Not too long ago, I was behind my house trying to burn some things, but the fire just wouldn’t stay alive. No matter how much I tried, the flames kept dying down. Then I remembered a neighbor had once given me a gallon of dirty fuel. I grabbed it, came back to the fire, and sprinkled a little on it.
Immediately, the fire shot up—bright, loud, alive… but only for a moment. Then it began to fade again.
So I added a little more.
Then a little more.
And each time, the flame would rise again. I kept feeding it until the fire finally became steady and did its job.
As I watched that flame, something clicked in my spirit.
To keep the fire burning, I had to keep adding fuel.
And instantly, I remembered the Scripture:
“The fire on the altar must be kept burning; it must not go out.” — Leviticus 6:12–13
God didn’t just command the fire to burn—He commanded the priests to keep it burning. That means effort. Intention. Daily habits. Consistency. Without fuel, even the fire God Himself starts will eventually die.
In the same way, the fire on the altar of our hearts—the fire of prayer, passion, devotion, worship, obedience—doesn’t stay alive on its own. Something must keep it burning.
The truth is, our spiritual fire doesn’t die because God is far from us; it dies because we stop feeding it.
Just like I kept adding fuel to that physical fire, we must keep adding “fuel” to our spiritual lives:
- Prayer (1 Thessalonians 5:17)
- The Word (Jeremiah 20:9)
- Worship (Psalm 100:2)
- Fellowship with other believers (Hebrews 10:25)
- Obedience to God’s voice (John 14:23)
These aren’t just “Christian activities”—they are the fuel that keeps our inner fire alive.
If we want our fire to burn continuously, we must build habits that continually spark it. Fire doesn’t stay alive because it once burned; it stays alive because it is fed.
What you feed grows.
What you neglect fades.
And the fire on your altar will burn only as long as you keep fueling it.
May God give us the grace to tend our fire daily—because the world needs believers who are burning bright.
