Wednesday, June 23, 2010

"FIRE & DESIRE"

Today's Meditation: "Delight thyself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in Him and He shall bring it to pass." Psalm 37:4-5

Fire
"Love them and leave them...that's what I used to do; use and abuse them...then I laid eyes on you; it was pain before pleasure..." No, this is not scripture. They are the lyrics to a very popular hit love song from the '80's by the late singer Rick James, and his protegee Teena Marie entitled "Fire & Desire". The ballad expressed the deep passion and love (and, probably lust) between a couple who, by all accounts had fallen so hard for one another until it hurt!

As a happily married newlywed, now more than ever, I can say that indeed--the promises of God are absolutely true! Not only are His promises true, but they are FILLED with fire and desire!

If I may, there are 3 types of fire I'd like to recognize. First, there is PHYSICAL FIRE. Physical fire is an actual, burning,hot glow which--once lit can be easily ignited by other flammable materials. Physical fire can burn wildly if its not contained.

Next, there is HOLY FIRE. Holy fire are those sacred, purifying flames that burn internally within us--on purpose. It is set ablaze by the power of the Holy Spirit, and if we allow it, Holy Fire can symbolically and literally burn away those thoughts,yearnings, and desires that--while pleasing to us, are not pleasing to God. Holy Fire is designed to destroy everything in us that is not like God.

Lastly, there is "STRANGE FIRE". Now this is the kind we want to avoid at all costs! Strange fire is that which I'll describe as unknown,unauthorized, unsanctioned and tainted by the lust of the flesh, and oftentimes, our carnal nature. Biblically, God called out the 'strange fire' which was offered up to him by two brothers, Nadab and Abihu in Leviticus 10:1-3. This offering was deemed as "strange" by the Lord because it was compromised by the fact that these men were in a drunken stupor as they attempted to execute it. God responded by sending forth His own fire--which devoured and killed them both!

Promises
There is much discussion these days about the promises of God. PROMISES of God are so very different than the promises of man! As our relationship grows deeper and more intimate with God over time, we come to realize that a life committed to the Lord MUST yield a harvest of His promises!

When the scriptures advise, "delight thyself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart", God is letting us know that when we are all about Him, He will be all about us. Being delighted in God is being IN LOVE with God. Being in love with God is the adoring, joyful, "sweetness" that comes with knowing that "I am thine, and He is mine"-- In God's sight, that's hot!

While promises unfulfilled by man have the ability to break our hearts, a true promise of God will never go unfulfilled---no matter how long it may seem to take! Instead of being a heart-breaker, God is a heart-maker...Therefore, the creator of our heart knows exactly what it is made up of--fire, desire, and ALL!
God's desire for you and me is that we tap into the revelation of the Heart/Mind Connection--meaning that we align our inward desire, passion, and purpose for our lives as the beloved of Jesus Christ, with the eternal desires, passions, and divine purposes that our Creator has for our lives!

When we truly do this, just see how truly DELIGHTED God becomes in US. Amen
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Rev. Steph