By Gobel Brockman
"When Moses came down from Mount Sinai, with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand as he came down from the mountain, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God. Aaron and all the people of Israel saw Moses, and behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to come near him. But Moses called to them, and Aaron and all the leaders of the congregation returned to him, and Moses talked with them. Afterward all the people of Israel came near, and he commanded them all that the Lord had spoken with him in Mount Sinai. And when Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil over his face. Whenever Moses went in before the Lord to speak with him, he would remove the veil, until he came out. And when he came out and told the people of Israel what he was commanded, the people of Israel would see the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses' face was shining. And Moses would put the veil over his face again, until he went in to speak with him." Exodus 34:29-35 (ESV)
In last week's devotional we began talking about praying for the presence of God in our lives. In the opening section, I talked about how that when we come into the presence of God, the first thing that happens is that we are confronted both by God's holiness and our sinfulness. This week I want to look at the Scripture quoted in Exodus and see another very important aspect of being in the presence of God. In this passage of Scripture, Moses had been in God's presence on the mountain. When he came down to talk to the people, he wasn't aware that his face was shining. He eventually had to put a veil over his face so that he could talk to the people. There are many things about this that we could talk about, but for brevity's sake I will only talk about this: people could look at Moses and tell that he had been in the presence of God. That leads me to a simple but powerful point:
IF WE ARE TRULY ENTERING INTO THE PRESENCE OF GOD IN OUR LIVES, PEOPLE SHOULD BE ABLE TO NOTICE IT.
It is said that famed evangelist Smith Wigglesworth carried the presence of God in his life to such an extent that he would sit down in a train and without saying a word, people would begin weeping under the convicting power of the Holy Spirit. It is also said that Charles Finney could merely walk into a factory and they would have to shut down production because the workers would begin weeping in the presence of God. As I thought about that I had to ask myself a sobering question that I invite you to ask yourselves as well:
When people are around us, are they convicted of their sins, or are they comfortable in their sins?
(I believe the answer to that question may give us a hint as to how much of the presence of God we are truly carrying in our lives.)
I say that I want the manifest presence of God in my life. If that's true, it should be reflected in the way I live, the places I go, and the choices I make. Living for Jesus should cause us to seek His will and His pleasure in all that we do. When we do that, the presence of God should be so apparent in our lives that those around us should be able to see a difference - just as the Israelites saw a difference in Moses. Our faces may not literally shine, but our countenance should. Our entire lives should be a reflection of the glory of God.
I want the presence of God in my life, my home, and my church. I want people to look at my life and see a difference. If they can't, I need to go back into the prayer closet and stay there until I know something has changed in me. Do you feel the same way? If so, then let's seek after God with everything we have, and truly enter into His presence.
I'm certain that people will then notice a difference in us.
Saturday, July 29, 2017
Tuesday, July 25, 2017
The Presence of God (Audio Message)
Audio of a recent sermon I preached about praying for the presence of God - go to this link:
Saturday, July 22, 2017
Praying For the Presence of God
By Gobel Brockman
"Moses said to the Lord, “See, you say to me, ‘Bring up this people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. Yet you have said, ‘I know you by name, and you have also found favor in my sight.’ Now therefore, if I have found favor in your sight, please show me now your ways, that I may know you in order to find favor in your sight. Consider too that this nation is your people.” And he said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” And he said to him, “If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here." - Exodus 33:12-15 (ESV)
We talk a lot in church about desiring "the presence of God" to be with us. We pray that the presence of God will be present in our church services and in our daily lives. We can sense His presence with us, and we love feeling the goodness of God in our hearts. The presence of God is indeed something to be desired and sought after in our lives, and there are historic testimonies of undeniable manifestations of God's presence moving in revivals. It is said that during the Azuza Street Outpouring that took place around the turn of the 20th century that an actual cloud of glory would appear in the church, so thick that little children would play "Hide and Seek" in that cloud. Personally, I am desperate to see the power and presence of God manifested in my life and in our churches. I believe, however, that it's good to remind ourselves what we are truly praying for when we ask for God's presence. This is one of those subjects that I could never fully cover in a single devotional, so for this week I will just look at one aspect of this all-important subject:
BEING IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD WILL CAUSE US TO BE CONFRONTED WITH GOD'S HOLINESS - AND OUR SIN.
In Isaiah 6:1-5, we read this:
"In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train[a] of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”
In this passage of Scripture we see a prophet standing in the presence of the Lord. It's important for us to notice that in that moment, he was instantly aware of one fact: he was a man of unclean lips. There is a valuable lesson in this for us: if we are serious about desiring the presence of God in our lives, we must recognize that the first thing that will happen is a confrontation with just how holy God is - and just how weak and sinful we are. The good news is that once Isaiah confessed his sinfulness, the Bible goes on to say that an angel took a coal from the altar and touched his lips, and he was cleansed. When we today confess our sins in the presence of God, we are told in 1 John 1:9 that "God is faithful and just to forgive our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
As I mentioned, I am desperate to see the presence of God manifested in my life. I must understand, however, that when that happens I am instantly confronted with God's holiness and my sinfulness. Once that is addressed, there are many blessings and opportunities to be used in His service waiting for me. But I MUST deal with the sin first. So must we all. With that in mind, I close this week with this prayer:
"Father God, I pray in the name of Jesus Christ that the power of the Holy Ghost will lead Your people into Your presence. We understand that we will indeed be confronted with Your holiness, and our need for forgiveness and cleansing. Please forgive our sin, and may the blood of Jesus Christ cleanse us from all sin. May we then be ready to receive everything that You have for us, and be ready to be used to touch the world for Your kingdom. In the name of Jesus I pray, Amen."
"Moses said to the Lord, “See, you say to me, ‘Bring up this people,’ but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. Yet you have said, ‘I know you by name, and you have also found favor in my sight.’ Now therefore, if I have found favor in your sight, please show me now your ways, that I may know you in order to find favor in your sight. Consider too that this nation is your people.” And he said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” And he said to him, “If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here." - Exodus 33:12-15 (ESV)
We talk a lot in church about desiring "the presence of God" to be with us. We pray that the presence of God will be present in our church services and in our daily lives. We can sense His presence with us, and we love feeling the goodness of God in our hearts. The presence of God is indeed something to be desired and sought after in our lives, and there are historic testimonies of undeniable manifestations of God's presence moving in revivals. It is said that during the Azuza Street Outpouring that took place around the turn of the 20th century that an actual cloud of glory would appear in the church, so thick that little children would play "Hide and Seek" in that cloud. Personally, I am desperate to see the power and presence of God manifested in my life and in our churches. I believe, however, that it's good to remind ourselves what we are truly praying for when we ask for God's presence. This is one of those subjects that I could never fully cover in a single devotional, so for this week I will just look at one aspect of this all-important subject:
BEING IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD WILL CAUSE US TO BE CONFRONTED WITH GOD'S HOLINESS - AND OUR SIN.
In Isaiah 6:1-5, we read this:
"In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train[a] of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”
In this passage of Scripture we see a prophet standing in the presence of the Lord. It's important for us to notice that in that moment, he was instantly aware of one fact: he was a man of unclean lips. There is a valuable lesson in this for us: if we are serious about desiring the presence of God in our lives, we must recognize that the first thing that will happen is a confrontation with just how holy God is - and just how weak and sinful we are. The good news is that once Isaiah confessed his sinfulness, the Bible goes on to say that an angel took a coal from the altar and touched his lips, and he was cleansed. When we today confess our sins in the presence of God, we are told in 1 John 1:9 that "God is faithful and just to forgive our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
As I mentioned, I am desperate to see the presence of God manifested in my life. I must understand, however, that when that happens I am instantly confronted with God's holiness and my sinfulness. Once that is addressed, there are many blessings and opportunities to be used in His service waiting for me. But I MUST deal with the sin first. So must we all. With that in mind, I close this week with this prayer:
"Father God, I pray in the name of Jesus Christ that the power of the Holy Ghost will lead Your people into Your presence. We understand that we will indeed be confronted with Your holiness, and our need for forgiveness and cleansing. Please forgive our sin, and may the blood of Jesus Christ cleanse us from all sin. May we then be ready to receive everything that You have for us, and be ready to be used to touch the world for Your kingdom. In the name of Jesus I pray, Amen."
Saturday, July 15, 2017
I Don't Know Where I'm Going, But I'm Going Anyway
By Gobel Brockman
"While walking by the Sea of Galilee, Jesus saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him." - Matthew 4:18-20
In this Scripture we see Jesus calling Peter and his brother Andrew to follow Him. I would like for you to use your imagination and try to picture this: Jesus passes by Peter and Andrew as they are fishing. Jesus calls Peter over, sits down with him, and tells him the following:
“Peter, I would like for you to follow Me, and I think it’s only fair that I tell you what’s in store if you do. I’m asking you to forsake your livelihood. I’m asking you to leave the familiar and step into the unknown. I want you to go with Me wherever I go, but I’m not going to tell you where we’re going. On this journey, you’re going to see a lot of amazing things – people being healed, those possessed by demons set free, and many miracles that will be difficult to believe. You’re also going to experience pain, loss, and opposition like you’ve never imagined. Eventually you are going to see Me arrested, abused, and executed. Soon the very people who took my life will seek yours as well – and they will eventually succeed. You are going to be used mightily to touch the lives of untold millions, but in the process, you will have to leave everything else behind, live your life completely by faith, and trust Me. You are going to be sent to many strange places, and when you get there you’ll be beaten, arrested, and eventually killed. So, what do you say, Peter? You ready to go?”
Obviously the conversation didn't go like that. The course of human history has been changed because of Peter’s life and ministry. The question I have right now, however, is this: had Jesus told Peter what lay ahead of him while they were still standing by Peter’s nets, would Peter have said “yes” to the call of Jesus? Only God knows the answer to that question. In that moment, Peter had no way of knowing what life was going to be like for him. He was about to go from financial security to soon having to find a coin in a fish’s mouth to pay his taxes. He was about to leave a familiar home life to pour out his life for complete strangers. And that conversation I mentioned didn’t happen. All Jesus said was, “Follow Me.” Here's my point today: THAT’S ALL HE WILL SAY TO US AS WELL. If we are truly going to be a disciple of Jesus Christ, we are going to have to do it with the realization that there will be uncertainty as to what lies in our futures. We must understand this about being a true disciple of Jesus Christ:
THERE IS NO DISCIPLESHIP WHERE THERE IS NO TRUST.
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” - Hebrews 11:1 & 6
True discipleship is a life of faith and surrender. One thing we must come to terms with is the truth that God isn’t going to give us a clear picture of what our futures hold if we follow Him. Where there’s no uncertainty, there’s no need for faith, and the Bible says that faith is necessary if we want to please God. The call to Christianity is NOT a call to a life of ease. As Dietrich Bonhoeffer well stated, "When Christ calls a man, He bids him come and die." The disciples of Jesus had to die to themselves to follow Him - AND SO DO WE. I want to be careful when I write these devotionals to not give a false presentation of what the gospel of Jesus Christ is about. Christ does not call us to a life of ease; He calls us to a life of surrender. He calls us to a life of trust. He calls us to follow Him, and He usually doesn't tell us beforehand where we're going. I have found that to be true in my life time and time again. It has been full of surprises, and it has required a lot of faith. And I wouldn't give it up for anything. The Christian journey is definitely a challenging journey of faith, but I'm definitely going anyway.
What about you?
"While walking by the Sea of Galilee, Jesus saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him." - Matthew 4:18-20
In this Scripture we see Jesus calling Peter and his brother Andrew to follow Him. I would like for you to use your imagination and try to picture this: Jesus passes by Peter and Andrew as they are fishing. Jesus calls Peter over, sits down with him, and tells him the following:
“Peter, I would like for you to follow Me, and I think it’s only fair that I tell you what’s in store if you do. I’m asking you to forsake your livelihood. I’m asking you to leave the familiar and step into the unknown. I want you to go with Me wherever I go, but I’m not going to tell you where we’re going. On this journey, you’re going to see a lot of amazing things – people being healed, those possessed by demons set free, and many miracles that will be difficult to believe. You’re also going to experience pain, loss, and opposition like you’ve never imagined. Eventually you are going to see Me arrested, abused, and executed. Soon the very people who took my life will seek yours as well – and they will eventually succeed. You are going to be used mightily to touch the lives of untold millions, but in the process, you will have to leave everything else behind, live your life completely by faith, and trust Me. You are going to be sent to many strange places, and when you get there you’ll be beaten, arrested, and eventually killed. So, what do you say, Peter? You ready to go?”
Obviously the conversation didn't go like that. The course of human history has been changed because of Peter’s life and ministry. The question I have right now, however, is this: had Jesus told Peter what lay ahead of him while they were still standing by Peter’s nets, would Peter have said “yes” to the call of Jesus? Only God knows the answer to that question. In that moment, Peter had no way of knowing what life was going to be like for him. He was about to go from financial security to soon having to find a coin in a fish’s mouth to pay his taxes. He was about to leave a familiar home life to pour out his life for complete strangers. And that conversation I mentioned didn’t happen. All Jesus said was, “Follow Me.” Here's my point today: THAT’S ALL HE WILL SAY TO US AS WELL. If we are truly going to be a disciple of Jesus Christ, we are going to have to do it with the realization that there will be uncertainty as to what lies in our futures. We must understand this about being a true disciple of Jesus Christ:
THERE IS NO DISCIPLESHIP WHERE THERE IS NO TRUST.
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” - Hebrews 11:1 & 6
True discipleship is a life of faith and surrender. One thing we must come to terms with is the truth that God isn’t going to give us a clear picture of what our futures hold if we follow Him. Where there’s no uncertainty, there’s no need for faith, and the Bible says that faith is necessary if we want to please God. The call to Christianity is NOT a call to a life of ease. As Dietrich Bonhoeffer well stated, "When Christ calls a man, He bids him come and die." The disciples of Jesus had to die to themselves to follow Him - AND SO DO WE. I want to be careful when I write these devotionals to not give a false presentation of what the gospel of Jesus Christ is about. Christ does not call us to a life of ease; He calls us to a life of surrender. He calls us to a life of trust. He calls us to follow Him, and He usually doesn't tell us beforehand where we're going. I have found that to be true in my life time and time again. It has been full of surprises, and it has required a lot of faith. And I wouldn't give it up for anything. The Christian journey is definitely a challenging journey of faith, but I'm definitely going anyway.
What about you?
Saturday, July 8, 2017
It's Time to Come Home
By Gobel Brockman
One of the more familiar parables that Jesus told was the parable of the Prodigal Son, found in Luke 15. In this parable, Jesus said that there was a man who had two sons. The younger son came to the father one day and basically said, "I would like my inheritance now!" The father actually obliged him and gave him the inheritance. In Luke 15:13 we then read this:
"Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living."
In this short verse we see a powerful truth that we all would do well to pay attention to: Sin will always take you into "a far place." It was been wisely stated that sin will take you farther than you wanted to go, keep you longer than you wanted to stay, and cost you more than you wanted to pay. We need to understand that leaving the Father's presence may seem like a step of "freedom" at the moment, but it will soon lead us into a place of severe and heartbreaking bondage. The parable goes on to say that the young man wasted his money with "reckless living" and soon found himself broke, which leads to another point - sin will quickly rob you of what is rightfully yours. Jesus went on to say that the young man eventually had to go to work feeding pigs, and was so hungry that he actually desired to eat the slop that he was feeding them. I hope you're understanding the message that I'm trying to convey: SIN HAS HORRIBLE CONSEQUENCES!
The good news in this story is that Jesus said of the young man that "when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father's hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you." (Luke 15:17-18) As the son was returning home, the Bible says in verse 20 that the father "saw him and had compassion on him, and ran and embraced his son and kissed him." The father then did something incredible - he threw a party! He was overjoyed that his son was home, and he was going to celebrate!
I want to talk to anyone who may be reading this that feels as though they have sinned too greatly for God to accept them - YOU HAVEN'T. No matter what you have done, and no matter what nation you're reading this in, you have not fallen so far that God the Father can't pick you up. In that parable the father was watching for the son, and you need to believe that God is watching for you. The Father would not have sent His Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for our sins if He didn't want you to come home. Think of it this way - He allowed Jesus to die so that you and I might live! Regardless of whether you're reading this in America or if you're in any other part of the world, the Gospel is for all: it's for YOU. Your sin can be forgiven, you can find new life in Jesus Christ, and you can be restored into the family of God. Just go to God in faith and believe.
It's time to come home.
One of the more familiar parables that Jesus told was the parable of the Prodigal Son, found in Luke 15. In this parable, Jesus said that there was a man who had two sons. The younger son came to the father one day and basically said, "I would like my inheritance now!" The father actually obliged him and gave him the inheritance. In Luke 15:13 we then read this:
"Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living."
In this short verse we see a powerful truth that we all would do well to pay attention to: Sin will always take you into "a far place." It was been wisely stated that sin will take you farther than you wanted to go, keep you longer than you wanted to stay, and cost you more than you wanted to pay. We need to understand that leaving the Father's presence may seem like a step of "freedom" at the moment, but it will soon lead us into a place of severe and heartbreaking bondage. The parable goes on to say that the young man wasted his money with "reckless living" and soon found himself broke, which leads to another point - sin will quickly rob you of what is rightfully yours. Jesus went on to say that the young man eventually had to go to work feeding pigs, and was so hungry that he actually desired to eat the slop that he was feeding them. I hope you're understanding the message that I'm trying to convey: SIN HAS HORRIBLE CONSEQUENCES!
The good news in this story is that Jesus said of the young man that "when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father's hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you." (Luke 15:17-18) As the son was returning home, the Bible says in verse 20 that the father "saw him and had compassion on him, and ran and embraced his son and kissed him." The father then did something incredible - he threw a party! He was overjoyed that his son was home, and he was going to celebrate!
I want to talk to anyone who may be reading this that feels as though they have sinned too greatly for God to accept them - YOU HAVEN'T. No matter what you have done, and no matter what nation you're reading this in, you have not fallen so far that God the Father can't pick you up. In that parable the father was watching for the son, and you need to believe that God is watching for you. The Father would not have sent His Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross for our sins if He didn't want you to come home. Think of it this way - He allowed Jesus to die so that you and I might live! Regardless of whether you're reading this in America or if you're in any other part of the world, the Gospel is for all: it's for YOU. Your sin can be forgiven, you can find new life in Jesus Christ, and you can be restored into the family of God. Just go to God in faith and believe.
It's time to come home.
Sunday, July 2, 2017
Baptized With Fire
By Gobel Brockman
When I was 19 I worked at a factory in a foundry area. My job was to melt this material called babbitt and pour it into bearings as they spun in a machine. The babbitt had to be melted to 700 degrees before it was ready for use. I would take a metal ladle, dip it in the babbitt, and pour it into a funnel leading to the inside of the bearing. One night while doing this I accidentally bumped the ladle against the side of the machine, spilling some of the melted metal, and a small portion of it hit my left foot. It immediately burned through my pant leg, my sock, and all seven layers of my skin. (I hopped around and "danced like no one was watching" for a minute or two.) I didn't go to the clinic (guys don't go to clinics for stuff like that) and to this day I have a nickel-sized scar on my foot.
I mention this because it reminds me of some interesting words from John the Baptist found in Matthew 3:11:
"I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He (Jesus) who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire."
"Baptized with fire." I can tell you that after my experience of dancing around with a hole burned in my foot that the thought of being baptized with fire really doesn't sound all that appealing. There are many directions I could go with this, but this week I only want to focus on one. The babbitt came in gold metal bars that had to be put into a pot and melted. Once the pot reached 700 degrees, an interesting thing happened: all of the dross (the "junk") that was in the babbitt rose to the top, and it looked disgusting. Before I could use the babbitt I had to use another ladle and scrape out all of the dross. But here's the part that was interesting to me: once you did that, the babbitt looked like a golden mirror, beautiful and shiny. You could clearly see your reflection when you looked at it.
Why does God not only want to baptize us with the Holy Spirit, but also with fire? That's a multi-faceted topic, but for this week let's focus on this: we all have a lot of "junk" in our lives. Bitterness, doubt, self-pity, the holding of grudges, and many other disgusting things that I'm sure that you're already aware of in your life. Being baptized with "the fire of God" will cause those things to come to the surface - which gives God the opportunity to get them out of our lives. The great thing about that is that once that happens, God can begin to look at our lives and see His reflection in us. I Peter 1:7 says this:
"That the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ."
Do you feel like you're "going through the fire" right now? If so, don't panic, just let the Holy Spirit baptize you with that fire. I know it's not pleasant, it can indeed be painful, and I know it can bring some ugly stuff up, but it's necessary if we want those ugly things gone. I don't know about you, but the thought of being a reflection of God's character sounds pretty amazing to me.
As an added bonus, it just may make you "dance like no one's watching" too. Only this dance will be a joyful one that won't leave a scar on your foot.
When I was 19 I worked at a factory in a foundry area. My job was to melt this material called babbitt and pour it into bearings as they spun in a machine. The babbitt had to be melted to 700 degrees before it was ready for use. I would take a metal ladle, dip it in the babbitt, and pour it into a funnel leading to the inside of the bearing. One night while doing this I accidentally bumped the ladle against the side of the machine, spilling some of the melted metal, and a small portion of it hit my left foot. It immediately burned through my pant leg, my sock, and all seven layers of my skin. (I hopped around and "danced like no one was watching" for a minute or two.) I didn't go to the clinic (guys don't go to clinics for stuff like that) and to this day I have a nickel-sized scar on my foot.
I mention this because it reminds me of some interesting words from John the Baptist found in Matthew 3:11:
"I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He (Jesus) who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire."
"Baptized with fire." I can tell you that after my experience of dancing around with a hole burned in my foot that the thought of being baptized with fire really doesn't sound all that appealing. There are many directions I could go with this, but this week I only want to focus on one. The babbitt came in gold metal bars that had to be put into a pot and melted. Once the pot reached 700 degrees, an interesting thing happened: all of the dross (the "junk") that was in the babbitt rose to the top, and it looked disgusting. Before I could use the babbitt I had to use another ladle and scrape out all of the dross. But here's the part that was interesting to me: once you did that, the babbitt looked like a golden mirror, beautiful and shiny. You could clearly see your reflection when you looked at it.
Why does God not only want to baptize us with the Holy Spirit, but also with fire? That's a multi-faceted topic, but for this week let's focus on this: we all have a lot of "junk" in our lives. Bitterness, doubt, self-pity, the holding of grudges, and many other disgusting things that I'm sure that you're already aware of in your life. Being baptized with "the fire of God" will cause those things to come to the surface - which gives God the opportunity to get them out of our lives. The great thing about that is that once that happens, God can begin to look at our lives and see His reflection in us. I Peter 1:7 says this:
"That the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ."
Do you feel like you're "going through the fire" right now? If so, don't panic, just let the Holy Spirit baptize you with that fire. I know it's not pleasant, it can indeed be painful, and I know it can bring some ugly stuff up, but it's necessary if we want those ugly things gone. I don't know about you, but the thought of being a reflection of God's character sounds pretty amazing to me.
As an added bonus, it just may make you "dance like no one's watching" too. Only this dance will be a joyful one that won't leave a scar on your foot.
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