Paul
writes to Timothy 'I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which
is in you' (2Tim 1:6)
so,
to help the church with this, Heavenfire offers this brief word, because
'“Is
not my word like fire,” declares the Lord' (Jeremiah 23:29)
The Blacksmith
There once was a blacksmith
who had two pieces of iron which he wished to weld into one. He took them
just as they were, all cold and hard, and put them on the anvil, and began
to hammer with all this might, but they were still two pieces, and they
would not unite. At last he remembered what he should never have forgotten.
He thrust both of them into the fire, took them out red-hot, laid one
on the other, and by one or two blows of the hammer they soon became one.
This story can be taken
as an illustration of the means of achieving unity between believers,
or between believers and the Lord (see ‘We Need The Fire’), or it can
be an image of the way in which we prepare weapons for spiritual war.
But it’s not just a cute story with a contrived application (don’t you
just gag at preachers who tell stories without telling the Word?). Read
on.
The Blacksmith’s
Heritage
16 “See, it is
I who created the blacksmith who fans the coals into flame and forges
a weapon fit for its work. And it is I who have created the destroyer
to work havoc; 17 no weapon forged against you will prevail, and you
will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the
servants of the LORD, and this is their vindication from me,” declares
the Lord. Isaiah 54:16-17 (NIV)
Did you catch that?
There is a heritage spoken of by the Lord. An inheritance, as it can also
be translated. It is promised for the servants of the Lord – not for the
bystanders, the couch-potatoes, the ones who talk the talk but don’t walk
the walk. For the servants – regardless of whether we are apostles, prophets,
evangelists, pastors, teachers, or other people of the body of Christ
– for all servants.
The Heritage
of a Struggle
If we serve the Lord of heaven
and earth (Mt 28:18), the God of the New Creation (2Cor 5:17) there will
be an opponent who seeks to work havoc in our life and ministry. The Destroyer
will come against us to make everything corrupt and wasted (these are
alternative meanings of 'havoc', such as found in Gen 6:11). God-created
him, yet Satan is a fallen angel who now stands against us if we stand
with Jesus. I don’t need to say more about this. We know it’s true!
The Heritage
of Victory
Yet ‘no weapon forged against you will prosper’. Whatever the opposition,
the victory is ours. Jesus Christ holds victory in store for us; it is
ours through his blood, and we shall march in triumphal procession through
his name, hallelujah! (Prov 2:7; 1Cor 15:57; 2Cor 2:14). Whatever the
weapon that the enemy creates or applies against us, it cannot
prevail. This is the promise of the Word, and the heritage (or inheritance)
of the servant of the Lord.
The Heritage
of Honour
‘and you will refute every tongue that accuses you’. Our enemy is The
Accuser (Rev 12:10), and he wants to dishonour the Glorious One, Jesus,
and the brothers and sisters of faith. The enemy constantly wants to bring
down into shame the ministering servants of Jesus. If he had his way,
Satan would tarnish each and every Christian reputation beyond recovery.
But he cannot succeed! This is our promise, our inheritance!
'Instead of their shame my people will receive a double portion, and
instead of disgrace they will rejoice in their inheritance' (Isaiah
61:7). We will speak out the true and victorious Word of God, and the
High Priest of our Confession, Jesus Christ (Hebrews 3:1) will ensure
that his word on our lips prevails.
How the Heritage
is Ours
Let's go back to the blacksmith. The context of this passage from Isaiah
hasn’t been of horses casting their shoes, or of wrought iron fences around
beds of roses. It’s been about victory against the enemy, and the blacksmith
is God’s picture to us of the way in which we can gain our heritage. The
blacksmith ‘fans the coals into flame [or the embers into fire]
and forges a weapon for its work’. Are you fanning the embers
into supernatural fire? Are you daily remembering how much you need to
have the fire burning hot? With this fire in your heart and soul, sister
.. brother, are you taking care to forge ‘a weapon fit for
its work’ - weapons of faith, testimony, and passionate
commitment for Jesus and for his Kingdom? . Whatever we offer in the the
service of God, no matter how small or weak, it will be transformed into
a fitting weapon through heaven's fire. Each of us is this blacksmith.
Return to the fire, friends!
