GOD of FIRE and LIVING WATER

While in prayer at a church board meeting recently I saw a vision of fire… fire that had no source.  It was floating in the air. It’s flames were neither reaching upward or downward. 

It could have possibly been what they saw in the book of Acts, “Then what looked like flames of tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them.” Acts 2:3

I am also reminded by the Spirit of this passage, “Now Moses was pasturing the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian; and he led the flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.  Suddenly, the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a blazing fire from the midst of a bush.  Moses was amazed because the bush was engulfed in flames, but it didn’t burn up.  “Amazing!” Moses said to himself.  “Why isn’t that bush burning up?  I must go over to see this.”  When the LORD saw that he had caught Moses’ attention, God called to him from the bush, “Moses! Moses!”

“Here I am!” Moses replied.

“Do not come any closer,” God told him.  Take off your sandals, for you are standing on holy ground.”  Exodus 3:1-5

We are living in a time where there is little respect for Living True God and His WORD.

“Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire.” Hebrews 12:28-29

God is a FIRE with no origin.  He has no creator or parent. He is GOD!

“By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.” Psalm 33:8

“To the Israelites the glory of the LORD looked like a consuming fire on top of the mountain.” Exodus 24:17

“But be assured today that the LORD your God is the one who goes across ahead of you like a devouring fire. He will destroy them; he will subdue them before you. And you will drive them out and annihilate them quickly, as the LORD has promised you.” Deuteronomy 9:3

That last one (Deuteronomy 9:3) reminds me a bit of a picture we see in Revelation…

“His eyes were bright like flames of fire, and on his head were many crowns.  A name was written on Him, and only He knew what it meant.   He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and his title was the WORD of God.  The armies of heaven, dressed in pure white linen, followed Him on white horses.  From His mouth came a sharp sword, and with he struck down the nations.   He ruled them with an iron rod, and he trod the winepress with the fierce wrath of almighty God.  On His robe and thigh was written this title: King of kings and Lord or lords.”  Revelation 19:12-16

God is a FIRE that destroys those who are rebellious and don’t submit to Him.   God is a FIRE that should be given respected and awe.  God is the FIRE who we must seek for HE alone encourages, and strengthens and gives us living inspiration by His word and Spirit to carry on in a dark world.

 A world that says what Isaiah writes,

“What sorrow for those who say that evil is good and good is evil, that the dark is light and light is dark, that the bitter is sweet and the sweet is bitter.  What sorrow for those who are wise in their own eyes and think themselves so clever.  What sorrow for those who are heroes at drinking wine and boast about all the alcohol they can hold.  They take bribes to let the wicked go free, and they punish the innocent.  Therefore, just as fire licks up stubble and dry grass shrivels in the flame, so their roots will rot and their flowers wither.  For they have rejected the law of the LORD of Heaven Armies; they have despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.” Isaiah 5:20-24

This world that will experience terrible sorrow when it’s Creator, the Lord, returns.  We are only seeing the birth pains of His coming with earthquakes, hail, floods, drought, fire, war, famine, hatred for what is good...
 

John the Baptist said about himself and Jesus, "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

Some have forgotten and act as if they are God when deciding what is good and right.  They have disregarded God’s word.   Some have lost hope and/or don’t know God’s goodness and have drowned in what they see in the world but God reminds us that though we live in the world we are not of the world and these circumstances that surround us are not to define us or our mindset.  We cannot spiritually eat of what the world gives or else we become spiritually sick minded and the sick minded trust in only what they see in the world, which makes them blind to God and benefits of God.

We must continually walk by faith- prayer- Spirit and truth.  Faith changes things and we see in Jesus Christ all things are possible in a upside down world.

Because we live in this world it can feel “spiritually” suffocating at times… but in those times we must push off the world’s oppressive thirsty surface and seek the ROCK who gives refreshment to our soul.

The rock of Horeb where water flowed like a river into the desert.

Remember the rock of Horeb.

“I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it for the people to drink." So Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel.” Exodus 17:6

“Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank.” Numbers 20:11

“He split the rocks in the wilderness and gave them water as abundant as the seas;” Psalm 78:15

“He opened the rock, and water gushed out; it flowed like a river in the desert.”  Psalm 105:41

That rock is an illustration of Jesus Christ who was struck for us to give us life and life more abundantly.  He is the perpetual spring living in us (Holy Spirit) as we live in this parched wilderness of a world.

But let us take careful note as we read further...

“And all of them drank the same miraculous water that traveled with them, and that rock was Christ.  Yet after this, God was not pleased with most of them, and he destroyed them in the wilderness.  These events happened as a warning to us, so that we would not crave evil things as they did or worship idols as some of them did.  For the Scriptures say, “The people celebrated with feasting and drinking, and they indulged themselves in pagan revelry.”  And we must not engage in sexual immorality as some of them did, causing 23,000 of them to die in one day.  Nor should we put Christ to the test, as some of them did and then died from snakebites. And don’t grumble as some of them did, for that is why God sent his angel of death to destroy them.  All these events happened to them as examples for us.  They were written down to warn us, who live at the time when this age is drawing to a close.” 1 Corinthians 10:4-10   

We know we cannot hope in what the world puts hope in for those things are only temporary, shortsighted, false and empty but we are to put our hope in GOD who is everlasting and eternal.  He is full of goodness, love, grace, compassion and mercy to help us stay on the right path.  And because our Hope is “living” and “active” we know none of us can become sufficient in ourselves. We do not have the strength alone nor do we know what we need at the precise time we need it to overcome the daily obstacles in our life but God does. We all need in these times the constant yoke of Jesus who the author and finisher of our faith. 
 

“Then Jesus said, ‘Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you.  Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke fits perfectly, and my burden I give you is light.” Matthew 11:28-30

The mountain of Horeb, is not just a historical story but an illustration of who GOD is.  For from the Mountain of GOD, where there is FIRE came Jesus Christ who gives us the Holy Spirit, spiritual water, for our born again soul.

"He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth.  The world cannot receive Him, because it isn't looking for Him and doesn't Recognize Him.  But you know Him, because he lives with you now and later will be in in you." John 14:17

Remember this is LIBERATING SUSTAINING LIVING TRUTH THAT SATISFIES THE SOUL! The world is constantly thirsty because it looks to everything else but God to be satisfied.  It will collapse and be destroyed by it's own doing because it refuses to turn, repent, and submit to God.

Remember the dream I was given by God to share with you.

“Do not partake from the sea of humanity but take from the Mountain, the ROCK- that gives only good life sustaining water.  For the water that comes from the sea makes one sick and naked and fruitless.  I have seen the seawater do what is unnatural.  Instead of staying in the sea it is pouring onto the land stripping the trees of their bark leaving them unprotected and exposed.   There are no leaves in their canopies; all the fruit has been laid to waste.  The lands have been poisoned.  The way into these lands is fenced off to my companions and I, to only witness the shame.  It is a hopeless land.  It is a cursed place.  It has trusted and given into the ways of man instead of God, the GREAT MOUNTAIN and ROCK.”

GOD is the GOD of FIRE and LIVING WATER

You want this living water for your soul in this thirsty world?  How about going to heaven when you die? How about being able to understand God's word?

In book of John that is written to the us, Jesus said to Nicodemus, a devoted religious man,

"Very truly I tell you, no one can see the Kingdom of GOD unless they are born again." John 3:3

Jesus is saying no one can have the life giving spiritual benefits of God- the ones that nourish and encourage our soul, until we are born again.

Then in verse 5 & 6 Jesus says,

"Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to the flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to Spirit."

We cannot enter heaven without being born again in the Spirit.

Jesus Christ is the one in which we all must go and submit our life to be born again in the Spirit of God.

Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the Life. No one can come to the Father except through me." John 14:6

So if you want to go to heaven and have your life transformed, genuinely do these things from your heart with me.  Pray to the Lord.  Know that he paid with his life for you and me.  Know Jesus rose from the dead and now sits with next to the Father interceding for you and I today.  

If you like can say these words with me.

JESUS, I have sinned and I have served the things of the world and I have become very thirsty and unsatisfied.   Please forgive me.  I want to give my life over you now, to be saved and for you to become LORD and Savior of my life.  That I can come to know you more intimately, that I will go to heaven when I Pass on from this life and I can have your life giving Spirit living in me so that I may understand and experience all that you have for me.  Thank you Jesus for all you have done and are going to do.  AMEN. AMEN. AMEN.