While Vanessa and I were on our way back up to Maine, the Lord began speaking to me about 'Fire'. There are both good fires (involving purity and power) and bad fires (involving punishment and judgement). I felt Him speak to my heart about the Godly side of this--the fires of purity and power.
"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 honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ..."
--1 Peter 1:7
There is the purifying work of the Holy Spirit--His cleansing power within us (1 John 1:7). That's what the above verse testifies to. God tries us with fire so that He can burn up things that would otherwise hinder us. He tries our faith by allowing trials in our lives. This is purity, as I described in a recent blog post.
"I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire."
--Matthew 3:11
And then there is the "power" work of the Holy Spirit--His ministry within us. This is what's next, after initial purification and trials. Once we've had impurities taken out, burned out, then we can really have the love of God move through us. We must be purified first.
"Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? And who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood And has not sworn deceitfully."
--Psalm 24:3-4
We can get up onto the mountaintop with God, and we can live there comfortably. We can commune with the Lord and have His radiance transform us (Galatians 3:27). Then we can have a flowing out, from Him, that is totally unhindered. This is where the Kingdom of Heaven is manifested in our lives. This is when we experience a baptism of fire. This is where we move in God's power and He establishes and then overshadows us. This is where we reached the beginnings of the fullness of life that Jesus promised us.
Confirmed: On the drive back up here, the Lord prompted me to look up to a truck that said, 'Ring of Fire' on it. Prior to that, I had seen another truck that said, 'Ring's end'. And I had felt God signifying the end of one long season, and a new beginning in this season of the Baptism in Fire. for me, rings have represented seasons based on the promises of God. He puts rings onto us, and He himself wears us as a ring--just look at King Zerubbabel. (For more on the symbolism behind rings, look at this blog post.
Confirmed: A little later on the drive, I read the back of yet another ' quickened truck' and it appeared to say, 'Inner City Fire'. I thought, hey, that would be symbolic for a powerful inner city revival! Seeing people set on fire for Jesus, as the Holy Spirit brought power, love, and conviction to those who have been lost. Praise the Lord! That's what we want to see, and that's what we will see, as God attains to it. As it turns out, the truck said 'Tire' instead of 'Fire', but I give the Holy Spirit credit for ensuring His message got across.
Confirmed: That same night, after we had finished segment two of our drive, I stumbled across a Todd White video that described the baptism of fire. Wow Lord! Here is the video...
"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 honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ..."
--1 Peter 1:7
There is the purifying work of the Holy Spirit--His cleansing power within us (1 John 1:7). That's what the above verse testifies to. God tries us with fire so that He can burn up things that would otherwise hinder us. He tries our faith by allowing trials in our lives. This is purity, as I described in a recent blog post.
"I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire."
--Matthew 3:11
And then there is the "power" work of the Holy Spirit--His ministry within us. This is what's next, after initial purification and trials. Once we've had impurities taken out, burned out, then we can really have the love of God move through us. We must be purified first.
"Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? And who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood And has not sworn deceitfully."
--Psalm 24:3-4
We can get up onto the mountaintop with God, and we can live there comfortably. We can commune with the Lord and have His radiance transform us (Galatians 3:27). Then we can have a flowing out, from Him, that is totally unhindered. This is where the Kingdom of Heaven is manifested in our lives. This is when we experience a baptism of fire. This is where we move in God's power and He establishes and then overshadows us. This is where we reached the beginnings of the fullness of life that Jesus promised us.
Confirmed: On the drive back up here, the Lord prompted me to look up to a truck that said, 'Ring of Fire' on it. Prior to that, I had seen another truck that said, 'Ring's end'. And I had felt God signifying the end of one long season, and a new beginning in this season of the Baptism in Fire. for me, rings have represented seasons based on the promises of God. He puts rings onto us, and He himself wears us as a ring--just look at King Zerubbabel. (For more on the symbolism behind rings, look at this blog post.
Confirmed: A little later on the drive, I read the back of yet another ' quickened truck' and it appeared to say, 'Inner City Fire'. I thought, hey, that would be symbolic for a powerful inner city revival! Seeing people set on fire for Jesus, as the Holy Spirit brought power, love, and conviction to those who have been lost. Praise the Lord! That's what we want to see, and that's what we will see, as God attains to it. As it turns out, the truck said 'Tire' instead of 'Fire', but I give the Holy Spirit credit for ensuring His message got across.
Confirmed: That same night, after we had finished segment two of our drive, I stumbled across a Todd White video that described the baptism of fire. Wow Lord! Here is the video...
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