Leviticus 6:12-13, New King James Version

“And the fire on the altar shall be kept burning on it; it shall not be put out. And the priest shall burn wood on it every morning, and lay the burnt offering in order on it; and he shall burn on it the fat of the peace offerings. A fire shall always be burning on the altar; it shall never go out.”

Our God is a speaking God, the Bible supports this statement in many ways, that our God is a speaking God. Today we live in a world where we give little attention to God speaking to us because there are so many distractions, yet God is still speaking.

Just like God reminded the priest in Leviticus to keep the fire on the altar burning continuously, I believe God is also speaking to the Church to keep the fire on the altar burning continuously. He wants us to continually keep our fire burning and to daily clean the ash and debris in our lives - daily. Just like when you start a fire, you must clean the area, rid it of any old ash or debris so you can start a fresh fire, so it is with us and our spiritual lives. We must remove ash or garbage, so we can have a fresh fire burning for the Lord.

Why is it so important that we keep this fire burning?

Fire is an important aspect of a believer’s life, the word picture for the Holy Spirit is “Fire”.

We as believers in Christ must keep that fire burning in our lives, we cannot afford to allow that fire to go out. For us to remain overcomers on this earth, we cannot afford to let the fire go out.

The fire was so important because it was started directly by God:

“Fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the fat portions on the altar. And when all the people saw it, they shouted for joy and fell facedown” (Leviticus 9:23, NKJV)

The fire on the altar, therefore, served as a constant reminder of God’s power. On the day of Pentecost we are told that the Holy Spirit came on the apostles like tongues of fire.

“And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” (Acts 2:2-4, NKJV)

The fire also represented God’s presence; it represented the glory of the Lord. We are also told that the children of Israel were led by a cloud of fire by night in their journey through the wilderness.

“And the sight of the glory of the LORD was like a consuming fire on the mountaintop in the eyes of the Israelites.” (Exodus 24:17, NKJV)

The fire was a perpetual reminder of God’s presence.

The continuous fire symbolized daily worship. The priests had to tend to the fire day and night, we tend to our fire daily, all day.

Fire symbolized the continual need for atonement.

The continual burning of the fire also signifies God’s desire to accept what is offered to Him. God desires to accept us, and He accepts us by burning away every piece of debris and garbage in our lives. The more the Lord burns, the more acceptable we are to Him. Sacrifices are always placed on an altar.

These are very key elements in the life of a believer to keep the fire burning continuously, especially in today’s world when anything goes.

Many believers are losing their fire, faith and passion. The Covid pandemic has shown us how fickle, how easy it is for believers to lose the faith, fire and passion for the things of God.

I believe God’s message to us today is to keep the fire burning. The fire must not go out, keep the fire burning, keep the flame glowing.

Will the world see us burn for Him?