The Fire (Part 6)

The Fire (Part 6)

-God's fire is a "trying" fire.  

The fire tries your faith in God:

1 Peter 1:7 "That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ."

-The fire also tries your work for God:

1 Corinthians 3:13-15 "Every man's work shall be made manifest; for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath build thereupon he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss; but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire."

Wood, hay, and stubble (above the ground) are burned by fire.  Gold and silver (beneath the ground) are not destroyed by fire.  Everything you do that is visible and for show before man is a work that will be destroyed by the fire of God.   A true work of lasting value is often not seen and honored by men.

-The fires demonstrates God's approval and power:

Read the story of the rebellion of Korah in Numbers 16.  When the fire fell, it consumed the rebellious people and demonstrated God's approval upon His chosen leaders.  In 2 Kings 1:10-14 Elijah was verified as a man of God when the fire of God came down and consumed the captains and their men.   Although God may not send actual physical fire to demonstrate His approval, the spiritual fire of God that rests upon your life and ministry demonstrates His approval.

God's power was demonstrated in an actual fire in Elijah's case. God may not demonstrate His power in an actual fire as you minister, but He will demonstrate "the fire" spiritually.  As people witness the Word of power and the signs following, they will acknowledge the one true and living God.

-The fire of God is a spiritual weapon:

Exodus 14:24 "And it came to pass, that in the morning watch the Lord looked unto the host of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of the cloud, and troubled the host of the Egyptians."

Deuteronomy 9:3 "Understand therefore this day, that the Lord thy God is He which goeth over before thee; as a consuming fire He shall destroy them, He shall bring them down before thy face; so shalt thou drive them out and  destroy them quickly, as the Lord hath said unto thee."  

Psalm 46:9 "He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; He breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; He burneth the chariot in the fire."

Psalm 50:3 "Our God shall come and shall not keep silence; a fire shall devour before Him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about Him."

The enemy has a consuming fire set to destroy all that is good and pure in your life. Just as you "fight fire with fire" in the natural world by setting a "backfire,” you also fight the fire of the enemy with the spiritual fire of God:
 Ezekiel 39:9-10 "And they that dwell in the cities of Israel shall go forth, and shall set on fire and burn the weapons, both the shields and the  bucklers, the bows and the arrow, and the handstaves, and the spears, and they shall burn them with fire seven years: So that they shall take no wood out of the field, neither cut down any out of the forests...for they shall burn the weapons with fire; and they shall spoil those that spoiled them, and  rob those that robbed them, saith the Lord God."