My challenge to believers of the day… which side of the fire are you on?

Elijah piled a lot of wood. He likely had a crew chopping and stacking his pile of wood. When the stack was big enough, he had it drenched with water. Everyone knows wet wood does not burn. When the wood was wet enough, he prayed….
Now it seems to me… Elijah was a believer before he prayed and Elijah as a believer after he prayed, but something happened in the mix of before and after. I believe the something that happened was the Holy Spirit came down on Elijah and empowered him to take part in bringing fire down from heaven. It was this purifying fire that consumed the wet woodpile and authenticated the presence of God. It was the purifying engulfment of Elijah by the Holy Spirit that likely empowered him for future events, forever.

Many point at modern day believers and snicker. It is in the snicker, others are agreeing in the impotence we struggle with as believers. Others have not seen us call down fire from heaven, because for the most part we don’t. It’s said that today’s God is the God of love and not so much hell fire and damnation. Maybe so, i don’t know and that’s really not the point. What i want you to consider is the man Elijah, before the fire and after the fire.
I believe in the midst of struggle, Elijah was empowered by the Holy Spirit. I believe it was the condition of his heart, that was fertile ground for the Spirit to do It’s work. In obedience, fully conscious that wood does not burn, he placed his life in jeopardy. Someone was going to die before the day was out. Either he heard God right and the wood was going to burn or Elijah was going to personally become chopped liver and fed to the masses.

My challenge to believers of the day… which side of the fire are you on? Are you believing and not experiencing the incredible miraculous God of the Bible? I am not challenging your salvation… i am challenging your experience in and through God, empowered by the Holy Spirit. Do you not know Jesus can abide, accompanied by the Holy Spirit with a plan God wants to unfold in your life. This plan likely includes a pile of wet wood or impossible task with your life seemingly on the line. The only thing that stops His plan from unfolding in your life, is you.
Please be encouraged to reject the life of an impotent believer. It is a dead end. Pray for and prepare for… God to send His Spirit to empower you with Jesus abiding, to stack your own pile of wet wood. It may be the miraculous that authenticates God’s presence and changes you forever with a consuming fire from heaven and the abiding of Jesus Christ.

If this speaks to your heart… pray God will allow you to become the type of believer, He desires to work miracles in and through. Be expectant and ready to accept the challenge. It likely will come.

amen.