Acts 2:3 AMPC
And there appeared to them tongues resembling fire, which were separated and distributed and which settled on each one of them.
Last night, in the cool of the evening we sat by our chiminea in the garden and warmed ourselves by the fire.
There's something very alluring watching the tongues of flames burning upwards towards the night sky, consuming the wood and any sort of rubbish leftover from our meal.
Yet our seagull, Fluff and Monsieur le Fox are not so keen on the flames and it tends keeps them at bay.
Interestingly, fire is one of the symbols of the coming of the Holy Spirit as we read in Acts - the Holy Spirit fell on each of the disciples and empowered them to speak and witness for Jesus, when previously they had been hiding away in fear.
Personally, being naturally extremely shy, I was revolutionised by the Holy Spirit back in March 1977 - my walk with Jesus was transformed and the Bible, which had previously been a dry, uninteresting book, became a wonderful guide for each day of my life.
Throughout the Bible God's Presence is often seen as fire (Exodus 3:2), (Exodus 13:21-22).
It is a form of protection and guidance, but is something to respect and be in awe of as well.
When Jesus met the two disciples on the Emmaus road He caused their hearts to burn within them as He opened up and explained the scriptures.
So the fire of the Holy Spirit will open and illumine God's Word and make it brand new and relevant to your everyday life - to guide, warm and protect you.
It will also be alluring to others around you so that you are empowered to be witnesses to Jesus.
Without the Fire we are powerless and we grow cold, but with that Fire burning in our hearts, the lies of satan are consumed and out go fear, doubt, deception and destruction.
A healthy fear of fire is a good thing, so too we must keep in mind that our God is a consuming fire (Hebrews 12:29).
They will be times when the Holy Spirit burns up the dross in our lives, just like the rubbish in our chiminea.
A prayer to end:
Father, in Jesus name, send the fire of your Holy Spirit anew in our hearts today - burn away the lies of the evil one and illumine our way so that we too may be lit up to draw others into the Kingdom!
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