The other day, I watched and listened as a friend shared her secret for making the perfect fire in her fireplace. She showed how she stacked 3 pieces of wood along the bottom. Then she stacked 2 pieces of wood on top of those, in the opposite direction. Then she stacked 2 more pieces of wood on top of those.
When she lit it, she said it made the best and prettiest fire.
She shared that, during the day, as the fire burned down, she would continue to add wood to it...across and down.
The caption on her picture was, "how I build my fire," but in my mind, when I read it, I heard it to the tune of "this is how I fight my battles." Have y'all heard the song, "Surrounded," by Michael W. Smith?
Some of the lyrics are: "It may look like I'm surrounded, but I'm surrounded by You. This is how I fight my battles..."
So I started singing, "this is how I build my fy-yah...this is how I build my fy-yah."
I know, I'm weird.
And then I started singing, "It may look like I'm on fire, but I'm on fire for You."
Catchy, right?
I started thinking about how to build a good fire...and then I started wondering, "what things do I need to have or do in my life, in order to build a good and lasting fire for the Lord?"
What is the foundation of the fire in my life? My salvation? Yes. The Holy Spirit? Yes.
But how do I keep that fire burning?
Reading my Bible? Yes. Getting into God's Word is a major way I fuel my fire for the Lord. When I am not disciplined or diligent about reading and studying God's Word, I feel unfocused. Sluggish. Joyless. Start to finish...I believe the Bible. The Bible tells us that God's Word is alive. "For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires." (Hebrews 4:12) When I read it, I feel His words come alive in my heart! God's Word gives me comfort, strength, direction, encouragement, peace. His words also convict and reprove me at times.
Prayer is another big way I can fuel my fire for the Lord. Prayer is not me listing all the things I want God to do for me...like a list for Santa to fill. No! Prayer is a conversation between me and God. I confess my sins. I also pray for my needs, and the needs of others around me. And I ask God for direction and discernment in my daily life.
Praise is another way I fuel my fire for the Lord. In my prayer time, I try to spend time praising God for who He is. And I praise Him for the things He has done or is doing in my life. Or in the lives of others. I love music, and I love to sing, so that's another way I can praise the Lord. I don't sing well, but I sing all.the.time. in our home.
Being thankful is another piece of the wood on my fire. Sometimes life is just hard, amiright? We try to do the right things and live the right way...but still there are hard times. Believers are not immune from hardship and suffering. But I've found that if I just start thanking God for everything...for waking up, for a safe place to live, for a car to drive, for the ability to pay bills, and put gas in the car, for a close parking spot on a rainy day, for my church, for friends who call or text encouragement, for thinking I was out of cinnamon rolls on Sunday morning...but finding that lassssssssst can in the back behind the juice. Being thankful might not change my circumstances, but it changes the way I LOOK at my circumstances.
I mean, none of us really have to look too far to find things to be thankful for...we just need to make it a habit in our lives to be grateful.
There are other things that keep my fire for the Lord burning bright.
Going to church. I get refueled each week, as I sing and listen and serve at my local church. Friends and family...they can be the best at encouraging me on my walk with Christ. Lunch with a friend. Going to a women's conference. Attending a Bible Study. Even writing, like I'm doing now...keeping a journal of our lives, and chronicling God's faithfulness over the years...helps me to see all the places where His hand has held us.
Build your fire from the cornerstones and disciplines of your faith. Don't let it go out! Keep stacking...reading, prayer, Bible Study, praise, thanksgiving...REPEAT.
And don't just tend to your OWN fire...be the person who encourages someone else to, as the group "Point of Grace" used to sing, "keep the fire burning."
Okay, I just looked it up, and their lyrics are "keep the candle burning," BUT BASICALLY THE SAME THING.
"not neglecting to gather together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day approaching." Hebrews 10:25
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