Habakkuk 2:3 “For the vision is yet for the appointed time; It hastens toward the goal and it will not fail. Though it tarries, wait for it; For it will certainly come, it will not delay.” Just because we haven’t heard an answer from God, doesn’t mean He hasn’t heard our prayer. While we wait for God’s answer to arrive we need to be aware of the spiritual battle taking place to prevent His word from reaching us. We see an example of this in the book of Daniel. Daniel prayed for an answer from God and it was 21 days later when an angel visited him with the answer. Here’s what the angel said about why it took that long. Daniel 10:12 “12 Then he said to me, “Do not be afraid, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart on understanding this and on humbling yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to your words. From the very first day that Daniel prayed, God heard and responded. Daniel had come humbly and set his heart on understanding, but why did it take so long to get his answer? Daniel 10:13-14 “13 But the prince of the kingdom of Persia was withstanding me for twenty-one days; then behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left there with the kings of Persia. 14 Now I have come to give you an understanding of what will happen to your people in the latter days, for the vision pertains to the days yet future.”
The answer is coming, so we praise while we wait. It’s just part of the process. I want to talk for a couple minutes about FUEL. A lot of folks here are new and I want everyone to understand our purpose and vision. I love the concept of fuel. FUEL stands for Faith in Unity Engaged in Love. We are a family of faith in Jesus, unified and engaged in spreading His love in the earth. We as the church are supposed to be the fuel for the kingdom expansion. Fuel gets burned up and creates energy and momentum. Let’s talk about things that burn. At our last house, I had cut down some very overgrown shrubs. They were about 7ft tall. And so I had a very large pile of dead dry sticks in my backyard, so I decided to burn them. Well, it took about 2 days to burn all of it and when it was over I was struck with a question that really bothered me. There used to be a very large pile of wood and now there is only a very small mound of ashes. The question was: Where did the wood go? Now I know the standard answer is that it got burned up. But, that doesn’t explain what happened. Then several months later when we started meeting at our house for small group to start the church, we would hang out around our fire pit outside while I taught. Then I noticed it again. We started with several large pieces of wood, but by the time we were done, there was only a small pile of ashes. Where did the wood go? I saw the wood getting smaller and I saw the fire burning, but what is happening to the wood?
So I posed the question to the folks who were there. A little while later Kathy came up and had the answer. Now I’m not going to go into the scientific explanation of it, but the short answer is that the heat from the fire had caused a chemical reaction that literally transformed the solid wood into a gas which we see as smoke. Where did the wood go? It literally turned into something else and floated away. The fire didn’t destroy the wood, it gave it the ability to travel on the wind. What’s your first indication there is a fire? You smell the smoke. You can be miles away from the thing that’s on fire, but the smoke reaches you first, because it is traveling by the wind at another level. In Matthew, John the baptist told us about the fire from God that was coming. Matthew 3:11 “I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” Acts 2:4-5 “4 And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; 5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” As we wait for God, He renews our strength, by sending the fire of the Holy Spirit to consume us...the fuel. When the fire hits us we are transformed and move to another level to be able to carry the news of the fire many miles from where we are burning.
The first indication that other people will have that we are on fire here is the smell of Holy Spirit smoke on you. That smoke smells like love. 2 Corinthians 2:14-16 “14 But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place. 15 For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; 16 to the one an aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life.” When I was in bible college, they used to say “If you catch on fire, people will come to watch you burn.” But the people in simpsonville won’t know there’s a fire if they don’t smell the smoke. The prophetic evangelist I told you about week asked me a question before he prayed for me to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit. He asked me the name of our church. I said FUEL and he just laughed and said, “FUEL? I guess all you need is a match to be struck.” I want to tell you tonight that praise is the match that lights the fire of God’s presence. 1 Peter 1:6-7 “6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”
When the fire of the Holy Spirit begins to fall on you, it will test your faith and refine you. The testing results in more praise, because it reveals the source of our strength Jesus. Psalm 66:10 “For You have tried us, O God; You have refined us as silver is refined.” When silver is refined by fire it burns off all the impurities. And just like silver when the fire of the Holy Spirit refines us He burns off all of the impure things that don’t look like Him. Remember when we talked about being made in the image and likeness of God? And how that image looks like love. The Holy Spirit will begin to burn off the selfishness and pride that wants to control you. If you will strike the match of praise, God will begin to burn you with the refining fire of the Holy Spirit that will transform you into His image. And like smoke, allow you to travel at another level spiritually so you can fulfill His purpose for your life.
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