As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor; and He will gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” Matthew 3:11-12
THE FIRE IS COMING!
Will we be ready?
Will we be standing in the midst of the flames or will we burned up as chaff?
Our God is a consuming fire and just as Christ gave His all even unto death, He wants our ALL. He wants our best, not just the leftovers.
More than once, we can read in His Word that he is a jealous God. To that point of the great commandments, what was the first given to Moses?
You shall have no other gods before Me. Exodus 20:3
When the fire of His presence and power comes it will reveal and burn up ANYTHING that’s not of Him. He is a refining fire who will have a PURE and spotless Bride.
The choice is ours, we can search ourselves and lay down anything in our lives that is not of Him and toss it into the fire voluntarily or we can hang onto it and still have it burned off in His refining fire and endure the pain of struggle of the process. I don’t know about you, but I would much rather lay what I can voluntarily.
Just as we would not serve your guest out of dirty dishes, likewise His power and presence cannot be poured into unholy vessels.
However, rest assured that when we, who are called by His name go into the fiery furnace, it is the fire of his raging love not of wrath. He refines us so that we can be closer to Him. It is and act of LOVE. Even in the refining He takes DELIGHT in YOU!
My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, Nor detest His correction; For whom the Lord loves He corrects, Just as a father the son in whom he delights. Proverbs 3:11-12
Other than merely refining those who He loves, what happens in the midst of the “All Consuming Fire”
In his presence there is FULLNESS of joy” Psalms 16:11
There are “signs and wonders” – The lame walk, the blind see, the deaf hear, those in bondage are set free. He reveals Himself as THE ALMIGHTY. The ONE and ONLY TRUE GOD.
So I say again, THE FIRE IS COMING. Are you ready?
All Consuming Fire by Jesus Culture
https://youtu.be/OIhHy9IyqP8?si=eOejkD4l5d7Hi-b8