Fire

“The main character in this drama—compared to him I’m a mere stagehand—will ignite the kingdom life within you, a fire within you, the Holy Spirit within you, changing you from the inside out. He’s going to clean house—make a clean sweep of your lives. He’ll place everything true in its proper place before God; everything false he’ll put out with the trash to be burned.” (Matthew 11:12 MSG)

Humans discovered the power of fire a long time ago. We used it for cooking, lighting, and heating.  Our early ancestors used fire to scare away predators, to steam bend wood for bows, arrows, and spears, to make metal tools and pottery, to clear farm ground, and to burn waste. Firepower has been used to fight enemies and conquer kingdoms. To this day, we use it to cauterize wounds, solder broken connections, and even melt scented candles that suffuse the air with fragrance.

The Holy Spirit is often portrayed as fire. The Spirit lights our path, making the invisible visible. He simmers the indigestible, until it is digestible. The Holy Spirit protects us against the Enemy. He bends us into useful tools and weapons. He molds us into properly shaped containers according to God’s purpose.  He solders together what was once broken and cauterizes our wounds. We are ignited with passion for God because of His influence. He burns the waste, clearing anything that is false, purifying our thoughts, words, and behavior. The Holy Spirit melts us from the inside out--releasing His fragrance that is contained within us.