Often, there are fires of destruction raging in our lives. These fires can be literal disasters, accidents, illnesses, deaths, relationship troubles, financial stress, and so much more. These raging fires can be frightening, especially when they seem to close in around us and are full of the spirit of the world and not of God. These negative fires can discourage us and hold us back from the grace that God wants to deposit into our lives.
While it’s true, things happen that hurt us. God promises to turn everything for good (Romans 8:28). He doesn’t want us to be distracted and consumed by the fires around us. He wants the fire of His love to burn brighter within. It’s this fire that needs to lead the way so that we can become trailblazers of God’s love.
However, in order to do so, it is important to discern the voice of the Holy Spirit and find God’s will for your life. Each of us can join with the Holy Fire of Jesus Christ, the same fire that enflames the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This Holy Fire-the Holy Spirit- helps us to endure, and even extinguish, the destructive and unholy fires that threaten and try to consume us.
DO YOU BELIEVE THAT THE HOLY SPIRIT CAN OVERSHADOW EVERY ASPECT OF YOUR LIFE?
`At Pentecost, Mary was in the upper room with the apostles and they were praying and the Holy Spirit came upon them to empower them for their mission to advance the Gospel. (Acts 2). The Holy Spirit equipped the apostles supernaturally so they were no longer operating on their own accord but in and through the Fire of the Holy Spirit. It’s important for us to know that we can call on the Holy Spirit in the same way the apostles did and invite the Spirit of God to overshadow and empower our lives. We can invite Mother Mary to fan that flame through her prayer of intercession in the same way that she accompanied the apostles. God is waiting for us to ask for this Fire!
HOW IS THE HOLY SPIRIT LEADING YOU?
In order to begin to turn the fires of your life into the Fire of Christ, you first need to find your God-given mission – the “why” that gets you out of bed every day. What is your purpose and what graces has God given you to achieve this purpose? God will never call you to a purpose without walking with you every step of the way, always giving you what you need to achieve His plans for your life. As the Lord said to Joshua, “Behold, I am instructing you. Be strengthened, and be steadfast. Do not dread, and do not fear. For the Lord your God is with you in all things, wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9).
Simple prayers to invite the Holy Spirit into your day, life, and mission can be said each day:
~Holy Spirit, lead me
~Holy Spirit, open the doors that God wants me to walk through
~Holy Spirit, keep far from me anything that is unholy or not the will of the Father
~Holy Spirit, equip me with wisdom and knowledge to accomplish what the Lord has entrusted to me
We can draw strength from God’s promises, knowing that He will always call us further into His Love if we align ourselves with His Divine Will. The strength we have from the Lord is bolstered by our willingness to be steadfast, trusting, and submissive. We can do this with joy and confidence because of the goodness of the Holy Fire of Christ. This Fire of the Holy Spirit will illuminate the path of God’s plan for us when we invite the Holy Spirit to pilot our lives.
SURRENDER TO THE HOLY SPIRIT, BE DESPERATE FOR HIM
Yielding to God’s plan will create a spiritual gravitational pull toward faith, hope, and love. And His plans will bring us to a place of joy and peace. If you want this in your life, if you want to become the Fire, a great place to start is a type of desperation. Not despair but a soul-yearning for His Divine Will alone. As the season of Easter draws to an end, prepare the way for Pentecost by allowing yourself to be so desperate for God’s providence, guidance, and grace in your life that the spirit of surrender leads you to your knees in prayer. This is the posture that disposes every soul to the coming of the Holy Spirit.
GOD IS BIGGER THAN ANY FIRE YOU FACE AND WANTS YOU FREE
And while you pray, remember not to make God smaller than your problems. He is greater! He is with you in all things, which means He is so much bigger than any obstacle that may confront you or any sin you might struggle with. This Pentecost, make it an intentional one by asking the Holy Spirit to come into your life and make it new. Be bold enough to give the Holy Spirit free reign in your life – then you will know true freedom.
Join me in this prayer from the Pentecost Sunday sequence:
“Come, O Holy Spirit, come! From your bright and blissful home rays of healing light impart. Come, Father of the poor, source of gifts that will endure, light of every human heart… O most blessed Light divine, let Your radiance in us shine, and our inmost being fill.”
To go deeper with the Fire of the Holy Spirit, check out my book, Become the Fire, today! And catch my recent conversation with Archbishop Hicks on the All Good Things show on SiriusXM.
Let the Fire fall!
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Image: Photo by Mateus Campos Felipe on Unsplash
