God's Fire Extinguishers

God’s Fire Extinguishers

7/24/12

God will always provide a way.  This statement many of us in the world have heard or repeated at some point in our lives.  The reason that we have stated this phrase is because all humans have been in predicaments that warrant a statement of this magnitude.  But have we ever stopped to think about the options that we have while we are trying to escape or go through the circumstances that we have found ourselves in?  God does provide a means of escape or a means of protection before things can accrue to their ultimate destructing potential.  It is our responsibility to recognize these avenues of protection within our spirits and also know when and how to use them in times of need.

I remember one time I was on a trip and my destination that I was taking required me to fly to reach that destination.  Now all of us who have flown have sat in our seats and listened to the stewards and stewardesses make their recorded speeches concerning of what to do if the plane loses cabin pressure, or what to do if the plane goes down over water, etc, etc.  We all pay close attention to these instructions as they are given out to everyone and since we are all in one compartment we joyously glue our eyes and ears to these instructions, right?  Wrong!!!

I cannot tell you how many times I have flown around the world and have heard these instructions over and over and actually have heard them in a couple of different languages.  Now there is one section of the plane that one may occupy that requires the person sitting there to actually help do something if an actual emergency occurs and that is the location of where the emergency exits are located.  The person sitting there needs to be aware of the procedures that they must complete if ever something happens, and during the flight attendant’s speech they will address the fact that if the people sitting in these seats cannot perform these duties then they need to request to be reseated, which makes perfect sense.

On one of my trips I was lucky enough to be assigned to this seat and of course with all of my flying experiences I did not bother to listen to the flight attendant’s speech because I was busy looking at one of the onboard magazines instead.  Even though I was not paying attention to what she was saying she was paying attention of my lack of listening skills to what she was saying.  So, after she completed her spiel she calmly came over to my seat and began to ask me if everything was alright.  I politely said yes in response.  Then she asked me the real question of if I had understood her instructions concerning the emergency exit procedures and I said yes.  So then she promptly asked me to repeat them back to her.  I was busted.  Even though I knew the basic idea of how to get the door open and what to do afterwards, I could not provide accurate details of the entire procedure.  Now, it is not necessary for us to know everything about that procedure but she made it very clear to me that I should pay attention to the major issues when something like an emergency should occur.  I was not mad or upset but I was embarrassed because other people heard our conversation and took notice of her using me as an example. 

Nothing happened to warrant me using my newly trained knowledge concerning the emergency exit doors on that plane and to be honest I hope I never have to be involved in any situation that would warrant any action of that kind.  I have never seen that flight attendant again and to be honest would not even recognize her if I ever did see her again.  She made the instructions very clear and I ignored her and it was my fault for showing me the error of my ways.  She was placed there for a reason and it was not only for keeping me comfortable during the flight but also for protection if need be.  I never thought about thanking her for correcting me but I know I should have since she was ultimately responsible for me if anything happened.

Fire extinguishers are sometimes located in unusual places and we wonder why they are there.  For some reason or code one must be placed in these strategic spots in order to provide the maximum protection possible.  We also know as we walk by them that we believe we know how to use them correctly and adequately.  This brings us to quickly rehearsing the steps in our mind so that we will know what to do in case that situation ever arose.  How many of us would be prepared to use these safety instruments accurately when needed?  They do not take much training to operate and the steps necessary are quite simple and short but when in a time of panic how will our mind function and will it do the job properly.

This is why we need to have a continual training on how to operate these instruments, our life or someone else’s life could depend upon its function down the road.  Are we so independent and self centered that all we would do would be to run out of the building if there ever was a fire?  We joke about that sometimes but when it comes down to the actual act how would we act or would we even know what to do or where to go to escape to safety?  In our organization we have a safety course that shows us how to effectively use a fire extinguisher.  It shows us what type of fire extinguisher to use on specific types of fires because not every type of fire extinguisher can be used on every kind of fire.  There are certain types of extinguishers for different types of fires and it is our responsibility to understand which types work.

I dare to say that the majority of the people in some organizations or work places do not know where their fire extinguishers are located, even though they walk past them each day and may even walk by tem many times in just one shift.  We have become so accustomed to having everything secure in our lives that we place our safety on the backburner of our minds and we tend to ignore the instructions that have been put into place by those who are responsible for our lives.  What will happen when an emergency does occur in your environment and you look for the nearest fire extinguisher, grab it, try to put out a fire with the one you have and when you squeeze the handle some part of the process does not work properly because some part of the instructions that you have heard before were not followed and now it is too late to stop the problem.

I have another quick example to give that will also lead into the next portion of this message.  Back in the 1980s there was a movie that came out about a small town and how it housed a vampire.  I know that vampires do not exist and that they are creatures of horror but the story also brought into account the local church and the beliefs that it had taught the local people.  When the “truth” came out about the vampire and his existence the main character, which was fighting for his life, called upon the local “supernatural guru” to help him out.  The guru when confronted by the vampire tried to use his Christian powers against the vampire.

As the stories go with vampires they cannot stand the sight of the cross or holy water and there are just a few ways of “killing” a vampire which one of them is by using the same type of wood that was used to crucify Christ driven through the vampire’s heart.  Anyway when the local guru, who was also a churchgoer, tried to use the crucifix against the vampire the vampire already knew that the guru’s faith was not active and the effects of the crucifix did not work on the vampire.  The guru was shocked at the fact that the crucifix did not work and in the same scene the vampire actually told the guru why it did not work and it was because the guru did not really believe in his faith and what it actually stood for.  In other words he knew it was there, went bye it every day and chose not to believe in what it stood for which made it dead to the man even though he attended the church.

Let me now talk about the safety issues that God has placed within our lives, our spiritual buildings if you may.  The topic that I am going to share with you relates to fire extinguishers.  All of us have some level of understanding of why these instruments are placed in buildings, they are to help us put out fires so that we can get to safety or to prevent a small fire from becoming larger.  We walk by them every day and some of even stop and look at them and notice what type of extinguisher is located along our path.  How often do we perform these exact patterns when it comes to the Bible and even though we know the concepts within the Bible our faith is so stagnant that its effectiveness is useless when times of need arises.

Even though the numbers might be smaller than earlier decades, I can guess that the majority of the households within the western cultures would have a Bible in them or have direct access to one within a few minutes of looking.  This proves that the concepts of the Bible have been engrained into our lives at some point in our pasts, which could even be included to the generations of our great grandparents or even further back.  But having the background or the heritage within our families does not automatically secure us for present and future altercations with our enemy.  It actually intensifies our enemy’s activities against us since the Bible’s mere presence represents conflict to his kingdom.

But as in the fire extinguisher the Bible and everything that it stands for against our enemy’s kingdom is rendered powerless if we do not have it within our minds, hearts and spirits and know exactly what it means.  The only way that we can prevail against our enemy is with the continual ingestion of the words that are printed in the Bible.  These words are the only thing that will cause nations to live in peace, these words are the only way that our minds will continually produce productive and righteous thoughts and the words from this Book are the only defense we have against the constant attacks that are hurled towards us.  We cannot afford to pass the words by and not take notice of their meaning for when we do and the time comes to use the words for our escape, they will fall on the ground and lay silent while we are destroyed.

It is time that we pick up the Bible once again and begin to apply its words into our hearts.  It is time that the church, that is you, takes a firm grip around these words and let your voices be heard again to the dying world.  It is time once again to stop and to repent of our lazy ways and to believe in the Bible once again.  The Bible and what it stands for is the only way that this nation, your nation, you will ever find peace again. 

God has placed this fire extinguisher within our reach and we have turned away from it on a routine basis.  For whatever reason we have neglected the Godly contents for long enough that we are now seeing the consequences of our neglect.  God did not intend for us to go through such hard trials especially the ones that we have created ourselves and are easily resolved with one simple solution.  Spiritual fires can be easily extinguished by the Word of God through our lives no matter when the fires appear. 

The time has come church for you to stand up and fight for your spiritual existence.  It is time that we understand that the Word of God is all about restoration and how to prevent major catastrophes from occurring within our lives and nations.  Locate your spiritual fire extinguisher once again and learn how to use it to your spiritual advantage and protection.  Don’t leave these extinguishers on the proverbial wall and look at it while you pass by, open it and nourish your spirit and strengthen it so that you can withstand all attacks from the enemy.

DLB