Christianity by Fire

Text: Act 2:1-1 MORE LESSONS: Joel 2:28-29
Bible Reading in one Year: Psalms 1-3

The enemy you are dealing with is dry grass by prophecy. Rather than struggle with him, just acquire fire. One thing about fire is that it is respected anywhere, any day. Fire is such a strong force on the face of the earth and in Heaven that everything responds to it. In fact the whole earth is moved by it. There is nothing functioning on the earth that is not by fire. Whether it is blue or red, it is fire.

Aircraft, ships and cars are driven by fire; you need fire everywhere. Y our body metabolism is fire; you are warm because your body metabolism is functioning adequately, the moment that system collapses you go cold; that is why when you touch a dead man's body it is cold.

Everything is driven by fire, so when you acquire fire, you acquire energy. When you acquire fire you acquire a force that can drive anything. Fire will drive your possession to you. Everything submits to fire. There is nowhere a man comes in contact with fire and plays with it. If you see a house on fire without control, your possessions not regarding you can't jump in. You will see your certificates, which you spent all your life acquiring, burning and you can't enter the fire, that's the force of fire.

Just as it is in the physical so it is in the spiritual. When you carry fire demons cannot come near you because they are not stupid enough to get burnt. Hell is fire, the resting place for sinners. Why God will use fire to destroy satan and hell at the end of the age is because the only thing that they fear and respect is fire. So before the final day of burning, if you release fire upon demons they will have respect for you. The devil has respect for fire and he doesn't play with it. When you carry fire, the devil sees you from a distance and he runs away. He constantly assesses you to see when the fire goes down, but as long as the fire is in place all the tiny demons that jump around you will disappear.

The answer to the greatest demonic opposition is to acquire fire. Restore fire to your Christian life and destiny by living holy, being prayerful, and running away from fire extinguishers like evil company and sin. You cannot acquire fire by spending hours watching ungodly movies, living in bitterness, unforgiving and careless Christian living. Go back to the upper room and catch the Fire

Prayer/Action
* Ask God for a fresh experience of the Holy Ghost today.
* Pray that you will not lose your strength in God.
* Pray in the spirit for a moment.

Acquiring Fire II

Text: Exodus 3:2-4
MORE LESSONS: Psa. 104:1-4
Bible Reading in one Year: 1Thessalonians 1-3

When we talk about the possession of Jacob, it is a word of God to you as a person, that the promise of greatness given to Abraham must happen in your life. It implies that whatever God promised Abraham must come to pass in your life. Whatever theology says that is contrary to Scripture, you must not accept it. Refuse to accept that darkness will abide on you forever. Refuse to accept that because you fail today, you will remain a failure. Reject failure. Faith is not telling lie, it is simply agreeing with what God's Word says. God's Word says through Abraham you will be blessed, you will be great; if you are small say to yourself, That is the situation today but that is not where I will be tomorrow, I am destined to be great.

What makes you great is not just your profession; it's the promise of God and your connection with that promise. Keep confessing the Word, keep standing on the Word, keep believing it. God says you are blessed and you will be great. Even if today nobody knows you, it is not sufficient; greatness will happen to you before you go to your grave because it is the promise of God, hold on to it. So how does the house of Jacob possess their possession, how do you actualise God’s promise of greatness and blessedness to Abraham which was passed down to Jacob? And the house of Jacob shall be a fire…: Obad.18. The house of Jacob must be a fire.

That is to say if the house of Jacob is going to possess her possession, there is only one requirement- acquire fire! It is going to happen by fire. No fire, no possession,...And the house of Joseph a flame.... The question is, Why fire for possession?...and the house of Esau for stubble….You need fire to take your possession because God always operates great things by fire. Moses was called by fire, the New Testament is operated by fire, Penticost was by fire. Satan dreads fire and God is clothed in fire; your fire power determines your victory in physical warfare, same in the spiritual.

How do you acquire fire? Let Jesus take over your life to rule and reign; step up your holy living such that sin has no place in you, be filled with the Holy Ghost and power, live a prayerful life, ever confronting every work of wickedness by prayer and fasting. One more thing, learn to spend at least one hour praying in the Holy Ghost every day. Then you become a hot stove that no house fly can sit on. Catch the fire.

Prayer/Action
* Ask that the flaming fire of God begin to operate in your life against every enemy position.
* Command every force against the covenant of God over you to begin to burn by fire.
* Ask the anointing of God to fall upon you afresh today.

Fervent Spirit

Text: Acts 18:24-28
More Lessons: Matt. 3:1-11
Bible Reading in One Year: 1Thessalonians 4-5

One of Paul's instructions Christians in Rome about Christian lifestyle and service is, Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord : Rom. 12:11. He saw fervent spirit and effectiveness as necessary components of our service to the Lord. Being fervent in spirit implies being zealous, enthusiastic, and not being indifferent. Diligence and fervency are qualities that God requires of His children because He expects us to be diligent and industrious in all our duties both to God and man, especially in the duties of our calling.
To be fervent is to be earnest; allow your heart to be engaged in everything you do. Be enthusiastic about working for God. Nothing should be done out of hypocrisy, eye service, murmuring, grumbling or with indifference. The Bible condemns the attitude of Reuben, Why abodest thou among the sheepfolds, to hear the bleatings of the flocks? For the divisions of Reuben there were great searchings of heart: Judges 5:16. Contrary to what the world believe, an idle, slothful person cannot be a Christian because Christianity doesn’t encourage idleness or slothfulness.
Apollos has a testimony of being diligent among the Christians in Ephesus, This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John: Acts 18:25. After being taught of the way of the Lord, Apollos became a useful tool in nurturing the believers in Corinth (I Cor. 3:6). Paul also comments about Epaphras as always labouring fervently in prayer (Col 4:12); Phinehas has the commendation for being zealous for God (Num 25:1); Jesus, our perfect example, says, ... My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work: John 4:34. To have a fervent spirit, be earnest, let your heart be engaged in what you do, be diligent in seeking God, be consistent and be at the forefront of Kingdom matters.

Prayer/Action
* Ask the Lord to renew the zeal for His work in your heart.
* Ask God to kindle a fresh fire upon your spirit.

Acquiring Fire I

Text: Hab.2:3
MORE LESSONS: Obadiah 1:17-18
Bible Reading in one Year: Daniel 10-12

I remember that the late Archbishop Benson Idahosa used to say , I can acquire what I desire if I perspire and do not retire. And then one man of God added, ...if only I can refire. So say to yourself, I can acquire what I desire if I perspire and do not retire, but refire. I love the saying because it encourages one to keep on doing something until one gets result. Don't say never; just keep firing. Don't retire, just insist until something happens.

A lot of people go to bed after they have tried and waited on the Lord, fasted and prayed and it looks as if what they are looking for is not forth coming; they retire into sleep and tiredness. They stop praying; in fact sometimes when they announce a fast they ignore the announcement. Don’t be tired of praying, And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint: Lk. 18:1.

Y our problem is not what God can’t do, your retiring is your trouble; beloved, refire! The promises in today’s first scripture are promises that can be achieved if only you understand what the requirement is. The promise is that on Mount Zion there shall be deliverance, there shall be holiness, the house of Jacob shall possess their possession, but then it goes ahead in verse 18 to tell us how the house of Jacob will possess their possession.

The first question we need to ask is, What is the property or estate that the house of Jacob need to possess? The first possession of the house of Jacob is the covenant, And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed: Gen.12:1. This verse spells God’s determination to bless Abraham. When Abraham was dying God had not fully fulfilled that promise, so Abraham handed over to Isaac for the continuity of the fulfilment of the promise in him. Isaac handed the same promise to Jacob and Jacob to Joseph. Obadiah 1:18 says for that promise to be possessed by the patriarchs, Jacob must become a fire and Joseph a flame, while Essau, an enemy of the promise, shall become dry grass.

Taking possession is made easy by the fire in Jacob and Joseph consuming the grass, that is, the enemy of the covenant. Today, I declare all the enemies of your promise dry grass and command your fire to consume them, in Jesus’ name.

Prayer/Action
* Command that every covenant promise for your life step up to fulfilment from today.
* Ask that every obstacle working against your fulfilment in life be destroyed by fire.
* Ask God to rekindle the Holy Ghost fire and righteousness in your life.