“Quench not the Spirit†(1 Thessalonians 5:19).
I liked what the writer of our study, Diane Worthington, wrote concerning the symbol of fire. “The refiner turns up the fire so the impurities in the metal will come to the top to be skimmed off. As the process is completed, he will be able to see his reflection in the metal. In the same way, the Holy Spirit turns up the fire of our conscience, so we may deal with sin and allow the image of Christ to be seen in us.â€
It is necessary that the fire of the Spirit be like an eternal flame. He will help keep us pure. He will keep a burning desire for us to put our love for God into action.
I’ve used the illustration of the lump of coal before. It starts out black and when placed in the fire at various degrees for a length of time, the finished product is a brilliant diamond. We come to Jesus black as coal with our sins, He covers us with His blood and the Spirit comes to live in us. We may have to withstand some fiery trials in our lives, but, when we come through them, we will shine like a diamond.
Don’t do anything that would extinguish the fire of the Holy Spirit. Allow Him to glow brightly in your life.
Sue Winchester
Missouri
PRAY TOGETHER: Pray for Sarah Malone, teacher in Asia, as she shares her heart with women at the WNAC National Retreat.
