Give Away Control

Give Away Control

"Fear not." Genesis 15:1

Welcoming the fire of God’s manifest presence sounds intimidating—even threatening. Perhaps if the thought of God setting your church on fire does not strike a healthy degree of fear in your bones, you may not have a clue what is at stake.

It is no coincidence that the vast majority of “fear nots” in the Bible were spoken to people who had just encountered the manifest presence of God. When Abraham encountered God in his flaming vision, he was petrified and God told him, “Fear not.” When Daniel encountered the manifest presence of God in the muscle-bound angel, he was understandably overwhelmed. God tried to settle him down by saying, “Fear not” (Daniel 10:12). When the apostle John encountered the manifest presence of the exalted Christ on the island of Patmos, he fell on his face like a dead man. Comatose. God told him, “Fear not “ (Revelation 1:17).

All kinds of scary thoughts run through our mind when we consider welcoming the fire of Christ to our church. What if things get out of control? What if people get carried away? What if it gets messy? What if people get turned off and leave my church?

Some of us are so afraid of false fire, misfire, or backfire, that when things start heating up, we panic and instinctively reach for the fire extinguishers. Hold on—not so fast! 

Who’s in control of your church—you, or the Holy Spirit? If you truly trust God, you can relinquish control and yield to the Holy Spirit’s influence in your congregation.

Father God, today I repent of my need to control my church. Right now, I relinquish control to God, the Holy Spirit, in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

YEAR ON FIRE
© Fred A. Hartley, III  
All rights reserved
Unless otherwise indicated, the English Standard Bible (ESV) is used.

This daily Christ-encountering, fire-starter is not intended to replace your daily Bible reading and prayer time, but rather to motivate you to spend extended time in His presence.
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