Christian Living

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It’s Your Fire—it’s Your Choice

© Susan Storm Smith

Ladder 49 is not your normal movie—it takes you into the heart of the day-to-day joys and fears of firefighters and their families. In an article on CNN.com 10/5/04, Stephanie Snipes gives some of the interesting background and training that the movie stars had to go through to make the movie. Joaquin Phoenix, for instance, had a fear of heights and problems going down the fire pole at the beginning of filming. By the end of the project, he enthusiastically went to train in a Baltimore firehouse and was offered a job (which he turned down).

John Travolta spoke about “the maze” the actors trained in. It is a building in which the trainee wears full gear and crawls through smoke filled alleyways, with no apparent way out. He said that it “changes the way you think of life.”

As I read this review I thought of Christian firefighters—no, not the ones who work in the firehouse—the believers who are willing to go into the enemy’s camp and do spiritual warfare. We pray and sing about “God, send your fire,” but when it gets too hot because of the firestorms in life, we often become paralyzed by fear.

A firefighter has a healthy fear of fire and the challenges to bring it under control or extinguish it. They understand that when they say good bye to loved ones as they leave for work, it may be their last time.

The Christian Firefighter and Equipment:

• Fire Hose - Prayer - pumped with the Words of our heart that speaks with authority given to every believer (Luke 10:19 we have authority through Jesus Christ over all the power of the enemy) and Ephesians 5:18 “… but be filled with the (Holy) Spirit.”
• Water or Fire Retardant Chemicals – The Holy Spirit that quenches our thirst and puts out the fiery darts of the enemy
• Hook and Ladder Truck – Every believer’s faith and trust in God. It takes us to the place of humility; encourages us to reach higher heights; pushes us further than we think we can go
• Fire Chief – Our Lord and Savior—Jesus Christ—who mediates for our every need at the right hand of the Father; who knows the plan of each life and length of days; who sacrificed Himself that we shall live and yet stand
• Fire Crews – Intercessors, believers who stand in the gap for others
• Station Houses – Any place where two or three are gathered in the name of the Lord, and whatsoever they ask shall be done. It is our sanctuaries, our homes, offices, the street corner, any place where the warfare needs to take place
• Fire Gear – Ephesians 6:11-13) Putting on the whole armor of God

As Christians, we know that we have the victory and we shall overcome every obstacle—Romans 8:35-39 defines our victory when we go into the firestorms of life. There isn’t a situation that we do not have victory over. The enemy of God and every child of God come into a “maze” where we might not readily see our way out of the situation—but praise be to God, he has given us a rope to pull us through.

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, for thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

There are fires that warm us, cook our food, and bring comfort to our lives. It is a controlled environment. You would not put too many logs on a fire grate in your living room, close the flue and let your house burn down. Our Lord creates the perfect, loving environment for each of us—His arms holds and warms us; we are given peace for every situation, tools to overcome, and the strength to do whatever it takes.

As Christian Firefighters we should—know our immediate environment, change what needs to be changed to encourage health, life and liberty—in the physical as well as the spirit—all through the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. The fire of the Lord upon you or the fires of hell—it’s your fire—it’s your choice.

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