WHCNorth Mobile App

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

The Fire Of God

Isaiah 6 : 1 – 7, In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory. And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts. Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: and he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged. KJV
I recently discovered something that was new to me about the fire of God. Once the Holy Spirit revealed this truth that I am about to share with you, I began to see how this principle is taught throughout the Bible. Before I proceed with today’s teaching, let me address an issue concerning the “Fire of God.” Many people are fearful of the power of God. When the power of God is released upon a person, they often respond with emotions, tears, and extreme behavior.
My years of experience as a pastor have taught me that people who have deep-rooted hurts in their emotions tend to show extreme responses to the fire of God when the Holy Spirit touches their heart. As a result, many believers and non-believers are leery of being in the presence of God’s fire when it is released in a service. It is my prayer that today’s teaching will give us a deeper understanding about the fire of God, so that we won’t feel “on guard” when we’re in His presence.
You will notice that I highlighted “live coal” in today’s scripture. Another translation renders its meaning a “hot stone” that was taken with tongs from the altar of God. Can you imagine a hot stone being placed on your lips? It might seem terrifying to you, but you will notice the only thing that the fire burned was Isaiah’s iniquity and sin. So the fire of God doesn’t harm us; it merely destroys what IS ALREADY harming us. Isaiah’s physical body wasn’t hurt at all. However, the sin and iniquity were eradicated from his heart and soul.
When the children of Israel were led to Mount Sinai by Moses, they saw the mountain, and that it was covered with smoke. They heard the thundering and saw the lightning as God’s presence sat upon the Mount of God; and in response to the fire of God, the children of Israel withdrew from God’s presence out of fear. However, you can read in Exodus 20 that Moses drew near to God and entered into His presence. Why wasn’t Moses afraid of God’s presence, and why were the children of Israel so fearful of God? We’re told in Psalms 103 that Moses knew the ways of God, but Israel only knew the acts of God. Moses took the time to know God for himself, but the children of Israel allowed fear to keep them from seeking after the heart of God.
Why wasn’t Moses afraid to enter into the presence where the fire of God was? If you read Exodus 3, the Word says that Moses saw a bush that was on fire, yet it wasn’t consumed… and he was astounded. God allowed Moses to see first-hand how His presence was very much real; and more importantly, it didn’t consume the bush. Therefore, when it came time for him to enter God’s presence on Mount Sinai, he wasn’t afraid.
Now let’s break this down as I conclude. The presence of God is what protects us from being consumed by the fire of God. John told his followers that he baptized with water unto repentance, but he said that Jesus, the Messiah, would baptize His followers with the Holy Spirit and fire. Notice that He makes a distinction between the Holy Spirit of God and the fire of God. If you’re a believer in Christ, then you have the Holy Spirit dwelling in your body. Since you have His presence, the fire of God won’t consume you. Like Isaiah, the fire will only consume what has been planted by the enemy in your soul that may be causing you harm.
King Nebuchadnezzar had the three Hebrew men bound, and then thrown into a fiery furnace, which was heated seven times greater than normal. The heat was so intense from the furnace that the men who were supposed to throw the Jews into the oven were killed. However, the three men fell into the fire only because they were bound with restraints. Even so, when the king looked into the fire, he saw the three men free and walking around… they were not consumed. You may ask how it was possible that a physical fire didn’t destroy these men. The Bible tells us in Daniel 3 that the king saw a fourth Man in the fire, and He looked like the Son of God. All four were free and walking around in the fire and were not hurt by it. God’s presence in the fire had kept the three men from being consumed by the fire.
In conclusion, if you have the presence of God, then you have no need to be fearful of the fire of God. Satan wants us to be afraid of God, so that we won’t allow God’s fire to burn away the bindings that he has placed on us through sin and fear. Do you desire to be filled with the fire of God today? If so, then ask the Lord to fill your heart and soul with His fire, and you will experience freedom as never before. There’s liberty in the presence of God!
Fire of God Fall Fresh On Us,
Pastor Asa Dockery

No comments:

Post a Comment