Recently, I met with Ryan Stacey, who is my website designer and a professional fire fighter. Our conversation turned to what makes a fire burn. Ryan told me that there are four elements necessary for it to burn. It takes (1) fuel, (2) heat and (3) oxygen to start the fire. Then Ryan said that the final element necessary to give life to the fire is a sustained chemical reaction. Otherwise, the fire will go out. I thought of how this compared to our Christian lives. First, we need fuel, which is our faith in Christ. Second, we need to keep our faith heated up and alive – fired up! Third, we must constantly supply our faith with the life-giving oxygen of the Word of God. Finally, to keep all this working, we need one more element – the presence of the Holy Spirit.
In Luke 3:16 (NKJV), John the Baptist said to those around him, “I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” The first three elements of vibrant Christian living, faith, fire in our hearts and the Word of God, when combined with the Holy Spirit’s divine presence and power, enables us to continue to burn for Jesus. Do you have all four of these working together to keep you fired up for Jesus? Remember, the presence of the Holy Spirit will be the deciding factor on whether you will sustain a fire-filled life of fruitfulness in Christ.