True born-again Christians have a personal relationship with God through the Lord Jesus Christ, the One who baptizes with the Holy Spirit and with fire (Luke 3:16). But how should Christians keep the fire of the Holy Spirit burning in their lives? How do Christians stay on fire for the Lord?

Jesus taught His disciples the importance of having the Holy Spirit because it’s through the Holy Spirit that we may become witnesses from our Jerusalem (home base) to the ends of the earth. Before Jesus was taken up to heaven, He commanded His disciples not to depart from Jerusalem but they should wait for the Holy Spirit to baptize them (Acts 1:4-5).

Perhaps you have been on fire for God before, but now you do not seem to remember anymore how that felt like; you are left wondering if that fire that once burnt in you can ever be rekindled.

Planetshakers’ Live Conference in Manila, Philippines

Yesterday, January 13, 2018, I was blessed to have attended the Planetshakers’ Conference in the Philippines, held at the Araneta Coliseum. I’d say the event was a victorious one, glory be to God.

We arrived at the venue just before 7 AM thinking we were early, only to see a very long line of people, mostly youths, waiting to get in. Contrary to what I was expecting, the place was packed with people waiting to jam in worship with the Australian City Church music band and to listen from God.

While in line, I had the opportunity to converse with their senior pastor Russel Evans, who took some time to check out the people waiting to get in, a couple of hours before the event kicked off.

 

It was also a blessing to have met in person a fellow believer in Christ whom I came to know through our Bible Sharing group on Facebook.

Everybody had a blast during the praise and worship and we felt the Holy Spirit’s awesome presence all over the place. As I looked around the jam-packed coliseum, I saw how everybody was having a great time singing, shouting, jumping, and dancing for the Lord.

But to me, the greatest takeaway was the message delivered by the youth pastor of the Planetshakers City Church during the first session. And it is this message that I will be sharing with you in this blog today.

How to Keep the Fire of the Holy Spirit Burning

Youth pastor Andy Harrison talked about the fire of the Holy Spirit working in the life of every believer. And he mentioned three things Christians can and should do to keep the fire of the Holy Spirit burning in their lives.

A – Fuel the fire of the Holy Spirit by regularly reading the Bible.

Just as fire needs fuel to keep it burning brightly, spiritual passion also needs fueling or refueling to keep it burning brightly. The spiritual fuel is none other than the Word of God – the Bible.

You may notice that people who are no longer on fire for God do not have time for the Scriptures. They have lost their passion for the Word. If you are in this situation, it’s time to replenish your spiritual energy with the Word of God in order for you to get back to normal.

It’s important to fuel your fire by staying with the Word. Feed your fire. Don’t depend solely on your pastor or worship leaders in your church. You got to have a fire-feeding device of your own. Go the extra mile for God by making it a habit to read the Bible every day.

When a Christian does not take in spiritual food by reading the Bible daily, his spiritual fire will grow dim and flickering. You need the Word of God if you want the fire of the Holy Spirit to burn afresh in your heart.

B – Maintain fellowship with other believers.

You’ve got to stay where the fire is. Being in fellowship with believers who love the Lord and are on fire for God will keep you on fire.

You may have heard or read the story of a certain believer who used to be on fire for God. But after some time, he stopped going to church. So, his pastor went to visit him in his house and found him sitting before a roaring fireplace.

The pastor sat next to the man but did not say a word. Suddenly he reached over and pulled a lump of red-hot coal out of the fire and laid it on another side of the fireplace. Within a few minutes, the red-hot coal became a smoldering ember and eventually a cold white ember emitting no heat.

As they both observed what just happened, the man looked at the pastor and said he would be back in church.

It’s evident that when you separate a lump of coal from the rest, it will die.

Church: A Community of Believers

It’s the same thing with Christians. Believers need each other to keep the fire of the Holy Spirit burning in their lives. Some Christians think they do not need to go to church. They think they will do just fine on their own. However, the Word of God warns us against forsaking the assembling of ourselves together (Hebrews 10:25).

Spiritual growth is never a lonely route and that is why Jesus established the church. The church is a community of believers who worship together, work together, serve together and grow together to lend each other support.

We need other Christians in order to grow. We need regular interaction, fellowship, and mutual support. We are to encourage and edify one another (1 Thessalonians 5:11). Christians who choose to isolate themselves do not grow, they are seldom strong and effective.

By the way, you should be careful as to who you hang around with. The old saying, “Birds of the same feather flock together” is true. You may think you won’t get influenced by non-Christians but the Bible is very clear in saying, “Bad company corrupts good character” (1 Corinthians 15:33 NIV).

This is not to say you must stay away from unbelievers. By all means, you should befriend them so you will have the opportunity to share the gospel with them. But you must know where and when to draw the line. If you really want to keep your spiritual fire burning, be with Christians who are on fire for the Lord.

No matter how small or big your church is, as long as they love the Lord and they preach the Word, I encourage you to attend your church and support it faithfully.

C – Be a candle and go light your world.

The Word of God says Christians are the light of the world (Matthew 5:14). Christians are candles, and as such, we should go out there and light the world. Believers in Christ are commissioned to share the Gospel into all the world (Matthew 28:19-20).

What if you’re the only Christian in your family? It doesn’t matter as long as you keep your light burning because one candle released can fill the whole house. When the fire of the Holy Spirit is burning bright and clear in your life, you’ll be able to help the people in the dark see clearly.

Always keep your fire burning because the more the flame burns, the less wax is produced. The wax symbolizes the sins, filth, and weaknesses in your life. When the fire of the Holy Spirit is burning brightly in your life, you will be walking and living under the will of God.

More than anything else in the world today, we need a demonstration of the power of the Holy Spirit. Let us keep the flames burning and take the fire of God’s Spirit to a lost and dying world.

Conclusion

One of the most noted and greatest events in the history of mankind was the Day of Pentecost where the Holy Spirit was poured out; tongues of fire sat upon the disciples and they spoke in other tongues (Acts 2:1-4).

In order to keep the fire burning, we need to constantly be tapping into the gifts of the Holy Spirit. We should not put out or extinguish the fire of the Holy Spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:19).

How is the fire of the Holy Spirit in your life? Is it burning bright and strong? Or is it flickering and may die out soon? You may want to examine yourself. Do you feel tired? Have you lost your spiritual appetite? Are you still energetic in serving God and others?

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Recommended Resource:

Holy Fire: A Balanced, Biblical Look at the Holy Spirit’s Work in Our Lives by R. T. Kendall

Greater than your theology, bigger than denominations, beyond all we can imagine, the Holy Spirit is God’s gift to the church and to you.

The debate about the Holy Spirit has been around for a long time. In Holy Fire, best-selling author and respected theologian R. T. Kendall set the record straight about the Holy Spirit’s role in our lives and in the life of the church.

If you want to increase your knowledge of this most misunderstood member of the Trinity, or if you long to experience His presence in your life in a deeper way than ever before, this book is for you.

Are you charismatic? He is bigger than your signs-and-wonders events. Are you Reformed? He will not be limited by your theology. As Jesus said of the Holy Spirit, “He blows where He will” (John 3:8).