The Baptism of Fire

Text: Matt.3:15-17
MORE LESSONS: Matthew 3:5-12
Bible Reading in one Year: Psalms 4-6

There is a difference between the Holy Ghost and fire, I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: Matt 3:11.

You could carry the Holy Ghost and speak in tongues and it ends there, they are not the evidence of fire. You need to acquire the fire, which also comes from the Holy Ghost but can stand alone. So when you see people who are filled with the Holy Ghost and speak in tongues and when they sleep demons come to oppress them, they don’t have the fire. The fire that the Bible talks about here refers to baptism in the Holy Spirit and with fire. However, when there is sin in your life, the fire dies, The spirit of man is the candle of the LORD, searching all the inward parts of the belly: Prov. 20:27.

The fire of God in your life is located in your spirit man. Wherever in your life that you tolerate sin, the consequence is that the light goes off. But the plan of God is that the candlelight of God should be on perpetually, The fire shall ever be burning upon the altar; it shall never go out: Lev. 6:13. In the spirit realm the altar of a child of God is his heart, a symbol of the altar of God.

Your spirit man is an altar, and the instruction to the priest is that upon this altar the fire shall burn regularly (Lev. 6:13). In other words, your spirit must relate with the fire of the Holy Ghost regularly, every time, every moment, every minute, everyday. You must be somebody whose spirit is consistently on fire for God because the candlelight of your spirit (your inner man) is the spirit of God.

When you walk into sin, no matter how tiny it is the candlelight is quenched. When you walk into sin, the power of the light that ought to be consistently on is terminated. Sin destroys the fire of the spirit, it doesn't matter what that sin is. Even a tiny lie would mess you up. Every time you go into sin you quench the fire; that is the reason why without the fire on you cannot possess your possession. When your fire is constantly on, which means your spirit is constantly in touch with the Spirit of God, everything that is yours walks up to you.

When Jesus was baptised three things happened to Him:

1. Heaven opened.
2. The Holy Ghost, like a dove, descended on Him.
3. He heard the voice from Heaven.
That is more than a tongue experience. Ask for it.

Prayer/Action
* Ask God to baptise you with the Holy Ghost and fire.
* Ask God to take you deeper in the Holy Ghost than tongue experience.
* Ask that the Lord will add gifts of the Spirit to your baptism experience.

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.