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Intro and Engage
Intro and Engage
In a Series called Ignite - Fan the flame the gift that God has given you.
For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands,
Week 1: Who before the Do | Why before the what - Getting Activated
Week 2: Getting passion back - En Theos
Week 3: Choose the things of God
Week 4: We choose to be Ready over reactive - so we don’t fall to temptation
Brings us to the final week - | Tell you a story
Cooking, Turned it off, Sauce never thickened
Sometimes it’s not getting the flame on, but it’s keeping it going.
title: how to stay on fire for god
my hope
Key Verse:
Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.
Be Fervent; Greek word: Zeo = Boil - in fact it’s only used a couple of times in the whole bibe. We are told to stay on the boil - Paul is Urging us to here.
Who here would like to stay ‘on the boil’ for God? always simmering, always Hot always on fire?
The problem is not a lack of “want” but in fact “How”.
How in a world full of distraction - To stay on fire for God, So often Message series in Jan | Forgotton by March | So How?
I want to go to OT Scripture = Daniel
Story takes place 605 BC - Jeruluselum had been destroyed | babylonians came in | Babylon would take the brightest, strongest, fittest - best of best | Indocternate them | King Noticed Daniel | Was training him for Leadership | Raising him up to promote him | Babylonians not happy - Tried to find dirt, checked his Social Media, asked previous gfs =
Then the high officials and the satraps sought to find a ground for complaint against Daniel with regard to the kingdom, but they could find no ground for complaint or any fault, because he was faithful, and no error or fault was found in him.
How? How was he FAITHFUL, HAD NO ERROR, RESPONSIBLE - He stayed on the boil, but how? - I want to discuss 4 things today;
We will be consistant
We will be Devoted
We will Plan to fail
We will Give it up
Point 1: We will be consistent
So what happened to Daniel? Babylonians couldn’t find any dirt | Didn’t want this to keep going on | Jealous | Goes to king with idea “Hey King, you’re the goat, you’re amazing, sign this decree” | King Signs decree to say anyone prays to any other God, goes to lions den
What did Daniel do? Faced with a massive choice? No, he had already decided things of God.
When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously.
Watch his consistancy. Then what happened? He broke the law | Got thrown into lions den | Before that
Then the king commanded, and Daniel was brought and cast into the den of lions. The king declared to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, deliver you!”
Continuelly - Always did it | in Lions den | Angel shut the mouths of the lions
Then the king was exceedingly glad, and commanded that Daniel be taken up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no kind of harm was found on him, because he had trusted in his God.
Daniels Faith was built on his knees because he was... consistant | Not in times of trouble | Day in, day out | He chose to be consistent, he chose to show up.Chose to be close to God.
If you want to stay on the boil, be fervent in spirit, choose to be consistant.
Point 2: We choose to be devoted - to be people of God that are driven by our devotion to things OF God. We choose Devotion, over Desire - Why could daniel do the things that he did? He was Devoted - Devoted to spending time | This idea of committing yourself is important;
And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles.
A thriving community | they where Devoted | Why most new years resolutions don’t work - Bread out of a desire, not out a devotion | On January 1st, I’m going to… so I eat as much as I can now | If lung cancer and needed to quit smokes - i’ll do it Jan 1st, no, you would have a good enough Why, and so you would be DEVOTED To quitting | What is your WHY?
I wanna look more spiritual, NO - I want to spend more time with God - AMEN
I want my spouse to stop being lazy - No - I want my marriage to honour God, I want Jesus to be the centre of it and honour the vowels I said on the say I gave my life to my other half
Be a good steward.
Your “why” makes you ‘devoted’ - Daniel, no matter what said “I need to pray” - He was devoted to God - We have a real enemy, steal kill and destroy and try and turn off your burner - When you know your WHY, you’ll know WHAT TO DO.
Let’s choose to be devoted.
Next point - Plan to fail - Might sound counter intuitive but hear me out- What happened when I turned the stove off? I knew straight away I had to turn it back on - Straight away. Why? Because I knew what to do if I failed - I had a backup plan.
For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.
For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.
Why do we plan to fail?
We are not as strong as we think
We are broken, born of sin
We glance, we get distracted
We are human, not Jesus - WE must constantly lean on him
The problem is, we have a “All or nothing” mindset - If we don’t believe we can make it 110%, we don’t even try, and when we do try and we fail, we give up. why? Because we have bought the lie from the enemy, we have to be perfect.
God isn’t chasing your perfection - He just wants your participation, ONE who is Perfect, and we can’t get there.
We have a God who gives us GRACE. In fact, we are saved by Grace.
Begin reading the bible - Start with a Verse “Jesus wept” - Boom read my bible today.
Pray - Short, simple, miss one day, don’t miss two.Simple why? it’s too complicated you won’t do it, short? Well when you get into it, you might go longer.
When you fail, and you will, think of yourself as you ought - Take it to God, if required, ask Him for Forgiveness, then roll up your sleeves and get on with it | If God can give you grace, you can as well.
If your burner turns off, just turn it right back on, but have a plan - Don’t let the enemy condem.
We plan to fail, so we can keep on going.
Point 4: We give it up
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
Daniel, knowing the law | Knowing the consequence | prayed anyway | He gave it up, He gave up His life for God | What ever happens
When we pray it do we believe it “My life is not my own” | I am an instrument of the God most High | We need to give it up;
The control
The anxiety
The worry
Our desires
Our Hurt
Our lives
Give it up.
You are on this planet to serve a mission that only God can comprehend. God is not asking for your comprehension, He is asking for your co-operation.
“Everything I have, I throw into your hands”. - Do you believe it?
It might be subtle, what is it, you need to give up?
Taking on the church The lord put me onto this verse.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make straight your paths.
Be not wise in your own eyes;
fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.
It will be healing to your flesh
and refreshment to your bones.
We choose to give it up - Want to stay consistantly hot for hte lord? Give up the control.
Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.
Inspo and close
Inspo and close
What does it look like in your life to stay “Fervent” to stay “on the boil”?
What does your life look like?
Thriving Marriage, building each other up, praying with each other, complementing each other, Jesus at the centre
If you don’t have a partner knowing God has someone for you.
Being a good steward with money, not stressing, not worrying
Being close to God, praying consistently,
Active spiritual life
Waking up every day knowing that you have PURPOSE where you are because you TRUST your GOD - Becuase you know He put you where you are because tehre is MEANING there for you - Knowing the pain your going through is because God is doing something IN YOU.
Let me tell you something, God wants to IGNITE something in you | Not just ignite - KEEP BURNING.
For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands,
So we will;
Be Consistant
Choose to be devoted over having a desire
Plan to fail
Give it up
Maybe you’ve been here before, the flame has been ignited, you’re ready, but you stumbled,its ok - God gives grace. maybe you’ve tried to ignite your marriage and it’s still not where you need it to be, and you stumbled, it’s ok - God gives grace. Maybe you tried to get your finances and it didn’t, it’s ok. God gives grace,
But the truth - The TRUTH is that God has so much more.
The truth is just because you failed, it doesn’t make you a failURE.
The truth is - God’s doing a new thing. God’s a creator, If you trust him, you can stay on the boil, with God’s help.
Let’s stand
- Close eyes - Think about where the Spirit is prodding you right now | Where in your life do you want God to ignite | Where in your life, do you want God to keep on the boil - This is between you and God - We are just gonna sit here, for a minute, and have it out with God.
Marriage?
Finances?
Spiritual life?
Trust in God?
Where is it for you, we’re going to take a minute, and you’re going to bring it to God, and we are then going to pray together.
My son, do not lose sight of these—
keep sound wisdom and discretion,
and they will be life for your soul
and adornment for your neck.
Then you will walk on your way securely,
and your foot will not stumble.
You’re foot will not stumble
**Prayer**
**Altar Call**