Fan Into Flame
The power of the Holy Spirit is like an all-consuming fire that can grow as you allow it to breathe the faith and love of Christ into your heart.
“Now when all the kings west of the Jordan heard about these thing...they came together to wage war against Joshua and Israel. However, when the people of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai, they resorted to a ruse: They went as a delegation whose donkeys were loaded with worn-out sacks and old wineskins, cracked and mended. They put worn and patched sandals on their feet and wore old clothes. All the bread of their food supply was dry and moldy. Then they went to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal and said to him and the Israelites, “We have come from a distant country; make a treaty with us...The Israelites sampled their provisions but did not inquire of the Lord. Then Joshua made a treaty of peace with them to let them live...Three days after they made the treaty with the Gibeonites, the Israelites heard that they were neighbors, living near them. We are now in your hands. Do to us whatever seems good and right to you.” That day he made the Gibeonites woodcutters and water carriers for the assembly, to provide for the needs of the altar of the Lord at the place the Lord would choose."
Joshua 9:1-8, 14-16, 25-27
The Israelites went from fighting one battle to preparing for the next. The text says that the other areas were terrified of what God had done on behalf of the Israelites and they banded together to fight them. One tribe took the opposite approach. They chose humility and service in order to save themselves from what they might face if they opposed the people of God. They pulled off quite the clever trick by using moldy bread and stained apparel. On some level, the ruse was a righteous decision as they feared the Lord and knew that their plan would lead them into a life of service. Is that not what we also choose? We lay down our plans for God's plan knowing that Jesus has called us to carry our own cross by serving others?
Why did the Israelites get tricked? It says they didn't inquire of the Lord. Ask yourself if the times where you have failed the worst or gone the wrong direction were times when you listened to the Lord's prompting. Likely, that was a rhetorical idea as God's ways and plans by design will lead you to a better place. Why do you think the people did not listen or inquire of God? Was it not the same barriers we run into? Perhaps the pressure to do something or the distractions of our daily routines?
“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts. Come and see what the Lord has done...He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.”
Psalms 46:1, 4, 6, 8-11
David makes two statements in this song that could help us fan the flame of the fire within us. He says that God is an ever-present help and we should be still. How does knowing and waiting help us? First, God is an ever-present help. This is a critical insight to move from a deficit mindset to an abundance mindset. In our world our resources are finite. We only have so much money, time, and talent. It is incredibly easy to allow the fear of not having enough impact how we approach life. This can be true with our faith walk.
Do you ever think your troubles are too small to ask for or you are not worthy of an answered prayer? How does that approach change if you realize that Jesus is ever present? Is the Holy Spirit not God within us? Do we live like the Holy Spirit is ever present? How does our language, how does our attitude, and how do our lives reflect the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. People should see evidence of the Spirit through the fruit we produce of joy, peace, patience, self-control, kindness, and more.
David says be still and know that I am God. He says God will be exalted. Doesn't it change the pace of your heartbeat if you already know the outcome? Why do we go through life so anxious when God's word says He will win every battle? We can wait and be still because God does the heavy lifting. We can remain calm in the storm because with a word the seas settle. Truth tells us that when we rush we miss out on the power of the Holy Spirit. When we rush, we leave the house half empty. God wants you to be full of power so you have to wait to become powerful. How hard or easy is it for you to wait? Would you be willing to practice waiting if you knew it would produce better outcomes and you would enjoy the journey more?
“Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come...before the sun and the light and the moon and the stars grow dark, and the clouds return after the rain; when the keepers of the house tremble, and the strong men stoop...when people are afraid of heights and of dangers...Remember him—before the silver cord is severed...and the dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it...here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind."
Ecclesiastes 12:1-3, 5-7, 13-14
Solomon started Proverbs by saying the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. He concludes Ecclesiastes by saying the fear of the Lord is the conclusion of the matter. From beginning to end, from the day of our births to the day of our deaths, we made to have a kingdom perspective. How would you describe your current perspective? Are you full of gratitude and feeling God's presence? What are the patterns of your life that help you keep things in perspective? The bible teaches us we can fan the flames of our faith by practice prayer, meditation on God's word, by giving, and serving. Each of these are gifts of the Spirit that grow our spiritual power.
Solomon says remember you Creator. What happens when you remember God? What happens when you look back at your life and consider all that He has given to you? Are you not full of joy and thankful for His grace? When Solomon says remember, he is certainly talking about taking the time to give thanks. There is a greater depth to his instruction though than producing gratitude in your heart. When you combine remembering God, with keeping a right perspective and practicing your faith, you can see how God wants you to invite the Holy Spirit into all that you do. Solomon is not just saying remember when you feel like reminiscing. Solomon is saying God all the time, in every situation, and invite the Holy Spirit in so that you remember to not fear anything but God. How could this approach reduce the fear in your life and help increase the boldness in which you share what God is doing in your life?
“Now they sin more and more; they make idols for themselves from their silver, cleverly fashioned images, all of them the work of craftsmen...But I have been the Lord your God ever since you came out of Egypt. You shall acknowledge no God but me, no Savior except me. When I fed them, they were satisfied; when they were satisfied, they became proud; then they forgot me. Where is your king, that he may save you? I will deliver this people from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death."
Hosea 13:1-2, 4, 6, 10, 14
If you were Satan and you wanted to keep people from doing God's will, what would you do to stop them? Would you not find other idols or temptations? Would you not get them to be upset or offended easily? Would you not get people to procrastinate the good deeds and entice them with bad deeds? Would you not inflate their pride and encourage comparison? Would you not turn their minds towards thinking about what they do not have rather than what they do have? Have you ever considered the schemes that the enemy uses against us?
The truth tells us that God designed us for so much more than we often receive. He wants to be your source of provision, peace, and power. The text says that He fed and satisfied his people. Then is says they quickly forget him and became proud. Imagine if one of your friends or family treated you the same way. Wouldn't you be heart broken? God loves us with an everlasting love and does not leave us when we are unfaithful. He still makes a plan to overcome the grave and redeem sinners from death. Why? Because God is love.
“Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. He has saved us and called us to a holy life not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you—guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.”
2 Timothy 1:2, 6-7, 9-10, 13-14
Paul starts by giving the people what they need. Grace, mercy, and peace. It is grace, mercy, and peace that are meant to get us back to neutral and out of whatever pitfalls we might have stumbled. Grace gives us healing we never thought possible. Mercy shows the smile on our Maker's face. Peace makes us whole and prepares us for God's purposes. We all need grace, mercy, and peace. We all benefit by starting our day receiving all that God has for us to receive. Have you taken the time to receive God's blessing for you today?
Paul sees the life of faith as a life of action. He says fan the flame. There is work to do. Do not let the flame go out by forgetting God. Breathe life into your faith by focusing on Jesus and keeping the patterns of faith. There is a strong connection to Genesis here when God breathed life into dust and the dust became Adam. The same idea for the spirit that gives life is the same spirit that lives in us. Paul says this spirit is not timid. Have you been timid about your faith? Paul says the spirit you have been given is power, love, and self-discipline. You can almost imagine Paul elevating his voice and speaking with booming authority as he calls out these truths. You have power. How will you use it? Will you increase your power by practicing the love that Jesus modeled for us? Will you find ways to use you power to serve others and bring hope to the hopeless?
The spirit we have been given is a gift. Paul calls it the good deposit. Have you ever thought about the deposit that way? The crazy thing is how different this deposit works than our normal deposits. With a deposit in a bank, if you make a withdrawal, you have less. The good deposit is a deposit that never lessens. It is an abundant source of power that multiplies as you give it away. Guarding the good deposit is not withholding it from going into circulation. It is making sure that every penny is accounted for you and can speak to what you do with what you have been given. What will you do with the good deposit that God has given you? How will you fan the flames of your faith by practicing your power and pursuing a life of loving others? Jesus said it is better for you if I leave because I will send you the Holy Spirit, the Advocate, the Power. It takes faith to believe that what He said is true and to take practice using that power when you find someone who needs it.