Are You Ready for the Fire?

[~Free]

This is something that the Lord placed on my spirit yesterday that I thought I would put to words and share with you. I have no idea why He gave this to me, but I will use it to His glory to the best of my ability. Sorry this is so long; not sure if it will make sense or not, but I am going to be obedient anyway by posting it, praying that it will bless or touch someone in the process.

Most of us know by now the codes for using the fire extinguishers in the event of a fire. The acronym PASS means Pull, Aim, Squeeze, and Spray. Doing so will help you use the fire extinguisher properly so that you may fight whatever flames may be around you. Yesterday, the Lord gave me a new idea for this. Have you ever thought about other ways we can use this code? In Ephesians 6:16, Paul talks about a vital piece to the Armor of God by saying, “above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one (NKJV).” The enemy is constantly trying to throw fiery darts and battles at us Christians, but we must stand tall and strong, fighting back at Him with the faith that God is always with us and will fight those battles for us. This being said, the Lord gave me a new set of words for the code PASS: Pray, Ask, Seek, and Stand.

As I thought about this, it occurred to me that this would work in just about any situation. We must always pray about any situation, whether we are praising and thanking Him for a blessing or praying about a serious situation that needs to change, or simply talking with Him during the day. Prayer is our closest and best communication with God, as it is a direct line (Jesus on the mainline, tell Him what you want!) between you and Him. He gave us the manner of prayer that covers all things that we know as The Lord’s Prayer. If you really study the Lord’s Prayer, it covers everything you could face throughout a day. It is something that my family says every morning before we even leave the house. 1 Thessalonians says to “pray without ceasing (NKJV).”

That leads us into the next word which is to ask. According to James 1:6, we are to “ask in faith, with no doubting, for [she] who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind (NKJV).” I have been here before. I have doubted Him on my journey more times than I can even begin to count. Jesus says that when we ask, or ask in faith, we shall receive. He can answer our prayers the way that He knows is best for us and in His due time. A lot of Christians in this world have not learned and do not practice patience, and sometimes expect Jesus to become their Santa Claus, of sorts, or a genie. I heard someone once refer to Jesus answering prayer as a McDonald’s drive-through, where one can ask for something and have it granted to them instantly – Not so! My, how they were steered in the wrong direction! He will answer our prayers; it may just not be in the way or the timing that we expect it to be.

Next we come to seek. Most of you know that my family just went through a period of a time without having a car. Because of the urgency of the situation and the fact that we had doctor’s appointments and such to get to, we began looking for a car immediately. We called everyone we knew for prayer and to see if they knew someone with a car in our price range. My mother and I were on Craigslist all day every day for a week and a half, and we posted all over Facebook looking for prayers and/or a car before we were finally blessed with one that was perfect for us. After we had the car for a day or two, the Lord pressed this upon my spirit: If we search that hard for a vehicle, lost car keys, misplaced wallet, or anything else we may lose, why can we then not apply to the same level of seeking into His word and building a relationship with Him? This started me on my newfound walk. I want to seek and search for Him and His word just as hard as I did for a vehicle. Imagine – if I apply the same level of seeking to Him as I did to this car, how much stronger can my relationship with Him get? Awesome stuff!

Last but not least in this little novella of a post is the word stand. We have talked about praying, asking, and seeking so far. 1 Corinthians 16:13 says to “watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong (NKJV).” God is our ever-present help and our light in the midst of the darkness. If we stand upon His word and trust in Him, we cannot go wrong. We will face trouble, but Jesus is the conqueror over all the evil in this world. John 16:33, a favorite verse, says “I tell you these things so that in Me you may find peace. In this world you will face trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world (NIV).” We have all said that where two or three are gathered in His name, there He is in our midst also. If we truly stand in agreement one with another, God can change things. I cannot remember where I found it, but there is a verse that says the prayer of one righteous man sends 1000 angels to flight. If this is true, can you imagine how many angels we can send to flight if we all stand together as a group, praying for our nation and the condition that the world is in today; if we stand and pray for the situation in one another’s lives? My, what a mighty move God can make! My, how many mountains will move!

I’m not sure if this makes sense and I apologize if there is something incorrect that offends anyone, but I thought it was pretty awesome when God gave it to me and I just had to share it. Pray, Ask, Seek, and Stand. Are you ready for the battle? Are you ready to fight the fire? Are you ready to be diligent in service and give it to God? I know I’m ready to go! May God bless and keep each and every one of you; I love you and may He keep a hedge of protection about you at all times.