KEEP THE FIRE
Jay loves to have fires outside. He will get it going, keep putting logs on and keep stoking it until it is a roaring flame that sends warmth out of the opening. When it gets to where the logs are almost gone, but the fire is still there, he can put logs on top, stoke it a little and it will rare up again. When he isn’t home, I will try to start the fire. Starting a fire from nothing takes some time. You have to have the right items to get a flame. Fire logs, newspaper or maybe even lighter fluid. I will work and work then perhaps it will get going. It is much easier to keep a fire going rather than let it go out and have to start it again.
This is how our lives are. We can be on fire for God and then one trigger will diminish it. It may not go completely out, but it may drop down to just a smoldering fire or a few flames. At times the trigger will entirely put the fire out.
Just like a fire, it is easier to get a fire going again when we have a spark versus when our fire is completely doused with water and extinguished.
So how do we keep the fire going?
• GET RID OF WHAT KEEPS THROWING WATER ON OUR FIRE
• KEEP STOKING THE FIRE
• WORK NOT TO LET YOUR FIRE GO COMPLETELY OUT
Hebrews 12:1-4 New International Version (NIV)
12 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.4 In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.
Hinders-create difficulties
Entangles-caught in
Perseverance-persistent in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success
Fixing our eyes-look straight at something and nothing else, keep our thoughts on one thing
Endure-suffer patiently
GET RID OF WHAT KEEPS THROWING WATER ON OUR FIRE
“Throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.”
In the commentary in my bible, it relates this to a runner. When a runner is running a marathon, he strips down to that which is lightweight. Their body is lean so with clothing lightweight and a lean body that is no excess weight. Excess of anything pounds or clothing holds the runner back. Just like the runner gets rid of excess we need to shed the extra also. This might be in feelings, friends, thoughts, activities, addictions. As Caroline Leaf discusses in the video, Detoxing Your Mind, she describes our thoughts:
“We all have Gethsemane moments. We must reconceptualize our thoughts. We must not have guilt and shame or condemnation. We must get rid of the bad thoughts of what we have done or what others have done and step into the love zone of thinking. Having an awareness and mindfulness of our thoughts starts the process of changing our thoughts. We are always thinking about our thinking. We have to take control of our thinking. We have all fallen in the mode. Being honest with our thoughts brings them to the surface so we can take captive of them and get rid of that which hinders us. Clean up your thought life. Stop every day for 16 minutes to clean up thinking just sit and think. Have awareness of your thoughts. Your brain has to rest.”
We have to throw water on our toxic thoughts to extinguish them to be able to keep the fire going. We have to get rid of and become untangled from the thoughts that put out the fire and hinder us from staying on fire for the lord. We must take every thought captive.
2 Corinthians 10:5 New International Version (NIV)
5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
KEEP STOKING THE FIRE
“run with perseverance”
Going back to the Gethsemane moment Jesus wanted Peter, James, and John to stay awake to pray with Him. He didn’t ask them to take His cross He just wanted them to be aware of what He was getting ready to go through. We need people that are going to keep stoking our fire, not people who are going to throw water on the fire or never add another log. We need Christian friends who keep our fire going, who help change our focus thoughts, who want us to be on fire for Christ. Those that are going to run the race beside us helping us press on through the fire.
Matthew 26:36-46 New International Version (NIV) Gethsemane
36 Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” 37 He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled.38 Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”
39 Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”
40 Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?” he asked Peter. 41 “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
42 He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.”
43 When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. 44 So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing.
45 Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour has come, and the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners. 46 Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!”
WORK TO NOT LET YOUR FIRE GO OUT
“fixing our eyes on Jesus” “you will not grow weary and lose heart”
The only way to keep our fire going is to keep our eyes fixed on the Lord. When we do this, our flame will flicker, and we will be able to endure during suffering. To keep our eyes fixed, we must take time out of our day to sit with the Lord. Make the daily appointment that we speak of every week. Surround also with Christian people. All of these things will allow our fire to keep burning and not grow weary and lose heart. Our flame will not go out.
Five different places in the Bible it states to fix our hearts, our minds, our gaze, our thoughts and our eyes CONSTANTLY on Gods words, the things of His kingdom, His direction, things that are eternal in heaven, but most of all, let us fix our eyes on Jesus and never take them off Him.
Deuteronomy 11:18 (NIV)
”Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds.”
Proverbs 4:24-31 (NIV)
“Fix your gaze directly before you. Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm. Do not swerve to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.”
Hebrews 3:1 New International Version (NIV)
3 Therefore, holy brothers and sisters, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, whom we acknowledge as our apostle and high priest.
Colossians 3:2 New International Version (NIV)
2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.
2 Corinthians 4:18 New International Version (NIV)
18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
Just as God instructed the priests in the old testament (Leviticus 6:13 the fire must be kept burning on the alter continuously; it must not go out) we must do the same. Keep the daily uninterrupted communion with God every day and your fire will stay ignited.
CHALLENGES OF THE WEEK:
- KEEP THE DAILY APPT WITH GOD
- DIG DEEP INTO THE WORD
- TAKE TIME TO FIX YOUR EYES ON JESUS, TAKE TIME TO REST YOUR BRAIN, TAKE TIME TO BE AWARE OF WHAT YOU ARE THINKING, MAKE A MIND SHIFT
- FILL YOUR CUP SO YOU CAN FILL OTHER CUPS
EXTRA READS:
DETOXING YOUR MIND: AN INTERVIEW WITH DR. CAROLINE LEAF
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