What is God Consuming in Your Life?
I have one
child. Not many people are bold enough to ask why. It’s a touchy subject. There
may be pain involved and you may not be prepared to respond to the emotional
need. Others feel judged by their choice and feel like they need to justify
their choice to have one child in a culture where the “perfect” family consists
of mom, dad, and two children. You definitely don’t want to ask someone like
that for fear of having your head bit off and handed back to you after only after a tirade of a women’s right
to choose.
Me? I
wanted four children. It didn’t work, and yes, it was painful. Month after
month, my body betrayed me and my desperate desire continued to grow. I went to
see a fertility doctor and after several months and rounds of test, we were
told we were incapable of having a baby – despite our having had a successful
pregnancy (anomaly, they said). I was devastated. And I was mad. Mad at my
body. Mad at my Man. Mad at my having to give up a desire. And I was mad at
God. Why would He surprise me twice (I also miscarried), make me change my
plans, make me hope for a family and then deny me.
I started
to believe God intended to give me a bigger family, and this was a test. I
played mindgames with God. Believe me, it doesn’t work. I was determined to
achieve my plan; my desire for another child consumed me. It was all I thought
about.
One day during
worship on a Sunday morning, the words of the song read something like, “I
surrender my desires to your Consuming Fire.” I stopped. I couldn’t sing those
words. I realized I was being consumed by my desire for a baby more than
anything else – more than I wanted God. It had become an idol. It was a moment
of horrible realization; followed by months, and months of repentance as God
began to become my Consuming Fire.
The Lord is
introduced as a Consuming Fire in Deuteronomy. Deuteronomy is Moses’ last
hurrah, if you will, before the people enter the Promised Land. He’s reminding
them who they are, and who they belong to. He’s teaching them (again) how to
live in view of those two things when they enter the Promised Land.
Moses
called him a Consuming Fire (Deut 4:24) because He is a jealous God. There is
no hidden meaning in the term. Consuming Fire isn’t ambiguous – it really means
a fire that consumes. It eats, it slays, it destroys, and it burns up. God will
not share His Glory; He’ll burn up anything that is set up as an idol. He is a
Consuming Fire.
The
Consuming Fire also goes before them and devours their enemies; the ones who
stand in the way of their receiving their inheritance.
Joshua and
Caleb were the only leaders who took possession in the Promised Land. Why?
Because they had confidence God would give it to them. Numbers 14:8, “...He
will bring us into this land...[do not] fear the people...for they are our bread; their protection has departed from them,
and the Lord is with us.” It didn’t matter they were warned there were enemies
bigger and stronger than they in the land.
God is a Consuming Fire and He would destroy their enemy.
Time and
again, the Bible shares story after story of God fighting the enemy – like a
fire wipes out the forest, God wipes out our enemy. Who can forget Jericho?
What did the people do? Did they fight? No, they walked in a circle. What about
Gideon? How big was his army? 300?
The
beautiful gospel is that God, the Consuming Fire is still fighting our battles,
so that we too, may take possession of our inheritance, which is the Kingdom of
heaven.
Jesus was
consumed by something too...zeal for His Father’s house. John witnessed Jesus
in the temple, throwing out the crooked sellers. Jesus, who was so full of
love, seemed to suddenly become violent – throwing around tables and money.
Jesus might have looked like we look when we are consumed with something – eyes
wild, passionate, and ready to attack anything that threatened it. The
disciples remembered Psalmist’s words, “Zeal for Your house consumes me.”
(Psalm 69:9) His Father’s house is meant for holiness, and nothing less would
satisfy.
There is a
benefit to forest fires; despite the devastation, some types of seeds need a
fire to release the seed inside themselves. What happened after the Consuming
Fire destroyed their enemies? They took possession of the Promised Land. What
happens once the Consuming Fire burns up our idols? It leaves available the
only spot God is willing to occupy in our lives.
The
Consuming Fire is on the move in this season, among believers around the world.
I see evidence of this by the increased sales of a flag pair called Consuming
Fire. Most of the 70+ flag choice amount to less than 3% of my overall yearly
sales, but not Consuming Fire flags. Not last year, and definitely not this
year. God is at
work, consuming what threatens to replace Him as Lord, and consuming our
enemies. He wants us to have possession of the Kingdom of heaven, our
inheritance. And He’s ramping up – all over the world.
In 2015, Consuming Fire worship flags represented 5.9% of overall yearly
sales. This year, as of July 31, Consuming Fire flags represent 10.5% of sales
to date; the number is low because I’ve been out of stock. The fabric for these
flags, which was supposed to last more than three years, is gone in just two
years.
God is a Consuming Fire because He is holy. He burns up anything unholy.
He will not share your worship or passion, nor will he allow anything to stand
in the way of your inheritance.
What is God consuming in your life? If someone or something is in your
top spot, repent. If you need an enemy removed so you can take possession of
the Kingdom, which is your inheritance, stand aside and let the Consuming Fire
devour it. Finally, let what consumes Him, also consume you; be zealous for His
church.
Comments
Post a Comment