Hadley Baker
When I was a kid growing up in southern Oklahoma, I must have been told a million times not to play with matches. My parents told me. My grandparents told me. Smoky the Bear told me (look him up on YouTube). Of course all of these people telling me NOT to play with matches made me only want to do ONE THING—play with matches! And knowing that this experience would have to be so awesome, I didn’t want to keep it to myself. So I invited some of my fellow arsonists—Matt and Bubba—to join me in my rebellion!
Looking back on it, a hay barn was probably not the best location. In case you haven’t been around hay much, it is CRAZY FLAMMABLE. It catches fire very easily! Me, Matt, and Bubba were in a barn with literally hundreds of bails of hay all around us. The hay was stacked to the ceiling in some places. We were all playing with matches and thinking we had everything under control when all of a sudden Bubba dropped a burning match onto the bail of hay he was standing on. He tried to stomp it out, but it was too late. Before we knew it that entire barn was filled with thick black smoke. Within 60 seconds it was engulfed in flames and we had to run out of there! I will never forget watching that thing burn all the way to the ground. I don’t think I have to tell you that we all got into a lot of trouble for our little “let’s play with matches” party.
Isn’t it crazy how a little match can start such a huge fire? It doesn’t take much of a spark to ignite an inferno. Did you know God is in the business of setting fires? When you trusted Christ He started a fire in your soul. His desire is for that fire to grow bigger and bigger until it becomes a spiritual inferno inside of you—a fire so big that others can’t help but notice. It doesn’t take much of Him to make a huge change in you. His fire will consume you! And although God is the one who started the fire in our hearts, He wants us to do our part to keep burning bright and hot.
READ 2 TIMOTHY 1:3-7
Paul told Timothy to fan that fire inside of him into flames. Make that thing burn bigger, brighter, hotter. Don’t let it burn out. Don’t be content with just some red-glowing embers. Keep that thing roaring and popping! But here’s the thing—we cannot do this in our own strength or ability. We need the Holy Spirit to keep the flame strong within us. Lots of people think about God and Jesus, but tend to forget the Holy Spirit. Did you know it is the Spirit that works in you to keep the fire going? Seek Him in worship. Ask Him to speak to you when you pray. Ask Him to reveal truth to you when you study the Bible. The more you invite Him in and allow Him to freely work within you, the bigger the fire will be inside of you. I challenge you to take 10-15 minutes today and just worship and pray to God without any distraction. Fan the flame!
When I was a kid growing up in southern Oklahoma, I must have been told a million times not to play with matches. My parents told me. My grandparents told me. Smoky the Bear told me (look him up on YouTube). Of course all of these people telling me NOT to play with matches made me only want to do ONE THING—play with matches! And knowing that this experience would have to be so awesome, I didn’t want to keep it to myself. So I invited some of my fellow arsonists—Matt and Bubba—to join me in my rebellion!
Looking back on it, a hay barn was probably not the best location. In case you haven’t been around hay much, it is CRAZY FLAMMABLE. It catches fire very easily! Me, Matt, and Bubba were in a barn with literally hundreds of bails of hay all around us. The hay was stacked to the ceiling in some places. We were all playing with matches and thinking we had everything under control when all of a sudden Bubba dropped a burning match onto the bail of hay he was standing on. He tried to stomp it out, but it was too late. Before we knew it that entire barn was filled with thick black smoke. Within 60 seconds it was engulfed in flames and we had to run out of there! I will never forget watching that thing burn all the way to the ground. I don’t think I have to tell you that we all got into a lot of trouble for our little “let’s play with matches” party.
Isn’t it crazy how a little match can start such a huge fire? It doesn’t take much of a spark to ignite an inferno. Did you know God is in the business of setting fires? When you trusted Christ He started a fire in your soul. His desire is for that fire to grow bigger and bigger until it becomes a spiritual inferno inside of you—a fire so big that others can’t help but notice. It doesn’t take much of Him to make a huge change in you. His fire will consume you! And although God is the one who started the fire in our hearts, He wants us to do our part to keep burning bright and hot.
READ 2 TIMOTHY 1:3-7
Paul told Timothy to fan that fire inside of him into flames. Make that thing burn bigger, brighter, hotter. Don’t let it burn out. Don’t be content with just some red-glowing embers. Keep that thing roaring and popping! But here’s the thing—we cannot do this in our own strength or ability. We need the Holy Spirit to keep the flame strong within us. Lots of people think about God and Jesus, but tend to forget the Holy Spirit. Did you know it is the Spirit that works in you to keep the fire going? Seek Him in worship. Ask Him to speak to you when you pray. Ask Him to reveal truth to you when you study the Bible. The more you invite Him in and allow Him to freely work within you, the bigger the fire will be inside of you. I challenge you to take 10-15 minutes today and just worship and pray to God without any distraction. Fan the flame!
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