Where are you on your spiritual journey? Growing? Excited? Engaged in the lives of others? Or have you, like the prophet, Jeremiah, experienced discouragement, suffering, and disappointment with God (Jeremiah 20)? Is the fire in your heart burning brightly, or do you need some fuel to rekindle the flame? We must begin with a heart check-up. Perhaps the following questions will help you understand what lies beneath the surface of your soul.
Do you truly desire a greater depth of relationship with a holy, loving, personal God? If so, you know that it will require transformation. We often desire a better life, not necessarily a holy life. What are you willing to exchange for the kind of relationship with God that you long for? Are you willing to trade the “good life” of ease, comfort, material wealth, or status? Are you willing to lay down bitterness or un-forgiveness? Are you willing to examine your underlying desires for a sense of significance or of being loved, in order to discover second things that you have pursued in lieu of your first love relationship with God? What are you holding on to that seems terrifying to relinquish? What self-obsessed motivations cause you to love your sin more than you love God? Is true freedom possible? If you are ready for change, if you truly desire to be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ, if you are weary of comfortable Christianity, and are willing to embark on a journey of life transformation, let God be for you an All Consuming Fire!
At the heart of this book is a message of revival. God wants to pour out His Spirit among us, and is looking for a generation who takes Him seriously and lives courageously. Fan the flame. Engage God with your heart, as well as with your mind. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly. Journey with the saints of God who will challenge and encourage you. Cooperate with the Holy Spirit within you to transform you. May God ignite us with a passion for Him that we cannot deny, and may our lives burn with such love that we (and those around us) cannot remain unchanged.