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Monday, February 17, 2014

Consumed By The Fire Of God

Romans 12 : 1 – 2, I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. NKJV
1 Kings 18 : 36 – 39, And it came to pass, at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near and said, "LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and I am Your servant, and that I have done all these things at Your word. Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that You are the LORD God, and that You have turned their hearts back to You again." Then the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood and the stones and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench. Now when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, "The LORD, He is God! The LORD, He is God!” NKJV
Before Jesus came to earth and gave Himself as the ransom  payment for man’s sin, God required burnt offerings and animal sacrifices. However, today, we live under the new covenant, and God requires us to present ourselves as a living sacrifice before Him. Now that the WAY has been made for us to be reconciled to God, God requires us to live holy through His Spirit and grace.
We understand all too well that we are human; and, at times, we all struggle with our mortal weaknesses and propensities to sin. Nevertheless, these “issues” didn’t stop God from following through with His plans to redeem us from the power of sin and Satan. Now that we’ve been born again and have been given a new nature through Christ, we have the POWER to overcome any obstacles that may have stood in our way of becoming who God ordained us to be in Christ.
Through Christ, who dwells in our hearts by the Spirit, we have power over the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life. We have the power to overcome. Nonetheless, do we have the willingness to die to our “self” nature and live for Christ?
In Romans 12, Paul challenges us to present our bodies as a living sacrifice unto the Lord. Just as the priests in the Old Testament had to present the animal sacrifices unto the Lord, we must prepare ourselves and do likewise. Elijah built an altar on which he laid the earthly sacrifice. The moment the fire of God fell and consumed the offering, Elijah and the children of Israel knew that God was pleased with it.
Even though we have weaknesses and fall short at times, if we will bring those traits and behaviors and offer them to the Lord as a sacrifice, His fire will consume them, and we will be free. Let me give you a scripture to help you better understand what I’m writing about. In Matthew 15, Jesus let the Jews know that anyone who comes near the Lord with their lips, but doesn’t give Him their heart, He said that their worship was in vain.
If the Holy Spirit reveals a sin or evil desire that’s hidden in our heart, we must be willing to present it to Him so that He can remove it by the fire of God. Too many times, people come to the altar and offer themselves to God; however, they turn around and walk away from His presence still bound in their affliction. They’re unwilling to pay the price to give it to God and then allow Him to fill that void in their lives.
Has the Lord revealed something in your heart that He wants to remove from your life by His fire? Won’t you lay it down in His presence today… allow His Spirit to burn that sacrifice out of your heart and fill the void with His freedom. It’s time to let that bondage go; it has probably been tormenting you for years. Allow the fire of God to consume it, and you will experience the liberty of being loosed from it. Whom the Son of God sets free, they are free indeed.
Be Set Free Today,
Pastor Asa Dockery

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