Consuming God
Updated: Apr 20, 2022
"For our God is a consuming fire." ~Hebrews 12:29
Have you ever wondered what this verse means exactly? I sure have.
The word consume means to eat up. Just as a fire eats up everything in it's path, God desires to consume us. Not to harm us, but for our good.
"God desires to fill you afresh today with His Spirit to empower you and consume everything that is not of Him in the process." ~ author unknown
What a beautiful and powerful statement this is! God, in His might and power, desires to swoop in and consume all that is within us that is NOT of Him. Not to harm or hurt, but to set us free. I have always assumed that God as a consuming fire means that He consumes us with His goodness and love, which I believe is true. However, I had never thought about Him using His power in me to consume everything that is not of Him.
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. ~Romans 6:23
It is the sin in our lives that shackles, imprisons and destroys us.
"Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul." ~1 Peter 2:11
We are not left alone down here on this earth to figure out how to deal with our sin on our own. No self help book has the power to come in and remove sin and change us like God's consuming fire can. It is not a matter of our might or strength in this battle. Instead, we must draw closer to the All Consuming Fire, and as we do, He changes us.
"Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded."
~James 4:8
As we draw closer to Him, HE burns away all that is not of Him to make us whole and complete. HE changes us, we can't do it ourselves. We are held, we are loved and we are His when we come with a heart that is sincere, and a heart that is pure.
"Sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace." ~Romans 6:14
"We know that the person we used to be was crucified with him to put an end to sin in our bodies. Because of this we are no longer slaves to sin." ~Romans 6:6
He loves us so much that He wants to burn away and consume all of our sin.
Drawing closer to Him is what sets us free!
God in His goodness, grace and power can remove and consume all of our sin, if we let Him. The deeper you immerse yourself in His fire, the more of your sin He will consume.
"For the LORD thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God." ~Deuteronomy 4:24
God is not jealous of us. He is not insecure and needing our attention. God is jealous for us with a Holy affection. He knows how weak and vulnerable that we are. He knows that if we look to other gods, idols or seek the lusts of our flesh above Him, we are going to get hurt. He knows the consequence of sin. He knows that what is alluring and enticing will bite you in the end and fill your soul with poison.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, our very help in time of trouble. We draw near to you today. Cleanse and purify us. Set us apart. Let Your consuming fire blaze through our hearts and remove from us all that is not of You. Draw near to us and fill us more and more with Your holy, cleansing fire. In Jesus Name.
