Leviticus 6:13
A fire shall always be burning on the altar; it shall never go out.
Matthew 3:11
I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
1 Corinthians 6:19
Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?
When we become Christians, our body becomes a temple of the Holy Spirit, and within that temple is an altar to God.
When we are baptized with the Holy Spirit and fire, that fire is within our temple and on the altar within us.
On that altar, the fire will continue to burn, and not go out, but there are different levels or degrees of burning. As we are serving our Lord Jesus, that fire should be red hot and should be affecting each person whom we meet. Just as when a building is on fire, the heat radiates away from the building and affects others, so should the fire within us.
The way to continue to keep the fire hot is to spend time with Jesus on a regular basis, in His Word, in prayer, in meditation, and in communion with others.
When these practices are not followed the flame stays low, and even when we think all is going well, there is not the effect on others to sense the Presence and Power of the Holy Spirit.
Many things can cool the Fire within us, even good things that we are involved in and busy with, but if they keep us from time with our Lord Jesus, it is like water dripping on the flames, and keeping them as embers.
As believers, we need to fan the flame in one another as well. This is done by encouraging one another. This is also done by sharing what we see the Lord doing in their lives, in the lives of others, as well as in our own lives. When we experience and hear what the Lord is doing, and how lives are being touched and changed, the fire within each of us burns a bit stronger and hotter, and the Holy Spirit continues to encourage us to take another step, and to listen for His voice of direction.
2 Timothy 1:6
For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands.
Just as Paul wrote to Timothy to fan into flame the gift of God, we need to fan the flame in one another so we will each grow into the person whom God has created and called us to be, to His Glory.
Let us grow together to be red hot Christians, on fire for Jesus, making a difference in the lives of others, encouraging one another, and fanning the flames of one another.
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