Psalm 104:4

"Purifying Fire"



"He makes winds his messengers, flames of fire his servants."  America is on fire!  Heat, blazing temperatures, and burning winds all across the USA.  What is going on?  In the realms of God, fire was used in sacrifice, in testing, trials, correction or destruction of evil, manifestations of Glory, His jealousy of His sole worship, and the list goes on and on.  There's no doubt, whatever its use, it is always a "Purifying Fire."

"Is not my word like fire," declares the LORD,

"and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?"

(Jeremiah 23:29)

Almighty God, The Creator, Jesus Christ our LORD is described as a "consuming fire."  (Hebrews 12:29)  Fire is generally considered to be a negative thing, but it can be the most positive thing of all!  In the Book of Acts, when the people were filled with the Holy Ghost, tongues of "fire" sat upon each of them, and they spoke in other languages they had never learned and prophesied.  Why is it necessary to speak in tongues?  The tongue is the most evil part of the entire body.  "The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body.  It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by Hell." (James 3:6)  So, in order to sanctify and "purify" this most wicked member of the body, the Lord must gain full control, and He does this by touching the tongue, and we speak in a language we have never learned  ...  it is the Spirit of the Lord God of the universe entering the body of a human being  ...  speaking in tongues is evidence that you have been filled with the Spirit of God.

Could it be that God is visiting America and the world, with all of its disasters?  Is He righteously angry with ungodly laws being passed?  Are His nostrils steaming with fury over an immoral generation?  You say, "No; it's probably global warming, or it's just hot; that's all."  Maybe so, but how do you know it's not a Holy God trying to "purify" a Nation?  How do you know it's not the lover of our souls urging us to get ready, because He's coming?  You say, "Oh, that's just scare tactics."  Ok, I hear you, but consider this, nobody lives forever in earth, but we do, all of us, live forever somewhere!  It's that "somewhere" every soul in earth must prepare for  ... and it's a "purifying fire" here, or a tormenting fire there  ... you can't get away from the fire!  There's good fire  ...  the fire of the Holy Ghost  ... and there's bad fire  ... the good fire takes us to heaven  ... the bad fire  ...

"After he drove the man out, he placed on the

east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and

a flaming sword flashing back and forth to

guard the way to the tree of life."

(Genesis 3:24)

God's intention was that man would live eternally in the Garden of Eden, but man sinned and was banished and the Garden was protected by a flaming sword.  Life is a full circle; it began in the Garden of Eden, a place of Paradise, and we will end back in that Eden existence and Paradise  ...  if we yield to the fire!  The Holy Ghost and fire brings a Godly consience, a Holy Spirit, to dwell within us, to guide us into all truth, to warn and protect us, to comfort and console us, and it is the Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ!

"As they were walking along and talking together,

suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared

and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up

to heaven in a whirlwind."

(2 Kings 2:11)

Fire joins earth to heaven!  In the above scripture, it separated Elijah from Elisha and took Elijah to heaven.  In the sacrifices offered in the old testament, the firey sacrifice rose as a sweet incense to the Lord, covered the sins of the people, and caused them to be joined again to a heavenly God.  Today, we must be filled with the Holy Ghost and fire to join us to God in heaven by His Spirit in us.  God will not live in a sinful place; the Holy Ghost is the Spirit of God dwelling in us, a "consuming fire," that burns away the dross and joins us to God!

America and World ... yield to the fire!  Look up to the One who vies for your attention.  Seek the One who controls the fires, the winds, the ice, the babbling brooks, the rainbow and the rain!  Repent, be baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, receive the Holy Ghost and speak in other tongues as the Spirit of Jesus Christ fills you  ... you'll never be the same again  ... you'll walk different, talk different, think different, "love" different; you'll come forth as pure Gold, because it's a fire of love, a "Purifying Fire!"

(Visit promiselandchurch.net and theexperience238.com.

PromiseLand Church, Austin, Texas, Pastor Kenneth Phillips)