Today’s Post By: Rae Lynn DeAngelis
The Spirit of God is burning inside every believer, but sometimes through the busyness of life, our flame is reduced to smoldering embers. If this is how you’re feeling, I want to encourage you that it’s never too late to rekindle your spiritual flame.
Some of the same basic steps for building a campfire can be applied to igniting our spiritual flame.
Spiritual Flame Building 101—Start with kindling
One of the best ways to get our spiritual flame burning with more intensity is to spend time alone with God, daily. If you are new to this concept, think of it as starting a fire—begin small. Spend ten to fifteen minutes with God in prayer and meditation. A devotional book is a great way to start your day, as it helps keep your heart and mind focused on positive, uplifting thoughts. Try this for thirty days. Those few minutes will likely grow into longer time spans once you see the benefits of spending time in God’s presence.
Just as a campfire can’t survive on kindling alone, eventually you will need more than tinder to keep your fire going. When you feel the need for a little more sustenance, try adding a Bible study. Christian authors such as Beth Moore, Joyce Meyers, Ray Vander Laan, and James McDonald offer wonderful in-depth studies to increase our knowledge of God’s Word and nurture our spiritual growth.
If you ever sense that your flame is dying down, here is one final fire building technique to make your flame burn brighter than ever.
A fire burns brighter and stronger when you blow across the flames. The same concept can be applied to our spiritual flame. The only difference is… we need the breath of God.
“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
When we memorize Scripture, our spiritual flame burns even brighter!
Perhaps you are thinking… But I can’t memorize anything… I’ve tried. I used to think the same thing, until God spoke to my heart about the importance of His Word. Then I made a decision (choice) to make memorizing His Word a priority in my life.
“Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.” (Joshua 1:8)
I began writing Scriptures that ministered to me on index cards and started reading through them every day. Slowly, they were committed to memory. Our brains have an unbelievable capacity for storing information. The more you stretch your brain, the more information you will be able to stow away for future reference. We will not always have our Bibles by our side, so we need to have as many of His life transforming Words committed to memory as possible.
God’s Word is my daily bread. It is the air that I breathe. I can’t imagine what my life would be like without His Word tucked away in my heart. His Word keeps my spiritual flame ablaze. When I need it most, the Holy Spirit brings certain Scriptures to my mind. I have over 500 Scriptures written on index cards, and every morning, I start my devotion time by reading several of them. As I do so, the flame of my spirit burns with intensity. God will always ignite the flame of your spirit when you gather His Word into your heart.
“Who of us can dwell with the consuming fire? Who of us can dwell with everlasting burning?” (Isaiah 33:14)
In time, your flame will be a raging inferno, spreading like wildfire to others. Your passion for God will be contagious.
“…for our God is a consuming fire.” (Hebrews 12:29)
