5 ways to get on fire for God

Have you lost your fire? Did you once burn brightly for Jesus where you would have done anything for Him, and yet now going to church once a week seems a rather difficult commitment? Do you ever think perhaps one day I’ll get my fire back and really serve God but right now I’m happy to just go through the motions of nominal Christianity? If so does it bother you that you’ve settled into this lifestyle? In first world suburbia it’s quite easy to fall into this rut, but I want to tell you how you can get out of it, and get back to burning hot for Jesus all the days of your life.

Being on fire for God doesn’t come automatically, you have to intentionally work at it. However, if you leave it up to chance your fire will go out.

Here are 5 things that will show you why your fire may have gone out and what you can do to get back on fire for Jesus:

1. Fully surrender to Christ.

The reason many of us are not living on fire for Jesus is because we think our life belongs to us and that we get to do whatever we want with it. The truth is that in order to come alive to Christ, you first have to die to yourself. If you didn’t die, then you simply added Christ to your life rather than letting Christ become your life. This is a self-centred gospel rather than a Christ-centred gospel. If you are at the center of your life and are living for yourself, you will find it hard to be on fire for Jesus. You have to get off your throne and let Jesus sit on it.

On the 24th July 1995 the old self-centred Ryan Rufus died and the new Christ-centred Ryan Rufus came alive. Since then my life has not belonged to me, it has belonged to Christ. I literally got down on my hands and knees in my bedroom that day and said to Jesus, “I surrender. I give you my life.” The miracle of rebirth took place and Jesus has been my life ever since. I didn’t add Him to my already self-centered life, I completely gave up my life so that Christ would come alive in me. Ever since then it hasn’t been hard to be on fire for Jesus.

Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me…”

Colossians 3:3 “For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”

2 Corinthians 5:15 “and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.”

The first step to being on fire for Jesus is to make sure you haven’t subscribed to a man-centred gospel but rather a Christ-centred gospel. A Christ-centred gospel says, “I am no longer living for myself but for Jesus.” When Christ becomes the center of your life then doing anything for Him won’t be a sacrifice, it is your actual life.

2. Focus on eternity.

The second step to being on fire for Jesus is to focus on eternity.

Eternity is the highest perspective we can have in life. Everything else finds its place and priority when we see things from eternity. If we do not live with eternity pressing into our priorities here on earth, then we’ll get easily distracted and caught up living for trivial things – our comforts and pleasures. When difficulties from following Jesus challenge our quest for comfort and pleasure, then compromising our commitment to Christ won’t seem so bad. However when we see things how Christ sees them, our priorities here on earth change. When we live with heavens priorities it will cause us to get on fire for God.

Colossians 3:1-2 “If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.”

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 “Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”

3. Feed and fan the flames.

The third step to being on fire for Jesus is to feed and fan the flames of your passion for Jesus. If you don’t they will easily go out just as a fire eventually goes out if you don’t feed and fan it.

All of these scriptures below show us we need to do something in order to maintain our passion and focus for Christ:

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”

1 Timothy 1:18-19 “This charge I commit to you, son Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, having faith and a good conscience, which some having rejected, concerning the faith have suffered shipwreck…”

Jude 20 “But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit”

Romans 10:17 “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

1 Timothy 6:10-12 “Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.”

If you leave things to chance and feelings your fire will go out. You need to be intentional and disciplined. To feed and fan your flames you need to be regularly feeding on the Word of God and spending time in His presence. God is a God of fire and when you encounter Him and His Word, you will get on fire!

Revelation 1:12-18 “I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and among the lampstands was someone like a son of man dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, and coming out of his mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance. When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.”

It’s hard to encounter Christ’s like this and not be on fire!

4. Find your purpose.

The fourth step to being on fire of Jesus is to live with divine purpose.

With no purpose your life becomes aimless with no reason to be on fire. But when you find and follow your God given purpose it will stir up a fire in you. Our mission is to disciple the nations, and our purpose is to find out how we fit into that and fulfill it with our particular talents and calling. It’s easier to find out your purpose when you are surrendered to Christ, living for eternity, and feeding and fanning the flames of your passion for Christ. When you get connected with your higher purpose it’s easier to get on fire for God. If you’re not on fire for God it’s probably partly due to you not being connected to your purpose.

Philippians 2:12-13 “Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.”

5. Fellowship with fired up people.

The fifth step to getting on fire for God is to surround yourself with other people who are on fire for God. Fire is contagious, it spreads. All you have to do is get around people who are on fire for God and they will fire you up. Then get around other people whose fire has died down and you fire them up! Hopefully your local church has some people like this and especially the leadership. If the leaders are not fired up I doubt the people will be.

What kind of believers do you fellowship with? Are they on fire for God or has their fire gone out? What topics dominate their conversations – work, weather, sport, news, themselves – how about Jesus? How about eternity? How about Kingdom purpose? How about the Word of God?

2 Corinthians 6:14 “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?”

Philippians 1:3-8 “I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ; just as it is right for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart, inasmuch as both in my chains and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you all are partakers with me of grace. For God is my witness, how greatly I long for you all with the affection of Jesus Christ.”

Acts 2:42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

Final though:

We have one life and we don’t have the luxury of wasting it. People’s eternal destiny depends a lot on us and how on fire for Jesus we are. God has not called us to a trivial life, He has called us to a life of divine purpose and destiny. If we are surrendered to Jesus, focused on eternity, feeding and fanning our flames, are connected to our purpose and hanging around other believers who are fired up then it won’t be hard to live on fire for Jesus all the days of our life! Serving Him will be no sacrifice, it will be our burning desire.

Hebrews 12:28-29 “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. For our God is a consuming fire.”

Other posts you may find helpful:

5 ways to improve worship at your church. (Read)

How to have a powerful prayer time. (Read)

Finding and fulfilling your purpose. (Read)

Walking in the Spirit Covenant. (Listen)

Walking by your reborn spirit. (Listen)

Walking in fellowship with the Holy Spirit. (Listen)

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