For Revival to Last, We Cannot Quench Its Flames

When God moves in true revival, we need to give ourselves to that sacred movement with all our heart and soul, knowing that this may be something that happens only once in a lifetime. We learn this principle from Leviticus 6.

“Give Aaron and his sons this command: ‘These are the regulations for the burnt offering: The burnt offering is to remain on the altar hearth throughout the night, till morning, and the fire must be kept burning on the altar. The priest shall then put on his linen clothes, with linen undergarments next to his body, and shall remove the ashes of the burnt offering that the fire has consumed on the altar and place them beside the altar. Then he is to take off these clothes and put on others, and carry the ashes outside the camp to a place that is ceremonially clean. The fire on the altar must be kept burning; it must not go out. Every morning the priest is to add firewood and arrange the burnt offering on the fire and burn the fat of the fellowship offerings on it. The  fire must be kept burning on the altar continuously; it must not go out.
 —Leviticus 6:9–13

On the one hand, it was a matter of divine service, part of Israel’s sacrificial worship. God was saying to Israel, “Don’t be negligent here. The flame on My altar must keep burning twenty-four hours a day.”

But there’s something else about this commandment that we should not overlook, something we learn from Leviticus 9, the end of the consecration ceremony for Aaron and his sons:

Then Aaron lifted his hands toward the people and blessed them. And having sacrificed the sin offering, the burnt offering and the fellowship offering, he stepped down. Moses and Aaron then went into the tent of meeting. When they came out, they blessed the people; and the glory of the LORD appeared to all the people. Fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the fat portions on the altar. And when all the people saw it, they shouted for joy and fell facedown.”
—Leviticus 9:22–24

Did you catch that? The very first fire that burned on the altar was ignited by God Himself. It was divine fire! That’s why the priests were commanded to never let the fire go out. It was because the Lord lit that fire Himself. How sacred that flame must have been to them! From then on, if the fire ever went out and the priests had to rekindle the flame, it would have been a manmade fire, a human substitute, something from below rather than from above.

It is the same thing with revival. When it comes, you must guard the sacred flame, feeding it with prayer, with worship, with sacrificed lives, with obedience, with holiness, with loving care. You do not want to let it go out. And just as consistent, fervent prayer will birth revival, it is consistent, fervent prayer that will sustain revival.

In that same spirit, we must avoid those “other things” that put out the Spirit’s fire, things like complacency, pride, carnality and prayerlessness. We must be careful not to merchandise the revival or turn it into a spiritual carnival or put our personal (or ministry) names on it as if we owned it.

We must never trivialize what God is doing in revival or sensationalize it or try to use it for our own purposes. It does not take much to chase the holy Dove away.

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