Fire… it can be comforting and calming, or out of control and devastating.
In Scripture, fire is a picture of spiritual vitality, and every fire needs tending. Spiritually, we all need to be stirred up again—fresh fuel, a little air, and a renewed flame.
Fire Me Up, Jesus! will help blow the soot off your passion for Christ and rekindle the fire in your heart.
Let’s get fired up together!
You may be carrying more than you ever thought you could.The weight feels heavy, the road looks long, but know this: God is using that burden to make you stronger.Look to God’s Word with us today, and experience some much-needed encouragement that will breathe life back into your weary soul.
Falling asleep at the wheel can be deadly. Spiritual sleep is even more dangerous:The church in Sardis had the reputation of being alive, but Jesus pierces them with truth: “You are dead. Wake up, and strengthen what remains.” (Revelation 3:1-2)He calls us to the same this very day— wake up spiritually. Shake off the distractions and walk wide awake in the light of Christ.
Jesus said to Peter, “Put the sword into the sheath; the cup which the Father has given Me, shall I not drink it?” John 18:11, nasb
“When the going gets tough . . .”
What happens next? “The tough get going,” right?
I suppose this partially explains why Peter, a fisherman, happened to be packing a sword in the Garden of Gethsemane on the night when Jesus was betrayed. You remember the story—how he rushed to his Master’s defense, how he hacked off an ear from one of the high priest’s security detail.
That’s how we typically react to situations we perceive as injustices. That’s how we typically respond to threats against our well-being or against that of our children and family. When faced with opposition, our tendency is to rely on the flesh—on our own strength, wits, and ingenuity—rather than seek and trust God’s greater plans for why He would lead us into such a difficult spot.
This may be how we do it. It may be how Peter did it. But it’s sure not how Jesus did it.
Jesus, we know, was facing opposition that night as well—a level of opposition no other person could ever know or endure, one that dwarfed whatever sense of dread or discomfort Peter and the other disciples were experiencing.
There in the tense darkness, Jesus had been on His face, praying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me” (Matthew 26:39, esv). The cup represented the wrath of Almighty God for all sin, for all time. The cup represented your sin and my sin—not His sin but our sin—sin that required the Sinless to go to such brutal extremes of sacrifice. It represented spiritual suffering of unparalleled proportions, not to mention horrific physical torture that was about to take place.
And He knew everything that was coming. Having full power, He also could have stopped it. He was in an authoritative position to walk away unscathed from the awful demands of the hour.
Instead, He looked into the frothing terror of that cup and fully surrendered to it. “The cup which the Father has given Me, shall I not drink it?”
That’s what the truly tough do. They surrender while others are fighting. They pray while others are sleeping. They say things we might never say (and don’t say things we would), because they refuse to fold under what is seen, and they refuse to rely on human logic or strength alone when facing what God has chosen to do in their lives.
Peter’s agenda all along had been to prevent Jesus’ death by any means possible. When Jesus had spoken of it earlier, Peter had shot back, “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you” (Matthew 16:22). But Jesus rebuked him then, same as He rebuked him later in the garden, “You are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man” (Matthew 16:23). Peter thought the goal was survival. But the goal, as always, was surrender.
If you’re standing today in the face of opposition—whether to a person or circumstance, or to a looming dilemma contradicting what you want in life—how are you choosing to handle it? You likely just want it to end, but God wants His will accomplished. You probably despise its intrusion, but God is using it to humble and shape you, to put you in position for being a workable part of His plan.
Don’t fight it. You’re tougher than that.
Surrender.
Journal
Pray
Father, thank You for the example of Your Son in helping me see how to stand up to life’s most difficult challenges. Thank You for continually proving to my heart what Your Word says: that You are trustworthy, and that surrender to You is always the best way, no matter the cost. I commit to You my fears and feelings surrounding the struggles I’m facing most intensely today. I invite You to do what You desire in me, and I ask You to grant me a heart of glad submission. I pray these things in the name of the One who surrendered at the highest cost possible—my Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
This is a message about sexual sin – but it’s not a message about weaponizing Scripture. Rather, we’re letting Jesus speak into a subject where culture has been loud and hearts have been hurting.
Down with the spirit of judgment—up with the spirit of grace.
So quiet the noise, open God’s Word, and listen to Christ speak truth with love.
Revelation 2
If you’ve been longing for a deeper faith…If you’ve felt that fire slipping…If you’ve wondered where to find it again…You’re in the right place. This is a life-changing message from the Book of Revelation.Revelation isn’t just about the future or ominous prophecy. It’s about our King. And nothing can compare to what happens when Jesus Himself shows up.
There’s just so much noise. Politicians, headlines, uncertainty, unthinkable tragedy. But above it all stands the King of Kings.
Take heart! The glory of Jesus Christ is revealed in Scripture, and you CAN rest your hope fully in Him.
Turn in these timeless pages to the book of Revelation, and learn what Jesus thinks of His church – and ours today.
Revelation
Given all the uncertainty and questions that permeate our culture, remember: You have a compass the world sorely needs: the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.The book of Revelation, often considered cryptic or hard to understand, is laden with God’s promises about the future.So grab your Bible, and watch this introduction from Pastor James on his verse by verse study through Revelation, beginning today…
Revelation 1
What problem are you facing today? If Jesus Christ were sitting across the table from you, wouldn’t that problem vanish in an instant under the gaze of His love? When God is magnified, our problems are diminished. As we come under the power of God’s Word, we should leave with a greater view of God and a smaller view of our problems.
When we see the glory of Jesus Christ revealed, it shatters fear and strengthens hope.If you know someone who needs this teaching, share it with them. Now, let’s get into God’s Word together—Book of Revelation chapter 1, starting in verse 12. Come on—open your Bible, and let’s dig in.So grab your Bible, and watch this introduction from Pastor James on his verse by verse study through Revelation, beginning today…
Revelation
Given all the uncertainty and questions that permeate our culture, remember: You have a compass the world sorely needs: the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ.The book of Revelation, often considered cryptic or hard to understand, is laden with God’s promises about the future.So grab your Bible, and watch this introduction from Pastor James on his verse by verse study through Revelation, beginning today…