Ablaze for God 03
January 24, 2021

Living Daily Ablaze for God

Romans 12:11

Ablaze for God 03 | Debbye Turner Bell | leadership development director | first aired on 01.24.2021

not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; —Romans 12:11 (NKJV)
Read Scripture
What shall I render to the Lord
For all His benefits toward me?
I will take up the cup of salvation,
And call upon the name of the Lord.
I will pay my vows to the Lord
Now in the presence of all His people.

Precious in the sight of the Lord
Is the death of His saints.

O Lord, truly I am Your servant;
I am Your servant, the son of Your maidservant;
You have loosed my bonds.
I will offer to You the sacrifice of thanksgiving,
And will call upon the name of the Lord.

I will pay my vows to the Lord
Now in the presence of all His people,
In the courts of the Lord’s house,
In the midst of you, O Jerusalem.

Praise the Lord! —Psalm 116:12-19 (NKJV)

I. We are called to live daily ablaze for God. Paul is telling us that we are to be “fervent” always. Fervent here means to burn or boil. He is essentially saying we are to be ablaze for God all the time…daily

A. Certainly disappointments, challenges, and tragedies in life can serve to dampen, or even extinguish, the fire in our faith.

B. The most significant threat to living daily ablaze for God is the day-in, day-out monotony of regular life.

C. Staying ablaze for God requires

Reveal Answer
and
Reveal Answer

II. Just like in a marriage or close relationship, keeping the “flame” burning requires building and nurturing intimacy with God.

A. When we lose intimacy with God, the fire grows cold and can eventually go out altogether.

B. A natural fire requires: a spark, the right fuel and the right atmosphere (oxygen)

C. Our passion (flame) for God requires the same things:

III. The spark starts with salvation. Other “sparks” can include a great sermon, conference, praise and worship. Go back and watch Pastor Mick’s messages on Jan. 10th and 17th for more on sparking the fire.

IV. The right fuel … the

Reveal Answer
of
Reveal Answer

A. Read the Bible everyday (Rom. 10:17, Deut. 8:3, Psa. 119:105, John 8:32, Heb. 4:12, Eph 6:17)

B. Keep a journal of your insights and takeaways from your daily Bible reading

C. Incorporate confessing scriptures out loud daily

d. STUDY the Bible regularly by taking time to look up the meaning of words, studying the history and context of a passage in resources like: Strong’s Concordance, Thompson Chain Reference Bible, Bible Dictionary, Vine’s Expository

When studying the Bible look at:

  • The content of the passage you are studying

  • The context of the passage you are studying

  • The spiritual relevance of the passage you are studying

  • The personal application of the passage you are studying

V. The right atmosphere … the

Reveal Answer
of God. Just like a natural fire can’t burn without oxygen, our spiritual fire can’t burn without God’s presence (the Holy Spirit).

A sure way to invite the presence of God is by praise and worship. (Psa 22:3) And He comes when we call out to Him. (Psa. 145:18)

  • Recall the blessing God has given you and remember the promises made to believers in the Bible.

  • Declare God’s goodness, character and nature

  • Sing to the Lord

VI. Regularly

Reveal Answer
,
Reveal Answer
the Bible, and
Reveal Answer
with other believers.

Seeking and serving the Lord in community builds our faith and sharpens our relationship with God. Acts 2:42

VII. Get rid of anger, bitterness, and unforgiveness which can

Reveal Answer
our fire for God.

VIII. God desires a

Reveal Answer
Reveal Answer
with us! He wants to be in an intimate, loving relationship with us.

A. As we press in close to Him, we stay ablaze by being close to Him (2 Thes. 2:16-17)

B. He loves us with an everlasting love. (Jer. 31:3, 1 John 3:1)

C. He loves giving us His kingdom. (Luke 12:32)

D. He gives us what we need. (Matt. 6:31-33)

E. He loves us just like He loves Jesus (John 17:23)

F. Nothing separates us from the love of God. (Rom. 8:38-39)

IX. Make a commitment to spark, feed, and provide the right atmosphere for the fire necessary to live daily ablaze for God.

Call to Action:

1 ) BE INTENTIONAL about reading the Bible every day. Journal your insights and takeaways.

2 ) TALK TO GOD EVERY DAY (pray) and be quiet in His presence to hear what He has to say.

3 ) Take TIME to worship God by telling Him how much you love Him every day. Make a list of His blessings and thank Him for them. Declare His divine character and sing to Him.


Want a record of your sermon notes for today? Click the EMAIL button to send a copy!