Can a man take fire to his bosom, and his clothes not be burned? Can one walk on hot coals, and his feet not be seared?” Proverbs 6:27-28

“It’s the secret place that lights our fire, that sets us burning. I’m talking about a white-hot, fiery zeal for the face of Jesus and for the concerns of His kingdom. Jesus came to kindle a fire on earth (Luke 12:49) by which He intended to set us ablaze with His very own passions and desires. To maintain its intensity, this fire must be constantly stoked by the intimate passions of the secret place.

“You are destined for fire. You will burn for all eternity—the only question is where.

“The longing of your breast is to be a living flame, ignited with the exhilaration of beholding His beauty, worshiping Him with uninhibited abandon, and deployed into the world with self-controlled, calculated zeal that does not love its own life even unto death. You have something to live for because you have something to die for. You long to be a firebrand of holiness, which is why you’ll never be satisfied with status quo Christianity.

“When you approach God, you are drawing near to the great blazing inferno of the ages. To be set on fire, you must get close to God. When you feel cold, distant, and ‘out of it’ spiritually, it’s time to retreat to the closet, place yourself before the fireplace of His word, and allow the intensity of His face to restore your fervency.

“The secret to staying ablaze for Jesus is not in responding to altar calls (as good as those are); it’s not in having someone lay hands on you and pray for you (as valid as that is); it’s not in listening to a good teaching tape or the latest worship CD; the only sure source for staying white-hot is in devoting yourself consistently to the place-of-the-shut-door.

“You can pray nothing more dangerously sublime than to say, ‘Holy Spirit, let Your burning jealousy have its consuming way in my life, until every competing affection and false god is completely burned away and until one raging, all-consuming passion fills my entire being—love for the altogether Lovely One, the Man Christ Jesus!’

“When you draw close to the fire of God’s word, you are actually taking fire into your bosom—and the leprous, filthy clothes of your old life are being burned away. As you step into the fiery presence of His secret place, you are walking on hot coals—and your feet are being seared to walk in the way of holiness and righteousness and obedience.

Jesus testified that the people didn’t go to John primarily to hear something, but to see something. Jesus described John as ‘the burning and shining lamp’ (John 5:35). John was a man set on fire from heaven, a man who incubated his love for God through a steadfast commitment to solitude in the secret place, and thus he became a shining lamp for the entire nation to behold. The people came from all over to see this fire. People are always attracted to a great fire.—Bob Sorge

My Prayer

“Oh Lord, make a burning light for my generation to see. Oh my God, never allow me settle for status quo Christianity which does not satisfy You. Never allow me live by the cold embers of normal living. Take me deeper into the center of Your flame, and burn away every other affection that resides within or around my soul. Set me on fire Oh Lord. Set me on fire! Enough of moderate living. Make me an extremist for Your Kingdom. Fill me with extreme love for You that goes on to become extreme love for Your will. I am never going to hearken to that voice of human reasoning that seeks to quench this flame. I know there is fire in You—that eternal beautiful flame—and that is what I want…to be consumed in Your flame. Keep me focused on You, walking in You, seeking Your face—until You break forth from me with Your glorious brightness. Change me Lord and change my generation through the power of Your intensity and glory. Until that happens, I refuse to rest or conform to anybody’s standards. Amen.”

The Challenge

Seek the flames of God. Cry for these flames to burn in your chest. Decide today never to conform to the “normal Christian life.” If there is a flame in God’s presence that can be gotten, commit to press forward in God until you get it. Don’t be satisfied until His flames are ignited and sustained in your soul.