God: The Consuming Fire!

God: The Consuming fire! Hebrew 12:29

 The Bible says in Hebrews chapter 12 that God is a consuming fire. The moment I read that, I got excited, because being in His presence burns the impurities in your life and the ability to renew. Fire refines, it molds, and its light leads your path and reveals what’s hidden in the dark. In that moment, I thought, Wow! how awesome is my God whom I serve, whom I surrender to, and to whom I give my body as a living sacrifice. I was filled with joy.

Then, within an instant, worry crept in because I remembered what fire feels like physically! The pain it creates and the loss that can follow, whether to the body or to your home. Fire burns everything in its path if it’s not contained. In that moment, my body tried to interpret what I was experiencing spiritually, and with that came fear.

Have you ever gotten super excited about experiencing God’s presence, only to feel like all hell breaks loose right afterward instead of things getting better? Sometimes being in the presence of God around that fire brings something called righteous judgment. 

The Bible talks about this in 2 Thessalonians chapter 1, where the church was under righteous judgment, and one indication of that was the affliction and persecution they were enduring so they would be considered worthy of the kingdom of God.

God is still very present in your situation and in your life as the consuming fire He is. He’s molding you, shaping you, and cleaning you up because He has chosen you to be part of His kingdom, because He loves you with an unconditional love. A love that can’t be explained or put into words.

What you’re going through isn’t going to kill or destroy you. It’s preparing you for access to the kingdom and for continual dwelling in His presence.

So don’t lose hope.

Don’t stop fighting.

Don’t give up.

You are being prepared for the Kingdom and the presence of our Father.