The Sovereign God That Answer’s by Fire.

Pastor Nnaemeka C. Uchegbu

Description

UNDERSTANDING THE ROLE OF FIRE IN LIFE, SACRED RELIGIOUS WORSHIP, AND IN SPIRITUAL WARFARE IS THE KEY TO UNLOCKING SUPERNATURAL POWER.
FIRE IS ONE OF THE FOUR MAJOR ELEMENTS KNOWN TO EXIST ON EARTH. OTHERS INCLUDE: AIR, WATER, AND DUST. HOWEVER, FIRE OCCUPIES THE MOST SIGNIFICANT POSITION AMONG THE REST FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF SACRED RELIGIOUS WORSHIP WHERE IT IS BELIEVED TO REPRESENT THE PRESENCE OF GOD. ALSO, BECAUSE OF THE CRITICAL ROLE THAT FIRE PLAYS IN THE AREA OF SPIRITUAL WARFARE, ANYONE WHO DESIRES ACCESS TO SUPERNATURAL POWER MUST HAVE A DEEP UNDERSTANDING OF THE CHARACTERISTICS OF FIRE AND ITS SYMBOLISM, AND BE SPIRITUALLY BAPTIZED BY FIRE. BAPTISM BY GODLY FIRE ENDOWS CHILDREN OF GOD WITH SUPERNATURAL AUTHORITY AND ENABLES THEM TO DO EXPLOITS FOR HIM. SO, THIS BAPTISM BY FIRE IS A PRIVILEGE AND GREAT BLESSING TO THE BODY OF CHRIST. THE CONTEMPOARY CHURCH NEEDS BELIEVERS, LIKE MOSES AND ELIJAH, WHOSE HEARTS “BURNED” WITH THIS SPIRITUAL FIRE. IT DISTINGUISHES A BELIEVER FOR SERVICE IN THE KINGDOM WHERE GOD, THE SUPREME JUDGE THAT IS “A CONSUMING FIRE”, IS ALSO THE GOD OF MERCY AND GRACE, WHO SAVES THE PENITENT. THIS IS A MYSTERY THAT THIS BOOK TRIES TO UNRAVEL.

Sujets

• Religion
• Philosophie et théologie

Informations

• Publié par: iUniverse
• Date de parution: 08 juin 2023
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781663251954
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

THE SOVEREIGN GOD THAT ANSWER’S BY FIRE.
 
 
THE GOD OF ELIJAH.
 
 
 
 
 
PASTOR NNAEMEKA C. UCHEGBU
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
THE SOVEREIGN GOD THAT ANSWER’S BY FIRE.
THE GOD OF ELIJAH.
 
Copyright © 2023 PASTOR NNAEMEKA C. UCHEGBU.
 
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
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ISBN: 978-1-6632-5194-7 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-6632-5195-4 (e)
 
Library of Congress Control Number: 2023905680
 
 
 
iUniverse rev. date:  05/15/2023
CONTENTS
Acknowledgement
Introduction
 
Chapter 1       The Living Fire
Chapter 2       Characteristics of Fire
Chapter 3       Uses of Fire
Chapter 4       Representations of Fire
Chapter 5       God’s Sacred Fire
Chapter 6       Evil Fires
Chapter 7       Fire! Fire! Everywhere
Chapter 8       The Power of God’s Fire
Chapter 9       The God of Elijah
Chapter 10     The God that Answers by Fire
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I wish to acknowledge my good friends Pastor William Maurice Johnson and his dear wife Donna Churcher, both of whom have been very wonderful sources of support to my spiritual journey. Their Sunday School Ministry (where they use my books as discipleship tools) wonderfully inspired me to sharpen my literary skills and encouraged my writing career. May God bless them abunda ntly.
INTRODUCTION
The word fire appears more than five hundred times in the complete version of the holy Bible. The repetitive mention of this versatile element therefore puts an incredible spotlight on its inevitable relevance to the natural man in the physical sphere, and its spiritual role as a key player in sacred religious worship.
In the Bible setting, the word fire generally refers to the manifestation of God’s nature and actions in addition to other figurative forms such as light. But in secular parlance, fire represents a breathing flame with the various combustive characteristics that make it useful in most natural settings.
Fire is one of the most important elements in the world. This is because of its unique contributions to the domestic and the industrial arenas, and its role in sacred spiritual worship, where it occupies center stage as the major prevalent means for effective sacrificial worship.
From the spiritual perspective, fire is universally perceived as a symbol of power in most religions of the world. In the Christian religion and in Judaism, for instance, fire specifically represents Divine presence, Sovereign Majesty, Power, and the Glory of God (Exodus 3:2-3)
In the Old Testament tabernacle, the constant light produced from the golden lamp (the Menorah) was so synonymous with the presence of God that priests were specially assigned to ensure that the fire in the lamp burned without ceasing. Its light was a symbol of the ever-present glory of God.
But there are also several scriptures which describe other figurative functions of fire in the Bible. These symbolic forms of fire have often been used to connect God to actions such as baptism, cleansing and in other cases, his judgement. Thus, the Bible eloquently speaks of “baptism of fire” and “God’s wrath of fire”.
“ John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire:” (Luke 3 : 16).
“Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, and take away the foreskins of your heart, ye men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: lest my fury come forth like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings” (Jeremiah 4: 4).
In heathen societies, where religious practices and cultural beliefs are built around seasonal festivals and ritual activities, fire is the prominent sacred tool of worship. In those pagan religions, fire is believed to represent the power and the wisdom of the gods.
Generally, the unique characteristics of fire remain the same. So, whether it is in the natural sphere where it serves human needs, or as an instrument of warfare in the spiritual realm, all fires possess the common abilities to bring sweet comfort or to cause horrible damage.
God is a holy and righteous being who hates sin with perfect hatred. He does not tolerate sin and would not endorse any form of iniquity among his children. So, those who survive constantly in his presence are people whose transgressions have been purged with his fire.
This fire cleanses the soul of believers from their carnal desires and other fleshly impurities that defile their bodies and make the walk with God dreary. The destruction of these evil yokes removes all things that make spiritual fellowship impracticable and render believers unusable by God.
CHAPTER 1
THE LIVING FIRE
Fire is one of the four major elements of nature. Others include water, dust, and air. There are more elements in nature, but without these four major ones, life would be drab, unexciting, and meaningless. So, these major elements hold the key to life. They add value to many areas of life in ways that make it worth the living.
Generally, natural fire is kindled when rapidly oxidized air encounters any combustive matter, such as wood, dry grass, gaseous substance, or oil. So, to start a natural fire, oxygen is necessary, in addition to the presence of a heat-generating source and some combustible materials.
Fire can be started intentionally or by accident. This means that it can be kindled by conscious human action, unconscious error, or by the spontaneous act of lightning. In some cases, fires have been linked with the mischievous acts of arsonists, by the programmed activities of sorcerers, or called down by prophets.
“ While he was still talking, another messenger arrived and said, “Bolts of lightning struck the sheep and the shepherds and fried them—burned them to a crisp. I’m the only one to get out alive and tell you what happened.” (Job 1: 16 MSG).
From past centuries, fire has immensely contributed to human survival on earth. Early humans used stone to generate friction in the presence of naturally occurring air. This way, they lit fine tinder or saw dust. This was man’s earliest way of making fire for cooking, hunting, or for heating their homesteads.
By rubbing flintstones together, humans created enough sparks and were able to start their fires. They did not have to worry about oxygen because the air in that epoch was highly oxidized. And they sustained the fire that was generated by supplying more air to the flame with makeshift fans.
Fire has supernatural power. And whether it is present in the spiritual or its physical state, in the good or bad form, it expresses itself in ways that cannot be ignored. However, it is good to know that in which ever form it manifests, all fires are under God’s control.
Fire is a powerful tool that needs control even in its most ordinary form. Its roles in spiritual and physical forms illustrate the great influence it has on man and his environment. So, whether in its sacred use for ritual purposes, for traditional agriculture, or for land clearing, fire is a survival tool you cannot disregard.
Fire can literally hear, run, talk, and take instructions. Evidence of this is found mostly in spiritual warfare where it speaks the language of destruction. Once the spiritual fire is invoked (after prayers or relevant incantations), it will show up in the natural sphere as flames and perform its mission.
Even in the natural sphere, the use of hot water, hot air, hot metal plates or heated oil for the resolution of domestic disputes is highly discouraged. Many lives have been lost and marriages destroyed beyond repair, because someone failed to control their anger. Even the scripture compares God’s anger to burning fire.
Some physical fires worthy of mention in this chapter inc lude:
A). Wildf ires.
In the year 2020, more than 4 million acres of land, excluding property and lives, was destroyed in the wake of a raging wildfire in the state of California. It is possible that the fire may have started by the spontaneous kindling of dry plants and trees due to lightning, as is sometimes the case in that area.
In the same year in Colorado, an abnormal wildfire almost ruined the entire city of “Ashland”. In recent years, deaths from smog due to wildfires have become issues of highest concern. Many people suffer from asthma and other breathing problems, and the smoke released from these fires can lead to health complications.
Even with the best scientific developments, wildfire disasters have been difficult to predict, prevent, or fully control. And such fires have often led to terrible damage of incalculable proportions causing liver and kidney damage to those exposed to extended contact, in environments where they