Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:6-7
Once the fire of God is kindled in our hearts, it is our responsibility as individuals to fan the flames. It’s one thing to have all the logs or coals on the fireplace, with the ambers glowing nicely and quite another to keep the fire burning. By the way, how do you stoke your fire?
Well, naturally speaking, if the fire seems to die out, you can use a long stick or a fire poker to move the logs around. You should also blow on them to provide a burst of air (oxygen). Then you keep working on the fire until it is stable again. If you neglect it, it will go out. So you need to keep using your poker from time to time to keep your logs or coals together and to keep fanning the flames to keep your fire alive. It’s not automatic.
That’s exactly how it is in the spiritual. Your spiritual fire requires closeness. You must stay close to other “hot believers”. Stay close to the Word. And you must also blow some air onto your fire. That speaks of the Holy Spirit. Make it your habit to be refilled by the Spirit from time to time (Ephesians 5:18). Don’t rest on your ancient baptism in the Spirit. Get some fresh anointing periodically. Also, keep on praying in the Spirit. Build yourself up on your most holy faith that way (Jude 20). Another great thing to do is to pray using the Word of God, which is the sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:17-18). Walk closely to the Lord Jesus. In fact, abide in Him (John 15:4).
Nobody out there can stir up your spiritual fire. It’s not your Pastor’s responsibility to keep you fervent in spirit. It’s not the quality of your Worship Ministry that keeps you ablaze. And it’s not automatic. If you do nothing about it, your fire will steadily subside and you’ll begin to feel far from God. You’ll lose your cutting edge. Don’t let that happen to you.
Pastor Josh