"Do not put out the Spirit's fire ." -1 Thessalonians 5:19 (ISV)
Did you know that pouring just a small fraction of water into burning oil will cause a fireball? (Don't try this at home) You've probably seen less aggressive forms of this in your kitchen when water droplets accidentally hit a hot pan of oil, then you hear the loud sizzling sound and see the steam rise out of your pan. It happens all the time when frozen fries hit the hot oil at restaurants. Well in a similar way the word of God which interestingly is referred to as "the water of the word" helps keep the fire of the Spirit burning inside of us. The more of the word we take in and apply to our lives the more on fire we will be for the Lord. See the water of the word hydrates us and keeps us from drying out, but it also keeps that oily fire burning. It's also very interesting to me that oil is a symbol of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of the Lord and the oil of anointing are directly linked in the scriptures. The oil stands as a physical representation of the outpouring and anointing of the Holy Ghost on a believer.
Now Paul's command here is for us not to "quench" or put out that fire! Like the burning oil, water will not put it out but will give it more power and energy to rise up. However other things can put it out, like simply covering the pan with a lid, depriving it of oxygen to breathe, or throwing baking soda all over it. You can also use a chemical fire extinguisher to do the job. Paul wants us to keep the fire going in our hearts for the Lord because it's so easy to be put out. Sin can do that, sin is anti-inflammatory and it causes us to be fire resistant. Doubt and believing the enemies lies will also extinguish the fire inside of us. You see doubt puts the brakes on our faith. And like Elijah who was on fire one minute then the next he was running away scared because he believed the enemies lies, so too we must be careful to cultivate that fire and be as impermeable to sin as possible. Quench your thirst not the Spirit!
Now Paul's command here is for us not to "quench" or put out that fire! Like the burning oil, water will not put it out but will give it more power and energy to rise up. However other things can put it out, like simply covering the pan with a lid, depriving it of oxygen to breathe, or throwing baking soda all over it. You can also use a chemical fire extinguisher to do the job. Paul wants us to keep the fire going in our hearts for the Lord because it's so easy to be put out. Sin can do that, sin is anti-inflammatory and it causes us to be fire resistant. Doubt and believing the enemies lies will also extinguish the fire inside of us. You see doubt puts the brakes on our faith. And like Elijah who was on fire one minute then the next he was running away scared because he believed the enemies lies, so too we must be careful to cultivate that fire and be as impermeable to sin as possible. Quench your thirst not the Spirit!
- ARE YOU ON FIRE FOR THE LORD NOW? WHAT USUALLY PUTS YOUR FIRE OUT?
- "It is important that we get this straight, for until doubts are removed, faith is impossible. God will not surprise a doubting heart with an effusion of the Holy Spirit, nor will He fill anyone who has doctrinal questions about the possibility of being filled." -A.W. Tozer