MONDAY, FEBRUARY 22
Scripture: Exodus 3; 2 Kings 2; Acts 2:1-4

One important purpose of God’s divine fire is for purification and protection of His saints. We see in the story of Moses that God appears to Moses in the midst of Holy Ground in the form of a burning bush. It can also be seen in the ascension of Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind and chariots of fire. Finally, we see it in the form of the Holy Spirit coming to rest on the heads of the Apostles in the form of tongues of flame. Think of the concept of the refiner’s fire. Fire is used to burn away impurities. To separate valuable ore from worthless slag. In a scene from the C.S. Lewis Narnia novel Voyage of the Dawn Treader, one of the main characters Eustace Scrubb found himself in need of purification after making a number of bad choices. Aslan, representing the type of Jesus in this literary series warns him that the purification process will be painful, but he needs to be willing to endure the pain in order to be free from his sins. The truth is that the refining process is often painful for us. Whether emotionally, spiritually, financially, or otherwise, it is rarely a pain-free process. Yet it is a process that we should welcome. Remember that we cannot call down God’s judgment in those areas where we ourselves are weak. Mature believers need to be in a place of readiness in order to stand in the fire we may need to call down on an unrelenting enemy!