 Some of you listening online, you're beginning to wonder, Lord, have you forgotten me? God, I want to burn for you, but I don't have a fire in me anymore. I don't have that roaring inferno of personal revival that once burned bright for the world to see. Father, I feel like that candle. I feel like that smoldering wick I'm barely hanging on. If your fire is dwindling, ask yourself, from where am I getting my strength? From where am I getting my motivation? Is it man's opinion that motivates me? Is it impressing my church leaders that motivates me? Is it appeasing my family members so that they stop bugging me about it that motivates me? Or am I truly burning for God? Matthew 12 verses 15 through 21 tells us something incredible and it's in regards to the nature of Jesus. Verse 15 of Matthew 12, but when Jesus knew it, he withdrew himself from thence and great multitudes followed him and he healed them all and charged them that they should not make him known. Verse 17, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet saying, behold, my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved in whom my soul is well pleased, I will put my spirit upon him and he shall show judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not strive nor cry. Neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets. A bruised reed shall he not break, a smoking flask shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory, and in his name shall the Gentiles trust. You ever lit a candle and you go to blow it out? The fire goes but there's just a little ember burning and most of us what we do is we just take our fingers and quench that smoldering wick. The Bible describes the gentle kind, compassionate nature of the Lord. It says he healed all the sick, meaning they came to him in droves and he laid his hands on them and he ministered healing and deliverance to them. The Bible refers to that act as him not quenching the smoldering wick. Some of you sitting in this room and listening online, you're hearing this message and you're beginning to wonder, Lord, have you forgotten me? God, I want to burn for you but I don't have a fire in me anymore. I don't have that roaring inferno, a personal revival that once burned bright for the world to see. Lord, I've neglected this and I've neglected that and I've forgotten that truth and I've embraced that lie and I've gone to this place when I shouldn't have and I've listened to these people when I shouldn't have. And Lord, I don't know when it got away from me but somehow some way it came to the point where now I'm just a smoldering wick. I remember the days when I wouldn't joke certain ways because I felt to defend you. I remember the days when I would turn off that TV show. I remember the days when I pledged to not listen to this or watch that. I could remember those sweet times and prayer and the word and Lord it seems. Those days are gone and the Bible says that a smoldering wick he will not quench it's describing his compassion. It means that even if there's just a little ember in you, he's not going to look down with harshness and say well your light went out and then snuff you out. He won't do it. The Bible says a smoldering wick he will not quench. In other words, when he gets that ember just barely burning, barely burning, the Lord picks it up and he protects it and he begins to breathe the breath of life, the wind of the spirit begins to bring life and oxygen. And he begins to cause that ember to become a fire again. Some of us don't realize how compassionate he is. Some of you sitting in this room think it's over because you can remember days that were better for you spiritually. He's not going to snuff it out. He's not going to reject you. He is not done with you. He's going to cause that ember to burn as a fire in your heart again. The influence of the Holy Spirit is not dead. Remember who you are in Christ. Man of God, remember who you are. Woman of God, remember who you are. Child of God, you're not a fake. You're a prayer warrior. Servant of the Most High. You're not a man of the world. You're not a woman of the world. You're a prophet of God. You're a priest in your home. You're a king who reigns in high places with the Lord himself. You may not have that fire where you want it to be but he's not going to quench that wick. You say, I don't want to but I want to want to. There's your ember right there. And you may say, I don't want to want to but I want to want to want to. He'll meet you wherever you are a smoldering wick. He will not quench. You say, but Lord, I've been dealing with this problem for so long and I don't know if he's going to have any compassion for me because it's been over and over a smoldering wick. He will not quench. Well Lord, I knew better and it should have been otherwise and it seems that after the divorce and after the abortion and after the backsliding and after the drug abuse and after I completely messed it up a smoldering wick. He will not quench. Many people talk about the fact that they're just tired. I'm not burning. I lost motivation. I can't seem to get myself out of this spiritual rut and if I'm just being honest with you I'll tell you I've never met a Christian who prays consistently and for long periods of time who's struggling spiritually. I've never met a believer who's consistently in the Word hearing from God on a daily basis who is working to overcome some spiritual bondage. I've never met someone who's walking in the power of the Holy Spirit daily who's also under the power or the influence of the kingdom of darkness. My question to you is simple. You feel your fire is dying. What are you giving him to burn? A fire is only alive as long as it has something to consume. And this is not being preached to make you feel condemned. I want to challenge you to begin to put something on the altar. Put Netflix on the altar. Put Instagram on the altar. Take that unforgiveness. Put it on the altar. Take that pride. Put it on the altar. Take that addiction. Put it on the altar. Selfish ways. Put it on the altar. The need to be right. Put it on the altar. The fire is not burning. Give it something to consume. Do something radical. I dare you. Do something wild. Step out of the boat, Peter. Water. Start walking by faith. Begin to do things that make people raise their eyebrows. Begin to do things that make people mock you. Begin to do things that make people wonder if you're a little bit crazy. But no one will believe it. Speak it when no one else will repeat it. Declare what God tells you to say and don't apologize for it. Give him something to burn. Put it on the altar. You put it on the altar. You watch that fire come roaring back. You begin to sacrifice. You begin to say no to the flesh and yes to the Holy Spirit. You begin to say no to the sinful habits and yes to the word of God. You begin to say no to the secret sin and yes to secret prayer. And you watch how God turns it around on the altar. Thank you for watching Encounter TV. Don't forget to subscribe and click the notification bell. Also help us spread the gospel of Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit. Make a one-time donation or become a monthly supporter by clicking on the donate link now.