A Nugget from New Life Network
Scripture for the Day (December 20, 2017)
And they said to one another, “Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?” (Luke 24:32)
In our devotional yesterday we talked about being stirred up and we mentioned that the Hebrew word used in the Old Testament for “stirred up” was “uwr” which means to wake up, open your eyes, arouse, or stir yourself up. The Greek word used in 2 Peter 1:13 for “stirred up” is “diegeiro” which means to wake fully or arouse. The Greek word used in 2 Timothy 1:6 for “stirred up” is “anazopureo” which means to re-enkindle.
Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands. For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. (2 Timothy 1:6-7)
Let’s talk about this one definition “re-enkindle”. If you have ever had a wood burning fireplace you understand what you have to do when your fire burns down to where there is very few or no flames. What you do is poke the logs with a poker and those hot coals fall to the bottom and re-enkindle the fire. You then go get some fresh new logs and throw them on the fire. This is the same thing that happens in the Spirit and it’s the same way we should be operating in the Church. We need a poker to keep this fire going. That poker is the Holy Ghost, which may come via a five-fold minister, or it may be left up to you.
The older and more mature logs, as they are poked and shaken, should be providing the hot coals to cause the new logs (new believers) to catch fire. That’s how this fire spreads. Fire is part of the Baptism of the Holy Ghost. John the Baptist spoke about it:
I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance. but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: (Matthew 3:11)
All the people in the Upper Room experienced it when fire came down from Heaven and sat (rested) on each of them (Acts 2:3).
There appeared to them tongues resembling fire, which were being distributed [among them], and they rested on each one of them [as each person received the Holy Spirit]. (Acts 2:3, Amplified Bible)
The fire of God is critical and essential to our relationship with God and it takes maintenance, just like the fire in your fireplace. If you don’t poke the fire, and keep adding more logs to the fire, it will eventually burn down to just about nothing. The heat that is supposed to be produced will be greatly diminished. Thankfully, the prophet Isaiah tells us that the Lord will not put out or extinguish a smoldering or dimly lit wick (Is. 42:3). However, that is not God’s best!
It’s not the best for us, or for the people we are called to minister to. We need to be on-fire for God!!!Are you as on-fire for God as you once were when you first gave your life to Jesus? Are you in His Word as much as you once were? Are you praying as much in the Holy Ghost as you were when you were first baptized in the Holy Ghost? Are you as excited about sharing your faith as you once were? If not, poke yourself!!! If you are not in an on-fire church, find one. Get back into His Word. Pray daily in the Holy Ghost if you have received your prayer language. Do what the Apostle Paul told Timothy to do. Stir yourself up!!!
