by Rebekah Harvey

I had the great opportunity to pray with a dear friend this morning and as we were praying this verse came to mind, Leviticus 6:12 “The fire on the altar shall be kept burning on it; it shall not go out. The priest shall burn wood on it every morning, and he shall arrange the burnt offering on it and shall burn on it the fat of the peace offerings.”

My prayer was that we would keep the flame of the Lord burning in our lives, that we will not let it grow dim or cold. We live in a dark and troubled world, chaos seems to be the regular order of events on the news and in social media. In these dark times it is so critical for us to be in the Word of God and in prayer which keeps the flame burning.

It can feel like a sacrifice at times to keep our relationship with the Lord right, keeping that fire burning. The sacrifice in Leviticus 6 was an animal sacrifice of the entire animal offered to the Lord. The priest would burn the entire animal and then ensure that the fire continued burning all night. This burning was a symbol of the desire of the person offering the sacrifice to be cleansed of their sinful trespasses. We do not offer animal sacrifices today but we offer ourselves to God, Romans 12:1 “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”

I encourage you today to present yourself fully to God as your fair and appropriate sacrifice. Ask Him to help you with your struggles and temptations. Pray that His fire would remain in you and grow so that you would be a light and bring the warmth of God’s goodness to those in your life who need it.

The flame and fire of the Lord is within our spirit when we yield ourselves to Him. Ephesians 5:8 says, “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.”

In this world where evil abounds we can have light and peace in our hearts through the Word of God. Isaiah 26:3 “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.” This means that we have a part to play in keeping our peace. We must focus our mind on Him, and trust in Him to keep His peace.

Psalm 18:28 “You light a lamp for me. The LORD, my God, lights up my darkness.”
Psalm 29:11 “The LORD gives his people strength. The LORD blesses them with peace.”
Psalm 84:11 “For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly. 12 O LORD of hosts, blessed is the one who trusts in you!”
John 8:12 “Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”