Keep the fire burning

Have you ever started a fire? I mean without lighter fluid, gas, or any other kind of fuel?  It takes small, thin, dry pieces of wood along with some paper if you have it and a great deal of determination and focus.  I started a fire today and it took me a good 30 minutes to get it burning.  Once the fire started it burned pretty well for about an hour, but it wasn't very hot. Then came the stoke. Stoking is just a fancy word for poking the burning logs with some sort of a metal stick or, as in my case, a water line key. Once I stoked the smoldering logs the flames kicked up and then I was able to place a large log on the fire.  That is what your looking at in this picture. To keep a fire hot once you have started it, you must keep adding fuel (wood in this case) and you must periodically stoke the fire. 

As I was thinkng about my fire, it reminded me of my spiritual passion or fire.  A lot of preparation went into getting it started, but it takes consistent adding of fuel and regular stoking to keep the fire burning hot.  What stokes your spiritual fire?  Dancing to your favorite worship music? Listening to great teaching?  A nature walk? A night of solitude and prayer? I have realized that for me, one of the best stokers for my fire is fasting. If you have never fasted before, I would encourage you to do some research. That's how I learned about it. It's biblical and great for your body.  Fasting is not just something you do before your annual physical. It's a spiritual discipline that I need to plan more consistently in my life. 

I realized today that I don't stoke my fire enough. It burns, but not always very hot. I need to get away for a few days, fast, pray, and listen to The Lord. It's easy to get fired up in your spirit when you know you are hearing from God. It can be hard to recognize his voice if you have found yourself caught up in the busyness of life.  Just like with all things you want to be successful at, you need to have a plan. Make plans to stoke your fire consistently.  Consistent stoking of your fire will keep the fire burning. What stokes your fire? Share in the comments so others can learn new ways to stoke their spiritual fire.