Chimneys

Ever noticed how many buildings have chimneys?  Society used to gather around the presence of fire. Buildings were designed around the presence of fire. How many of all those chimneys are still in use today? Not many I would venture to say. Fire is Dangerous, its a Health & Safety risk. Fire has been removed and chimneys have been condemned, we have invented alternate way of heating. We have nice heaters that look like fire places and make a nice but fake flame. Fire has been removed. 

Has the church removed the Fire of God, the Presence of God and made ways of "faking" or replacing it with programmes, watered down truth, the feel-good factor and political correctness.

When His Fire comes it consumes everything. When Elijah confronts the King, the prophets of Baal and the people of Israel on Mount Carmel in 1 Kings 18 he says that the God who answers with fire is the true God. After the prophets of Baal had been calling on their god for hours with no result Elijah builds an altar and prepares the sacrifice. His has it "flooded" with water then he prays. Verse 18 says;
" Then the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench."

The Fire of God consumes which can be scary, its not a "safe and in control" place to be unlike a nice warm heater. But a heater can never captivate us like a fire does. Have you ever gazed at a fire burning and been captivated? Now ask yourself - have you ever been captivated by a heater?

By removing the fire or presence of God we can control our meetings but will never see the healing, restoration and freedom that comes with the Fire of God.

My prayer is that I would never block the fire of God in my own life by choosing a safe and in control way of life