God's Fire in Me

The air was cold and wet. The lower slopes leading to the mountains were rugged and large enough in scale to be intimidating. Nature itself overwhelmed! God’s creation was breathtaking as I hiked with three others along the path to the caves and hot springs on the slopes of Sulfur Mountain in Banff National Park.

When we arrived at the caves and approached the hot springs bubbling up from deep in the earth, the smell of sulfur suddenly became strong enough to block the smell of anything else. Now, I know why they call it Sulfur Mountain! I poked my finger into a bubbling stream. Despite the cold air, the emerging spring water was warm enough for a hot bath – but I was not about to try that! Columns of steam rose continuously into the air.

The hot springs of Banff remind me of the Word and the presence of God within me. In my recent quiet time with God, I mediated on the words of Jeremiah 20. It is easy to identify with Jeremiah when he feels so weary, worn, and beaten that he wishes that he had not been born (Jeremiah 20:14). Jeremiah, the prophet of God, felt like not speaking any more for God. But Jeremiah says, If I tried to quit on God, I could not do it because…

“…His word is in my heart like a fire,

a fire shut up in my bones.

I’m weary of holding it in; indeed I cannot” (Jeremiah 20:9)

I challenge you to examine your own heart. Are you taking any time to memorize verses from God’s word. Are YOU taking time to feed on God’s word. Do you take sufficient time with the Lord, expressing your love for Him. If you have trusted in Jesus as your Savior, then God has called you to witness of Him and represent Him to our community and world just as Jeremiah was called. When you are growing as a Christian, a true disciple of Christ, His word and presence in you will feel like a fire within. Then, you will be energized and motivated to make our Savior known. In Jeremiah’s words, you and I will be able to say with confidence…”the Lord is with me like a mighty warrior (Jeremiah 20:12a).

Like the hot springs of Banff, let God’s fire within you burn hot even when the winds of unbelievers around you blow cold. Be mighty and be hot for God, confirming God’s fire within you! In this way, you will not let the surrounding cold unbelief take away your fire. Instead, God’s fire in you will ignite God’s fire in them –bringing others to a relationship with Jesus, the beginning of developing healthy followers for God. This is God’s call for us and for FFAC.