Fanning the Fire

Consistency; such a simple concept, but one so hard to maintain. Admittedly, one of my most pressing issues as a person of faith is maintaining consistency in my time with the Lord.

For weeks or months, I’m on fire for Him – spending a great deal of time in study, prayerfully going about my day, regularly initiating faith conversations, and voraciously tearing through the Bible. Other times, the landscape of my faith becomes dry and arid – I go about my day without setting aside time for the Lord, but focus on the other fires that come up instead.

In each dry spell, I know that I need God, but he seems distant. When I read the Bible, the words feel flat, not inspired. When I pray, it feels superficial. I am too tired to designate time to God; I usually have too much to do anyway.

Over time, though, I’ve realized that in my life there’s either a fire going or a fire to put out. Either way, I’m the one kindling the flames.

As I was reading one day, I came across Hebrews 11 which recounts several stories of faith in action throughout the Bible. The more I read, the more I understood what I had been missing in all those times of inconsistency.

3 By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.

4 By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead.

7 By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith.

8 By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.

9 By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise.

11 And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she considered him faithful who had made the promise.

17 By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had embraced the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son.

21 By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons, and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.

22 By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions concerning the burial of his bones.

23 By faith Moses’ parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.

24 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. 25 He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. 26 He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward.

27 By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible.

28 By faith he kept the Passover and the application of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel.

29 By faith the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned.

30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the army had marched around them for seven days.

31 By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.

I lacked faith, and in doing so, I fanned the flames of inconsistency, flames that fueled anxiety, stress, and worry. Flames that fueled my ever-growing to-do list, as well as my excuses. My inability to stay continuously on the path of faith was not out of my control as I had previously felt.  Although I never stopped loving Christ, I had chosen to let other things take priority over Him. I had put my own faith fire out, but underneath, it was still smoldering.

As a believer, the ashes of our faith are always under the surface, ready to be kindled again. However, a dying fire does not come to life by itself.

We have to fan the fames of our faith, even if it feels like all that’s left are embers. Even if it feels like hope is lost, like the enemy has won, like we aren’t worthy. We must take that one step and whisper to Christ. All we need say is “Help me, Jesus,” and He will. Maybe not in the way we envision it or through the circumstances we desire, but He will help us. He never gives up on us, and we must never give up on Him.

In Hebrews, Paul goes on to write,

32 And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets, 33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength.

In my moments of weakness, through my times of inconsistency, I must remember to come closer to God, then God will come closer to me. I must wash my hands and purify my heart, for my loyalty is divided between God and the world (James 4:8).

Coming close to God doesn’t have to mean spending inordinate amounts of time in the Word. It doesn’t have to mean thumping my Bible at others or quoting Scripture to everyone I meet. It has nothing to do with the fires set ablaze by the enemy, the king of this world; the flames that distract, frustrate, and confuse, but everything to do with the God of my life, the Sovereign Lord, the King of Eternity.

I won’t make another pledge that certain seasons of my life will cause me to disavow at one point or another, but I tell you that in those times all I need do is reach out to Christ and he will help me fan the flames of my faith instead of the flames of my heart, which is inconsistent at best and misleading at worst.

Let us exercise our faith like the men and women mentioned above. Ordinary men and women who had doubts, fears, and failures, but who continued looking to God for guidance. They didn’t have to do anything by themselves – He was always there, just as He is for us now and forevermore. All they need do was trust in Him, and then act.

Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead (James 2:17).

We may not be called to build an ark, or live in a tent in a foreign country, or have babies as old men and women, or put blood on our doorposts, but we are called to stand for truth. And the truth is that we need Christ; not just sometimes, not just when we feel like it, but all the time, every day.

We must take practical steps to ensure we are living out the faith we have professed. We must offer what we can in the seasons that we’re in, and then ask Christ to intercede for us and make up our deficits. He has once and forever saved us, and will continue to lift us up as we ask.

By faith, I pray that each of us may recognize our dry spells for what they are, then fan the embers until we are again ablaze with the Spirit, on fire for Christ. And friend, if you’ve never felt that all-encompassing fire, I pray that the Holy Spirit would come upon you, that you would be empowered by Christ, and that He would walk with you as you explore how wide and deep His love is and how all-consuming that love can be. In life, there’s either a fire going or a fire to put out. Either way, we’re the ones kindling the flames, so let’s set ourselves ablaze for Christ and create a light bright enough for a dark world to see. Amen.