PREACHED ON APRIL 18TH 2021

PASTOR ANTONIO RUSSO

HOW TO KEEP THE FIRE OF AWAKENING ALIVE

We are priests of our God and it is our responsibility to keep the fire alight.

The awakening is first personal and then becomes public.

The first thing we need to do is learn to speak. When you don't speak, when you don't praise, when you don't adore it is because you are in a snare, perhaps because depression and fear have silenced you but when you praise God, praise is so supernatural that every barrier falls.

Luke 4: 14-20
Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside. He was teaching in their synagogues, and everyone praised him. He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him.

Today we need to realize the awakening, the purpose that God has prepared for everyone's life.

The awakening must be lived and it is not God's responsibility, but ours, to make it known to those who do not know that we are in the awakening. Awakening starts from the heart, from your life and you need to keep it.

The Word today has a very important meaning: it is the day of grace, healing, miracles.

As Jesus was anointed by the Holy Spirit, everyone was anointed to preach the good news to those in search of God.

Every day we should pray to the Holy Spirit to take us to those in need, to be an instrument in his hands.

Each was anointed to free prisoners from vices, bonds and bad habits.

How do you keep the fire burning?

God turned it on but everyone has to keep it on.

A person who loves God manages to infect others.

Whoever is on fire for God sets fire to other people's lives.

God put fire in his own life to set others on fire.

Acts 28: 2-5
And the barbarous people shewed us no little kindness: for they kindled a fire, and received us every one, because of the present rain, and because of the cold. And when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks, and laid them on the fire, there came a viper out of the heat, and fastened on his hand And when the barbarians saw the venomous beast hang on his hand, they said among themselves, No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he hath escaped the sea, yet vengeance suffereth not to live.And he shook off the beast into the fire, and felt no harm.

This verse shows two things:

1) The fire of awakening is rekindled if everyone puts their life on that fire, because the copper that everyone puts, allows the fire to stay lit and feed. 
It is not possible to transfer the experience of God's fire if it has not been done first.

2) When there is awakening, the vipers come out.

They are diabolical, spiritual attacks, which have a purpose, that of going against the fire that God has lit in one's life, to go against the awakening.

No viper will put out the fire that is in one's life.

No one will ever be able to turn it off because what comes from God is destined to win.

Acts 2: 3
 Then there appeared to them ^[a]divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them.

Exodus 3: 2
And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. Moses looked and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed.

The fire burns but does not consume and increases the passion for God.

Exodus 13:22
He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day or the pillar of fire by night from before the people.

What can be done to keep this fire from going out?

Three things that allow you to be awakened every day:

1) Have excellent praise and worship, driven by passion.

Why is praise important? Because God said he abides in the people's praise of him.

Psalm 34: 1
I will bless the Lord at all times;
His praise shall continually be in my mouth.

Praise is the language of those who live in grace, in God's favor.

2) Keeping oneself listening to the Word.

IIn this way we are nourished spiritually, because when the Word is anointed by the Holy Spirit, it generates faith and allows God to perform miracles.

When the Word is in your heart, the Word makes a difference.

3) By ministering the needs of the people with the union of the Holy Spirit.

When the fire of awakening is kept burning continuously, we allow God to minister in one's life.

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