Rekindle the Altar Fire: Welcome God's PresenceSample

Only God Can Start the Fire

Sometimes in our Christian walks, instead of going to God and asking Him to send His fire, we start our own fires. We then try to fan that fleshly fire through activities, events, or programs. But human fire is very destructive. For every human fire we start in the house of the Lord, particularly in spiritual ministry, a price must be paid directly or indirectly either today or in the future.

We see an example of this at the Tabernacle in the time of Moses when the two oldest sons of Aaron, the high priest, disobeyed God. No sooner had the fire from the Lord fallen and consumed the burnt offering on the bronze altar, than Nadab and Abihu, planning to offer incense within the Tabernacle, went ahead and started their own fire. We read that they were punished by death for this sacrilege of bringing counterfeit fire before the Lord. The old adage about playing with fire is true: You will eventually get burned.

Because of God’s grace and mercy through Christ Jesus, He no longer does such things under the New Covenant. We need to remember, however, that God’s grace does not change His attributes. God was holy in the Old Testament, and He is holy today. God was a consuming fire in the Old Testament, and He is a consuming fire today.

What is the difference between the Old Testament and current times? Today God’s grace allows us to approach Him at His throne. But never forget: His attributes have not changed. Our God is unchanging. He is the same yesterday, today, and forevermore.

Thus, we must never create things of the flesh and call them things of God. We must never mix the divine with the human. False fire is what we create when the presence of God is not real in our lives. We avoid false fire by being sincere, honest, and true with God, by understanding, obeying, and submitting fully to His will.

Questions to Ponder: Have you ever tried to fan a “false fire” into flame? How might you express deeper reverence for God’s holiness?