fire Lord. Send it indeed.Blessings to you also sister,Chris
Thanks ChrisI really like that thought. The reason i enquired your first thoughts was that I am at a place right now where I am seeking a fresh touch of those very things zeal, passion and fire in my life so your post rather intrigued me and caught my attention. I do agree with you that only God can send it, Timothy was called to stir up what had already been given to him. Fire without an alter and a sacrifice is nothing more than pumped up hype and human excitement. I think we all feel that the world has seen enough of christian gimmicks and excitement. Only a Holy Ghost fire will suffice. God bless you
"I think we all feel that the world has seen enough of christian gimmicks and excitement. Only a Holy Ghost fire will suffice."Amen!God bless you also.
Araunah said to David, "Here are oxen for the burnt offering, and you can use the threshing boards and ox yokes for wood. [i]I will give them all to you,[/i] and you can use them to build a fire on the altar."But the king replied to Araunah, "No! [i]I insist on buying them[/i], for I will not present burnt offerings to the Lord that have cost me nothing" (2 Sam 24:22,23).Brethren, I believe there must be something [i]offered up[/i] before the fire can [i]come down[/i], and the something that we offer up must be a true sacrifice, something that costs us. Here David was prompted to build the fire himself, though it would be accepted by God only after obtaining a suitable sacrifice. In the New Covenant of grace, God sends Spiritual fire to set out hearts ablaze and consume [i]spiritual[/i] sacrifices acceptable only by Jesus. Too many equate the fire of God nowadays with jumping and shouting or acquiring boldness or speaking in tongues or some other outward manifestation discernable by man. But as I continue to grow in the Lord, I'm beginning to see it otherwise. I see that the purpose of God's fire is [i]to consume[/i] my lawful sacrifices. And how do I know which sacrifice is in order, and which is lawful? The Holy Spirit abiding within my temple (John 14:17) "teaches me all things" pertaining to my priestly duty of daily sacrifice to God. He shows me which sacrifices are in order for the day, and He daily monitors my altar. If the fire is ebbing low, He arouses me. If more wood needs to be layed down, He notifies me. He shows which "beast of the day" I am to mortify and cut in pieces and lay on the altar of sacrifice for God's fiery consumption. I am the priest of the temple, and He abides within.Note that in the book of Leviticus God instructed the priests to keep the fire blazing daily in the tabernacle, to lay wood daily, to keep feeding the fire. If the fire goes out, the sacrifice will not be consumed; it'll just lay on the altar as dead flesh and rot. I've found in my own life that God's consuming fire comes down upon that which is already put in place according to the mentoring of the Holy Spirit, and, like David, which costs. Brother Paul
_________________Paul Frederick West