Consuming Fire

 Exodus 24:17 

The sight of the glory of The LORD was like a consuming fire on the top of the mountain in the eyes of the children of Israel. 

    The King James translates 'consuming' as 'devouring'. We know what it looks like when someone is devouring food or when a wildfire devours a landscape. The relentless pursuit of satisfying one's cravings or hunger tears a body up until that crave is satisfied. The terror if you are in the path of the wildfire fills you so that some come to a standstill and cannot move, while others flee to get away. This is the effect that the 'fire on the mountain of God' had on the Israelites who were following Moses. 

    Exodus 19:18

Mount Sinai was completely enveloped in smoke, because The LORD had descended on it in fire. And the smoke rose like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked violently. 

    This consuming fire is the presence of The Lord God. All the human eye can see is smoke and fire and earthquake. I guess that would be terrifying, wouldn't it, if you can't see with the eyes of your heart or spirit. 

    But when the disciples experienced the fire of God, as God's Holy Spirit came down upon them, they were not afraid. They were ready because they were prayed up. After all, these 120 men and women had fellowshipped and prayed together for fifty days, not knowing when God would send The Comforter, but wanting to be ready when He arrived. 

    Are you ready for God to send His Holy Spirit to you? Are you prayed up? Are you eagerly anticipating His arrival? God cannot send His Holy Spirit to us if we are not ready to receive Him. 

    Let us come together in peaceful fellowship and pray together faithfully and sincerely that our Lord and Savior would make us ready to receive Him, that we, too, might walk in the power of The Holy Spirit of God. He Who fills us with Himself will Himself give us His strength to testify on His behalf of this wonderful gift of grace through Jesus Christ. 

HOLY SPIRIT RAIN DOWN - Alvin Slaughter

WELCOME HOLY SPIRIT - Hilde M. Bedsvaag

    

The Inspired Box - May 2

 

PSALM 27:1

The LORD is The Strength of my life:

of whom shall I be afraid? 

    We are to be bold as lions when we testify of God's amazing grace on our lives (Proverbs 28:1). Though we are like sheep among wolves (Matthew 10:16), we are to be shrewd/wise/sensible/cunning (strategic thinking) as serpents and innocent/sincere/blameless/unsophisticated as doves. On a side note, Strong's Exhaustive Concordance describes sheep as "easily led, forward walking". 

    When we follow our Shepherd faithfully, it is entirely possible to be not only a sheep in His flock, His pasture, but also a lion following The LION OF JUDAH (Revelation 5:5). When Christ spoke to the crowds surrounding Him, He told them He could only speak what His Father was speaking. When we hear Him speak to us, we hear our Father speaking His Word over us and into us. This is our STRENGTH. What, indeed, do we have to fear from anyone? 

    Since we see that God's people are likened to sheep, we also see that the places we will go when we speak God's Word into the ears of those who hear us, will be the territories of they who will try to kill us, for that is what wolves do:they are predatory and viciously attack when least expected. Our weapon in overcoming these wolves are the same as David's: his faith in God to give him strength to defend his position and his flock.  Sometimes the wolves will be allowed to win and overcome the Christian, at other times The Word of God will cause the wolves to cower and slink away. Psalm 27:2. 

    Let us kneel before God in the privacy of our prayer closets/war rooms and find strength in His presence, seeking only to be with Him in His kingdom. And in these times of prayer with our God, let us also pray to be filled with His Light, His Word and His Spirit that we may truly walk as lions in a world filled with wolves. 

THIS IS THE AIR I BREATHE - Michael W. Smith 

CONSUMING FIRE - Hillsong    

 

Firedancer

When the Spirit of the Lord hits me,
I am filled, I am filled.


When the Spirit of the Lord lifts me,
I am healed, I am healed.

I am filled with awe and wonder
I am healed with joy and grace
I am dancing deep in spirit
For I walk in power in this place


When the Spirit of the Lord is on me
I can sing in power and peace
For the Lord my God, my Creator
Lives and breathes inside of me.


I am filled with awe and wonder
I am healed with joy and grace
I am dancing deep in spirit
For I walk in power in this place

I am filled, I am healed




For the flame of God within me
Is consuming all of me
That the light of my Salvation
Is the only life you see


I am filled, I am healed


I am filled with awe and wonder
I am healed with joy and grace
I am dancing deep in spirit
For I walk in power in this place


~No weapon formed against me
Shall ever overcome
For the Spirit of God within me
Has made himself at home
I have risen from the ashes
He has clothed me with Himself
A crown of life adorns my head
And a Sword is in my mouth~


I am filled, I am healed


For the glory of God sustains me
He is my Honey and my Wine
He is the Bread of my existence
He is the Life that ever shines

I am filled, I am healed

I am filled with awe and wonder

I am healed with joy and grace

I am dancing deep in spirit

For I walk in power in this place

I am filled

I am healed