Blowing on the Embers

When I asked God what aspect of prayer He wanted me to speak about today, He reminded me of what Jesus said in John 5:19.  He said, “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.”  Not only did Jesus do what He saw the Father doing, but in saying that He could do nothing by Himself, He was saying that the only things He did were what He saw His Father doing.  In other words, there weren’t two kinds of things Jesus did – the things He saw His Father doing, and then other more ordinary kinds of things.  He didn’t pray two kinds of prayers – standard prayers and God-inspired prayers.  It sounds kind of silly to say it this way, but the reality is that many times we live with this kind of split thinking in our lives.  Perhaps you have also felt times in prayer where you feel that you could just step right through the thin veil separating heaven from earth, and other times where you feel like you’re just shoveling dirt from one hole into another.  We can learn to pray as Jesus did, praying only in accordance with what He saw His Father doing.  It’s a growth curve – when we look back a year or a decade, as we continue to seek God and grow in obedience to Him, we can tell a difference in how we pray, how closely we depend on God for guidance, how comfortable we are in praying with others, how confident we are in hearing God’s voice, and so forth.

The title of today’s talk is “blowing on the embers.”  I have done this countless times in the natural, because one of my favorite places to relax is at our outdoor fire pit.  I have spent hundreds of hours out there in every kind of weather.  It’s a place where I can shed the cares of the world and just be.  God has met me there so often, enfolded in a quiet corner of His creation.  I have always loved fire – it’s powerful, mysterious, inviting.

Sometimes I can spend hours and hours trying to get a fire going, but nothing much happens, maybe because the wood is too wet or too green.  If there are no embers at all, I could blow and blow without effect, other than maybe stirring up some ashes, which inevitably end up getting in my eyes.  At other times, I barely puff on the flame and if the conditions are just right, whoosh, a huge blaze erupts.  In the natural, we can see the importance of seeing and understanding what is going on, in order to get a really good fire going.  Let me use this as an analogy in prayer.

Firstly we need to recognize that God is the ONLY one who can start a spiritual fire!  He’s the only one who can cause growth and increase in the Kingdom of God.  We cannot, independently of God, accomplish anything of eternal value.  Only God can effect salvation, healing, deliverance.  He is the ONLY way, truth, and life.  There is no alternate way to make fire.  We can do a whole bunch of things that give the illusion of fire, but they’re not really fire.  My girls like to dance, and in some of their performances the stage people use a combination of fabric and lights that, from a few rows back, looks very much like fire!  Unfortunately there have been plenty of deceptions for people to follow down through the ages, but unless it’s a true work of God, it’s of no value either now or in the age to come.

To state the obvious, only God can initiate a move of God.

Hebrews 12:2 – “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith . . .”

Revelation 22:13 – “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”

Jesus taught us by modeling and by words that we, too, should do only what we see our Heavenly Father doing.  He hasn’t told us to do something He hasn’t given us the ability to do.  In prayer, we can wait on God and listen to God and see where God is moving.  God invites us to participate with Him by blowing on the embers that He starts – He is the author and the finisher of faith, the Alpha and the Omega.  We get to participate with Him in between the beginning and the end.

Jesus said that He did only what He saw His Father doing.  By implication, although God may well be working at all times in each person, group, or situation, He has specific plans and purposes and timings in mind.  It is crucial to align ourselves with what God is actually doing.  We cannot presume to know without asking Him.  We cannot assume that God will work the same way He has before.  If God’s not doing something, we can wear ourselves out trying to get something going, but it isn’t going to work.  It’s only by the Spirit of God that the Kingdom of God will advance.  Like Jesus, we, too, can only do what we see the Father doing.  Doing what we see the Father doing produces Kingdom results.

God is always working.  We need to ask God, “What is my assignment?”  Where do I see embers?  Where does God want me to blow on the embers in prayer?

Elements of fire

First, let’s revisit the scientific basics of fire!  A fire starts when fuel combines with oxygen, and is exposed to a source of heat.  Fire cannot exist without all of these elements in place and in the right proportions.  We can have fuel and oxygen, but unless some kind of heat is applied, even something as small as a match, there will be no fire.  We can have fuel and heat, but without oxygen, there can be no fire.  We can have heat and oxygen, but without fuel, fire isn’t going to occur.

As best I understand God’s Creation, He so often speaks to us through the natural world to teach us about the invisible world.  I’m not saying there’s a one-to-one direct correspondence for everything, but it often helps me to understand things of God by paying attention to the things I can see with my natural eyes.  Jesus used the natural world in many of His parables to convey important truths to His listeners.  My understanding is so limited, but I firmly believe that God designed many things in such a way that they are not only functional and beautiful, but speak to us of things beyond our comprehension or perception, because He wants us to know Him.

So when I think about fire, and I think about the ways of God, this is what helps me . . .

Heat – reminds me of the Holy Spirit

Fuel – reminds me of the Word of God

Oxygen – reminds me of prayer

Equations of Fire

God is mysterious and knowable all at once.

1 John 2:13 (NLT) – “¹³ I am writing to you who are mature in the faith because you know Christ, who existed from the beginning. . . I have written to you who are God’s children because you know the Father.”

Colossians 1:27 (NIV) – “. . . God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

We can’t put Him in a box, but God tells us that we can know Him.  I’ve put together a few simple fire equations to get us thinking about God’s principles.

Heat (Holy Spirit) + Fuel (Word of God), but no Oxygen (prayer) = ______________

2 Chronicles 7:14 – “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”  God is always working, always moving, but this promise is conditional.  God says that IF we humble ourselves and pray and seek His face and turn from evil, THEN He will hear, forgive, and heal.  It is a mystery why God allows us to participate with Him, but He’s God and this is the way He’s designed the world – He uses imperfect people like you and me to accomplish His eternal purposes.  Until we, His people, fulfill the conditions in His word, He withholds these blessings from us, from our land.  The promise in 2 Chronicles 7:14 is transformation.  Prayerlessness results in the opposite condition, stagnation, not only for us personally, but as a people.

Heat (Holy Spirit) + Oxygen (prayer), but no Fuel (Word of God) = ______________

This is how cults start!  2 Timothy 4:2 – 4 – “Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction.  For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.  They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.”  Some years ago, a leader in the body of Christ told me, “I don’t need to read the Bible much these days – God just speaks to me directly.”  Sadly, this person believed that what he “heard” in his head was as reliable and as valuable as the written word of God.  It’s been said that many doctrinal errors creep in when one word or phrase is given a place of greater importance than what was intended, or simply taken out of context.  Widespread and highly publicized errors have occurred under the influence of leaders who are not holding themselves accountable to the Word of God and local church pastors, including the recent “Bam!” style of ministry that has brought shame and reproach to the name of Jesus Christ, whom we know from the Word of God to be a man of sorrows, gentle in Spirit, and full of grace and truth.  We need to be very wary of any teaching that doesn’t hold the Word of God front and central – we live in an age of entertainment, where “new” and “different” are touted as the ideals.  God’s Word is enduring.  Check everything out to see whether it measures up to God’s eternal word.  Mark 12:24 (NASB) – Jesus said, “Is this not the reason you are mistaken, that you do not understand the Scriptures or the power of God?”  In order to avoid error, each one of needs to develop good habits in the spiritual disciplines – prayer, solitude, bible study, scripture memorization, service, etc . . . one way to think about what “spiritual discipline” means, is that it is a way to practice obedience to God’s Word.  Disregard for the Word of God results in danger.

Fuel (Word of God) + Oxygen (prayer), but no Heat (Holy Spirit) = ______________

Very safe, but powerless.  If God is not moving, if His Spirit is not doing something, then we are not praying according to His will.  We’ve all heard about churches that supposedly think the trinity is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Bible.  I don’t know of any serious statement of faith that intentionally excludes the Holy Spirit.  But functionally, many individuals and groups live and act as though the Holy Spirit is an optional extra in the Christian life.  Ephesians 4 says that it is possible to grieve the Holy Spirit, through unwholesome talk, bitterness, rage, anger, brawling, slander, and malice.  Isaiah 63:10 tells us what happens when we grieve the Holy Spirit – “ ¹⁰ Yet they rebelled and grieved his Holy Spirit. So he turned and became their enemy and he himself fought against them.”  Jesus said that the Holy Spirit would teach us all things and remind us of everything Jesus said.  This shows us that it is possible to learn or not learn, listen or not listen.  We must make a conscious choice to learn from and listen to the Holy Spirit.    Half-warmed over people are not effective.  1 Thessalonians 5:19 – “Do not put out the Spirit’s fire.”  Matthew Henry’s commentary – “Christians are said to be baptized with the Holy Ghost and with fire. He worketh as fire, by enlightening, enlivening, and purifying the souls of men. As fire is put out by taking away fuel, and as it is quenched by pouring water, or putting a great deal of earth upon it; so we must be careful not to quench the Holy Spirit, by indulging carnal lusts and affections, minding only earthly things. Believers often hinder their growth in grace, by not giving themselves up to the spiritual affections raised in their hearts by the Holy Spirit.”  Another way that the work of the Holy Spirit is retarded is through infighting in the body of Christ, which is like applying a fire retardant to the flame – it interrupts chain reactions that propagate the combustion process . . . Matthew 12:25 (NLT) – “Jesus knew their thoughts and replied, “Any kingdom divided by civil war is doomed. A town or family splintered by feuding will fall apart.”  Disunity retards the Kingdom!  No matter how hard we pray or how much we study the Word of God, or how correct our doctrine is, if we do not live lives submitted to the Holy Spirit, if we grieve Him, then there simply won’t be any fire, but just a pile of dry sticks.

Heat (Holy Spirit) + Fuel (Word of God) + Oxygen (prayer) = the Kingdom of God

These three elements combine to make a blazing fire!  When God sets people on fire, there’s no stopping them!  They become world-changers!  Look at the global impact that has resulted from just a handful of ordinary, unschooled men . . .

Effects of fire

I want to talk about 8 effects of natural fire, and look at how these relate to prayer.  For each, I have chosen 3 Scriptures to help us to focus on the principles in God’s Word.

• 1 – Warmth – God’s love
  • 1 Peter 1:22 (God’s Word Translation) – “Love each other with a warm love that comes from the heart”
  • 1 Peter 4:8 (Bible in Basic English) – “And most of all be warm in your love for one another; because in love there is forgiveness for sins without number”
  • Romans 5:5 (NLT) – “And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.”
• It is essential that we are warm-hearted, full of love, towards any individual or group for whom we are praying.  If we do not feel love towards them, then that is where our prayers must begin – “Lord, fill me afresh with Your love today . . . give me love for so-and-so . . . soften my heart . . .”

• 2 – Light – God’s presence
  • Ephesians 5:8 (NLT) – “For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light!”
  • Matthew 5:14 (NLT) – “You are the light of the world–like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden”
  • 2 Corinthians 4:6 (NIV) – “For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,”made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.”
• When we live in the light, then our lives will be full of God’s truth and we will reflect His character because to abide in the light is to live in the presence of God.  When we live in the light, all sin is exposed – we have nothing to hide.  Living in the light frees us up in every area of our lives, including our prayer lives – often God reveals things in our own hearts that we need to turn away from or turn over to Him as we begin to pray for others, because His light penetrates the deepest recesses to bring fullness of life.  “Lord, shine Your light into the darkness of my friend’s life, that she would be able to know You and see Your glory”

• 3 – Food preparation – God’s perspective
  • John 6:27 (NIV) – “Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.”
  • John 4:34 (Weymouth New Testament) – “My food,” said Jesus, “is to be obedient to Him who sent me, and fully to accomplish His work.”
  • Isaiah 55:2 (NLT) – “Why spend your money on food that does not give you strength? Why pay for food that does you no good? Listen to me, and you will eat what is good. You will enjoy the finest food.”
• As fire is used throughout the world in daily food preparation, so God daily works in our lives to give us what we need both in this life and in the life to come.  We need God’s perspective to remember that we are working for eternal rewards, which begin today and last forever, as we live lives of obedience to Him.  God promises us that as we listen to Him and obey what He says, that He will sustain us, providing the good food that we need!  “Father God, give us Your perspective; help us to see with Your eyes what You are doing on the earth . . . keep us from being focused on the immediate and missing the important . . . open our eyes to see what You want us to see, to pray prayers according to Your eternal plans and purposes”

• 4 – Defense – God’s protection
  • Psalm 43:1 (NLT) – “Declare me innocent, O God! Defend me against these ungodly people. Rescue me from these unjust liars.”
  • 2 Samuel 22:3 (NLT) – “my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety. He is my refuge, my savior, the one who saves me from violence.”
  • Isaiah 16:3 (NLT) – “Defend us against our enemies. Protect us from their relentless attack.”
• As we pray with God’s heart and mind, He defends us on every side.  He defends us against lies that the enemy throws against us, either directly in our minds, or through the voices of others or our culture.  We don’t need to come to our own defense, and will only wear ourselves out if we try to do so.  The Lord defends us from everything that comes against us – not to say that no harm will ever touch us physically or emotionally, but it is in Him that we find protection and safety.  We will not be delivered from all of our enemies until we are in heaven – the victory is the Lord’s but we are still fighting the battles.  However, we can be confident in doing whatever God tells us to do, without fear, because nothing can separate us from Him or His love, and we are secure in the arms of our Great Defender.  No matter how relentless the attacks, God is on our side, and if God is for us, who can be against us?  “God, we trust in You.  Thank You that You are our shield and our defender – we run to You and find safety!”

• 5 – Clearing undergrowth – God’s discernment

• Song of Songs 2:15 – “Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards, our vineyards that are in bloom.”
  • Hebrews 12:1 – “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.”
  • Romans 14:13 – “Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother’s way.”
• That Song of Songs verse has had a double meaning to me for many years, since the name of our church includes the word “vineyard!”  It’s not the big, overt sins that usually trip us up, but the little pesky foxes that are sly, hard to catch, and often appealing in their craftiness.  Wesley noted that foxes were representative of disturbers of the vineyard, or the church, seducers, or false teachers.  Foxes spoil vines by gnawing and breaking the little branches and leaves.  It’s not the obvious sins and errors that are most dangerous, but the hidden or more subtle ones that creep in little by little and destroy a person or a church.  We need to be alert and remove those before they do great damage.  “Lord, show us the little foxes in our church; show us how to pray; help us to be alert and aware of any scheme of the enemy to disrupt, steal, kill or destroy; give us Your discernment and wisdom, and help us to walk in the authority that You have already given us in removing every hindrance, stumbling block, and obstacle that is not from You.  We invite You to fill us with Your power and Your presence, that You would be greatly glorified in this place.”

• 6 – Electricity – God’s power
  • 2 Corinthians 12:9 (NLT) – “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.”
  • Ephesians 1:19 (NLT) – “I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him.”
  • 2 Timothy 1:7 (NIV) – “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.”
• Allowing God to work through our weakness is like throwing kerosene on a fire – it is powerful.  The way of the world is exactly the opposite of this, where power has to do with strength and forcefulness.  God asks us to come to Him in complete humility, weakness and surrender, and place our faith and trust in Him, and He then works on our behalf in ways that go far beyond our understanding.  When we pray like we believe this, our prayer lives will be transformed.  1 Corinthians 4:20 (NLT) says, “For the Kingdom of God is not just a lot of talk; it is living by God’s power.”  Paul prayed this for the Ephesians because he knew that if they understood not only the incredible greatness of God’s power, but the fact that this power is for us who believe in Him, that they would change the world.  It’s through our troubles and temptations, as we turn our lives completely over to God, that God’s power is magnified.  “God, come in power and energize our prayers.  We come before You weak and broken and empty and surrendered.  Take us and use us for Your glory.  Let Your power be magnified in our weakness – we admit that we don’t have what it takes!  We are desperate and thirsty for You.  Come, Lord, and have Your way in us and through us!”

• 7 – Warfare – God’s strategies
  • Deuteronomy 1:30 (NIV) – “The LORD your God, who is going before you, will fight for you”
  • Zechariah 10:5 (Webster’s Bible Translation) – “And they shall be as mighty men, who tread down their enemies in the mire of the streets in the battle: and they shall fight, because the LORD is with them”
  • Deuteronomy 20:4 (NIV) – “For the LORD your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory”
• Sometimes people use the term “prayer warrior” to describe a certain kind of pray-er.  It’s a good term in some ways, but maybe a little misleading in others.  One very important thing to notice is that God is the one who fights for us and with us.  He doesn’t have an army that He sends out unaccompanied while He stands on a distant hill with binoculars in hand to watch the outcome.  In prayer, it’s like we’re putting our hands in God’s hand to together grasp the weapon He wants us to wield, and as we surrender ourselves to His command, He directs how, when, and where it is applied in battle.  I want to stress here the importance of working together as the army of God.  On our own, with one person blowing on the embers, we win small victories.  When a person or group or situation is surrounded by prayer because a group of people has discerned that God is moving in that person or group or situation, their combined prayers unite, resulting in a huge victory and great glory to God.  Big battles are won when the body of Christ comes together and prays together in the unity of the Spirit.  “Father, give us one heart and one mind in Christ, to do battle for You.  Thank You that You fight for us, with us, before us.  Help us not to shrink back from the battles You have assigned us to, but to be ready for whatever You would have us to do.  Give us Your strategies, that we would bring glory to You.”

• 8 – Purification – God’s holiness
  • Titus 2:14 (NIV) – “[He] gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good”
  • Zephaniah 3:9 (NASB) – “For then I will give to the peoples purified lips, That all of them may call on the name of the LORD, To serve Him shoulder to shoulder.”
  • 1 John 1:9 (NIV) – “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness”
• As we spend time face-to-face with God in His presence, He purifies us.  We cannot remain the same in the presence of our holy God.  He changes us to be more like Him.  As God reveals impurities in our hearts, mouths, lives, we confess them in prayer to Him and He forgives us and purifies us.  “Lord, purify us.  Make us eager to do what is good.  Bring to our attention every spot or blemish.  We confess our sins to You and thank You for Your forgiveness and purification.  Help us to be holy, as You are holy.”

In closing I want to read to you some selections from the last couple of chapters of the book of Revelation.  God is preparing us by His Holy Spirit, the Word of God, and in prayer, to be with Him forever.  God is purifying us to get us ready for the end of the age – it is soon, dear brothers & sisters – very soon.  May this stir our faith as we blow on the embers, praying in accordance with what we see the Father doing, to bring the fulfillment of God’s Kingdom, for God’s honor and glory.

Revelation 19:1 – 2, 4 – 9 – “ ¹After this I heard what sounded like the roar of a great multitude in heaven shouting:
   “Hallelujah!
   Salvation and glory and power belong to our God,
    ²for true and just are his judgments.

 ⁴The twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God, who was seated on the throne. And they cried:
   “Amen, Hallelujah!”

 ⁵Then a voice came from the throne, saying:
   “Praise our God,
      all you his servants,
   you who fear him,
      both small and great!”

 ⁶Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting:
   “Hallelujah!
      For our Lord God Almighty reigns.
 ⁷Let us rejoice and be glad
      and give him glory!
   For the wedding of the Lamb has come,
      and his bride has made herself ready.
 ⁸Fine linen, bright and clean,
      was given her to wear.” (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.)

 ⁹Then the angel said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!’ ” And he added, “These are the true words of God.” ”

Revelation 21:1 – 7 – “ ¹Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. ²I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. ³And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ⁴He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

 ⁵He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

 ⁶He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. ⁷He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son.”

Revelation 21:9 – 11 – “ ⁹One of the seven angels . . . came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” ¹⁰And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. ¹¹It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal.”

Revelation 21:23 – 27 – “²³The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. ²⁴The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. ²⁵On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. ²⁶The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. ²⁷Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.”

Revelation 22:12 – “ ¹²“Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. ¹³I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”

Revelation 22:20 – “ Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.”