Dharius Daniels - Reignite Your Fire for God

He’s the God of redemption, reconciliation, restoration, and revival. It is God doing it again. Flames flickering doesn’t mean you’re weak; flames flickering means you’re human. It doesn’t matter how strong a fire is or how long a fire has been burning; it is the nature of a fire to go out. But God has a remedy for that reality. As a matter of fact, there is no reality for which God doesn’t have a remedy. He’s the only one who comes up with a solution for every problem before the problem becomes a problem. This is the way the Bible puts it: the Lamb of God was slain before the foundations of the world. God came up with a solution for the sin problem before sin actually became a problem. So, He’s got a remedy for this reality, and the remedy for the reality of diminishing flames is revival. God is the ultimate revivalist; God is the first revivalist. God is actually fire; people are only torches. All that God is, is all that we need, meaning that He is everything we need. All that He is, is all that we will need. So, if He is a Savior, that means we will need saving. If He is a Deliverer, that means we will need rescuing. If He is a Healer, that means we will need healing. If He is a Waymaker, that means we will have a way that needs to be made by God and no one else. And if God is the fire of revival, it means that sometimes the contrary winds of life will blow, and the flame will start to flicker. When flames start flickering, He summons His people to meet with Him in special places at special times to relight the fire. What God is doing over the course of these four nights is letting the enemy know the flames at Highlands will not go out. The winds of adversity may blow, but I am getting ready to set them on fire again. Is there anybody at Highlands that feels the fire in your life, revival? God is reigniting—He’s the God of redemption, reconciliation, restoration, revival. It is God doing it again. Flames flickering doesn’t mean you’re weak; flames flickering means you’re human. Real quick, let me ask you a second question: do you want more peace? Do you want to be more productive? Do you want more purpose in your life? Do you want to be more profitable? If so, I can help you. I’ve got a mentoring and coaching group called Daniel’s Den. I want you to go to danielsden.com to find out more. I’ll see you there. This means life is happening; however, once we experience God reigniting that fire, it is our responsibility to steward it. Stewarding it means feeding it, and our text in John 12 provides a powerful picture of what I mean when I say feed the fire. This text in John 12 exposes us to a woman who’s on fire. She has a vibrant, passionate, intimate relationship with God, which results in a contagious, counter-cultural, and commemorative life. Let me say that again: she has a vibrant, for my note-takers, passionate, intimate relationship with God that results in a contagious, counter-cultural, commemorative or memorable life. However, her activity in chapter 12 can only be understood if we consider her experience in chapter 11. See, in chapter 11, this woman named Mary has a brother named Lazarus who gets sick. The Bible says that Jesus has a unique relationship with this family; it says Jesus loved Lazarus. So, when Lazarus gets sick, his sisters, Mary and Martha, send word to Jesus. This is what they say: «The one you love is sick. We need you to act preventively; come here now before it’s too late.» The Bible says that Jesus receives word and does something that confuses me. He learns that the one He loves is sick, but instead of moving immediately, He stays where He is for two more days. Wait a minute, Jesus! How can you love Lazarus, get word that Lazarus is sick, and not move immediately? The Bible says this: Jesus makes His way to Bethany, but by the time He gets there, Lazarus has already been dead for four days. This is confusing. It was upsetting to Mary and Martha because they felt like they had the kind of relationship that should prompt Jesus to come fast. I mean, if we’re in a relationship and I say that I need you, why don’t you move quickly and swiftly? What they didn’t realize was that although Jesus was aware of the situation, He had a different interpretation. They were looking at the same thing, but they weren’t seeing the same thing. So, Jesus’s behavior was confusing to her because she was viewing it one way, while He was looking at the same thing but seeing something different. See, the disciples say to Jesus, «Lazarus is dead,» but Jesus says to the rest of the disciples, «He’s sleeping.» She realizes that the reason I might not be moving the way you expect me to move is that we don’t see the situation the same way. What you see as dead, I just see as sleeping. What you see as impossible to solve, I see as waking up from a nap. He’s telling Mary and Martha, «You think my activity is limited to your timetable, but what you don’t realize, Mary and Martha, is that whenever I get there, it’s on time.» And I want to know: am I talking to anyone here?