Get Burnt

Oh my. 

God has been doing so much this year. But let me tell you when the Lord is working mightily to raise up His people for victory, the enemy goes into overdrive. So I feel strongly that this word is needed to encourage His people today.

This morning I was driving to work. Normal day. Not expecting anything significant, and suddenly the Holy Spirit started stirring me and I felt the fire of God and I had to worship. I mean had to. Like the kind of had to that if I did not I knew my day was going to be a mess. That has never happened to me on the way to work before. I put music on and the Lord started playing with me. 

The song He chose this morning for me and my two younger kids said, "Come like a wildfire and burn up our idols." "Empty me, fill me up, make me a vessel." 

Somewhere close friends, revival is happening. Something shifted in the atmosphere today. I feel an urgency to run toward it with reckless abandon. 

Revival is coming and it will absolutely turn everything we thought we understood about our Jesus upside down. On our jobs, in the grocery store, in our doctor's offices, in the coffee shops, revival is coming and we will not be able to hide from it. Will we run from the revival fire or run into it?

There are people I know, that have lost their sensitivity to what the Lord is doing because they did not know how to respond to it. They ran from the fire and the world burned them up. "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak" (Matthew 26:41). My heart aches for them. They only need to stop running and the mercy and grace of God will overtake them. 

I heard the Lord say, "Will you carry my fire into work with you? Will you carry this worship in front of your face like frontlets and carry my praise on your lips? Will you let me wreck your schedule? Will you let me use you to burn the people who come in contact with you today?"

The idol He wants to burn up in this season is the idol of comfort and control. 

"You are the light of the world," comes into a whole new perspective when you realize that the light in you is the light that comes from fire. It's an all-consuming fire that heals through love, that breaks chains with truth, and casts out demons through power. People just have to get close enough to the fire to feel its warmth. But you've got to get real close to fire to get burnt. 

How close will you allow people to get to you so that they get burned up in the Fire of the Holy Spirit just by being in your presence? 

Friends, Jesus is not talking about warm fuzzy light when He says: "YOU are the light of the world." He's saying that His children are lost in the dark and He wants you to get so close to them that they not only get the warm and fuzzies and gain some sight but, also get delivered and set free with His all-consuming fire so they will never walk in darkness again!

The time for warm and fuzzy Christianity is coming to an end. He is fanning the glowing coals lying dormant in our hearts and He will consume us will His fire. These are coals we let die out because we thought being "light," meant being nice and saying "god-bless you," holding the door for others, paying for someone's Starbucks behind us, or giving the homeless guy 5 bucks.  We will need to let go of control and abandon ourselves to the fact that our pay-it-forwards aren't bringing God the kind of glory He wants.  

I'm not saying that our acts of kindness don't matter. I absolutely do not want to live in a world where there are no acts of kindness and Jesus says that when we do anything to the least of these we are doing things unto him. But what sets us apart from unbelievers who can also be kind? What makes us look different?

When He sends His spirit to fan the coals of our hearts, will we carry His fire everywhere we go or will we save it for ourselves? Tuck it under our pillows, write it in our journals, and go on with business as usual. I sure hope not. This world is getting pretty dark for us believers to go on acting like Jesus didn't wreck us and being stingy with our testimonies. 

"Empty me, fill me up, make me a vessel."

If you are a believer this is just what He's done. Made you a vessel carrying His Holy Spirit. It might be a good time to make peace with this.

"In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."

Let's agree to be the kind of light that can't be put under a basket cause we'll burn the basket up. 

In Jesus's name.