Fire: The Next Move of God!

By Cyndi Foster

Do you desire to know Jesus intimately? Is your heart about to break if you do not see Him face to face? Is there such a passion in your soul, a longing to draw closer Him? Where do you go from here? You have hungered for righteousness; you tasted of the "river" of God; been overcome by His presence; and now you expect "carpet time". You know that you truly want Him, not just the power that comes with the relationship of knowing this awesome and mighty God. What now?

Deeper still
If this describes you then read on. Not many will understand the desperation of those who have already tasted of the moves of God and cannot help but cry out for more. This passion for His presence will cause others to persecute you, calling you immature, inaccurate, and false but they simply do not understand. They do not know that the intimacy you have in private far exceeds what they are allowed to watch you enjoy in public.  They do not see your intimate heart cry to see Christ formed in you and the others around you.  So, where do you go from here?
 
Changed into His likeness
I have found the only way to go deeper is to cry out to be changed into the likeness of Jesus.  The intimacy that you have experienced is the starting point for you to now gain His compassion for the world.  His love for a lost and dying world that rejected Him and may reject you, but you must possess the compelling love that runs towards the lost souls wanting only their reconciliation in Christ, not a larger church.

We are not there yet!   Many have hidden sin and possess very little of the fruit of the Spirit in their lives.  Also few truly have the heart to truly see souls saved, caring more about the things of this world.  Church, it is time to grow up and realize that we are not able to make ourselves care, only a deeper relationship with Him will change us so that we truly feel what He feels for souls. Don’t try to have something that He has not worked into your life yet, but do acknowledge that you desire to want to care as much as He does and then trust Him to make it real.

Deeper lover for others
How will He cause you to love others so much that it hurts? I call it the true next move of God; the fire of His purging into your life. It will not be as joyful as the renewal or the refreshing as the "river", but change in your heart will never allow you to be the same.
You must be brave enough to expose your heart and ask Him to truly conform you into the image of Christ.   Sometimes this will require trials that will expose motives that you never imagined you had hidden in your soul. Doctrines may have to fall.  Old prayer formulas and great loud warfare cries may no longer hinder the testing of your heart.

Pruning process
As you surrender to the pruning process pride, self will, selfish ambition, and false motives will be exposed.  You will experience such a deep level of humility and begin to question how God could have ever used you in the past. But this new level of revelation will not condemn you; instead, His conviction will purify you as you see His Spirit transforming and renewing your mind.  You will understand that the Father truly does see you through the blood of His Son.  He sees you perfect and allows His Holy Spirit to preside within you.  Once the Lord has revealed your heart, you will gain the deeper levels that you are longing for where Christ is truly formed in you.

Satan’s attack
Remember Satan cannot destroy you in this fire unless you refuse to hear what God is requiring of you. You may find that you have idols of ministry in your heart.  You may have judged others.  You may see the hidden sin that you allow to remain being completely detestable before the eyes of your Lord. Suddenly the Spirit is searching your heart and revealing sin and attitudes that you never even knew you had.

Focus on the inner man
Once you have asked Him to expose your heart, do not look to blame anyone else involved in the situation.  He wants you to focus on what He is showing you about you. Satan is not the problem; so turn your gaze away from him and look inward for answers. Repent when the Holy Spirit reveals these hidden things knowing that your loving Father is conforming His son in you.  Repentance is the only true response in the fire.

Deeper freedom
Not everyone will embrace the next move of God.  Only those who have tasted of the freedom will keep drawing closer to the Lord. I promise you, the revelations of your heart condition or hidden agendas will not be anything that your soul could reveal to you. You will cry out for mercy as His fire shows you why He hasn't been allowed to come closer to you and release His promises to you. It will be a fire of reaping all that you have sown: Of seeing the fear of man that has caused the fear of the Lord to not have the proper place in your life or ministry. You will understand why doctrines that you thought surely were in the Word of God and lined up with the heart of God, truly were only seducing doctrines which fed your own insecurities and lusts.

Deeper Intimacy
Why would anyone want to participate in the next move of God? The more you decrease in this fire, the more He increases in your life until you are hidden in Christ. As He changes your heart, you will have His compassion for those who do not know Him. You heart will break for the hurting, the down-cast, and the neighbor who you have never spoken to.  You will see the world through His eyes and long for them to know your wonderful Savior who can set them free from every addiction, every pain, and every attack of the enemy.

After the Fire
After the fire, the final move of God can come upon the earth: His Glory Revealed. His glory cannot come before the purging or you would touch it with your selfish ambition, selfish motives, and selfish desires.  But once His fire is complete in you, there will be nothing in you that would ever come near His glory.  The humility in your heart will exalt Him knowing that He alone deserves the Glory.  After the fire, you will understand grace and mercy like never before.  Your heart will be so captured by Him that His Glory can be clearly manifested in you.  But don’t’ wait for the final move thinking you will escape the fire.  Those who do not seek the fire of purging will be forced into the fire of judgment that the church will experience before the final judgment day.

A prayer
Father, purify my heart, my motives, my desires and expose my heart.  Open up my eyes to see as You see and get me ready for the final move of God.  Holy Spirit, bring the fire and purge me and make my only desire to serve you.