In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” Acts 20:35 ESV
British inventor George William Many is credited as the inventor of the first portable pressurized fire extinguisher sometimes between 1810 and 1818. The first extinguisher consisted of a copper vessel of 3 gallons of pearl ash (potassium carbonate) solution under compressed air pressure. Though fire extinguishers have no expiration date, manufacturers say they last between 5 to 15 years.
A Fire extinguisher is used to put out a small fire by directing onto it a substance that cools the burning material that deprives the flame of oxygen and interferes with the chemical reactions occurring in the flame. It is recommended that every home should have a fire extinguisher as a precaution. Insurance companies give homeowners a discount on their policies for having a fire extinguisher.
During this season of the pandemic, recession, and political unrest, the Lord is looking for believers to operate as fire extinguishers. We have to find the courage and compassion to put out small fires in our communities, in our country, and in the lives of those who are struggling. Jesus' love is the only substance that can cool the burning hatred that is festering in our society. God wants us to live in such a way as to deprive the flame of racism and injustice of their oxygen and interferes with the socio-political reaction occurring in the struggle for justice and equity.
With an increasing number of people losing their jobs, many families are experiencing economic fires they cannot put out. Many small businesses are on fire and their owners need assistance so they can weather the crisis. Perhaps God is calling you to extinguish the economic fire in someone’s life.
Maybe you can be a fire extinguisher for a marriage that is on the verge of a divorce. Pray for God to give you the grace and wisdom to help calm the tension in that marriage. Perhaps you can help extinguish the fire in the relationship between siblings, or between parents and children, or between neighbors, or between church members.
Almighty God has endowed all believers with the spiritual solution to help put out the small fires around us. Unfortunately, many believers are fueling the socio-political fires in society instead of putting them out. What we are seeing in the political landscape is quite distressing. So-called Christians are fanning the flames of racism and giving oxygen to sectarianism for the sake of political affiliations.
The Lord calls us to be peacemakers and bridge builders. We have the power to extinguish the fires of hate and division when they erupt. Our primary mission is to be spiritual agents of love. We cannot remain idle while existential fires are raging around us.
The eternal fires of hell are flaming and waiting for lost souls. By sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with the unsaved, we are operating as spiritual fire extinguishers. We should therefore be intentional and radical in our evangelism efforts so we can interfere with the demonic attempts of the enemy to lead souls into the fires of hell.
Prayer- Blessed Lord, please help us to be more effective in helping to extinguish the fires that are raging around us, in Jesus’ name.
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