GETTING READY FOR
FRESH
FIRE
F
resh Fire 2 will be here before we know it. It’s time to get our minds
and spirits ready for what’s ahead, and what God is about to do. For
the next 10 days, together we will journey through this journal as we focus
our minds and hearts on God’s word. The disciples waited for 10 days
for the Holy Spirit to fall. They waited together in one place and on one
accord. We are going to follow their example, and for the next 10 days we
will study and wait for God to send his Fresh Fire.
We encourage you to re-watch the sermons Bishop Thomas has been
preaching on Fresh Fire. You can find them online at www.npbc.tv. If
you haven’t already created an account, please do so, and you will have
access to Sunday morning services and more.
It’s time to do the work and get excited for Fresh Fire 2. God is about to
do a new thing in each and every one of us.
Fresh Fire Planning Team
Day One
Waiting for the Fire
Acts 1:6-8 (MSG)
When they were together for the last time they asked, “Master, are you going to restore the
kingdom to Israel now? Is this the time?” He told them, “You don’t get to know the time. Timing
is the Father’s business. What you’ll get is the Holy Spirit. And when the Holy Spirit comes on
you, you will be able to be my witnesses in Jerusalem, all over Judea and Samaria, even to
the ends of the world.”
REFLECTION:
Life goes by fast. Often we don’t take the time to process situations we’ve been
through, how they hurt us or how they helped us. The disciples wanted to know how
long they would have to wait for the Holy Spirit to come, and they were told to stay
still. In this season, God is calling us to stay still and deal with the issues under the
surface. Stay still to get those issues dealt with that you always sweep under the rug.
Stay still so you don’t go back to your old way of dealing with things. The old way
doesn’t work. Stop going back to your old ways of dealing with your hurts, and stay
put, allowing God to fully and completely heal you to move forward. This process is
necessary so you can be filled with God’s fresh fire. Remember you have to wait until
it’s no longer a weight!!
• Patience is Key!! Be patient while God works on you.
• Stay Still!! Don’t run from the process, embrace it.
• It will be Alright!! Allowing God to deal with deep rooted issues in your life is never easy, but the process is worth it.
How will I do things differently today to prepare for Fresh Fire?
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Day TWO
Whatever I ‘m waiting for, I’m not fully ready for.
When I’m fully ready I don’t mind waiting.
I Peter 5:6,7 (MSG)
So be content with who you are, and don’t put on airs. God’s strong hand is on you; he’ll
promote you at the right time. Live carefree before God; he is most careful with you.
REFLECTION:
During these 10 days you are waiting, and getting prepared for God’s next move. Often
God has you waiting because you aren’t ready yet. You may think you are ready, but
God doesn’t. This is where trust comes in. You must trust God’s judgement and timing.
His timing is always perfect. As the scripture reminds us, he is most careful with you.
• Trust the Process!! Even when you feel like giving up, trust God’s process, and begin to identify how he is working in your life.
• Don’t Give Up!! God has not forgotten you. Build your faith during this time.
• Rejoice!!! Get excited because your answer is on it’s way. God is about to do something big with you and through you. Use this time to get ready so you can be ready when God says it’s time.
How will I do things differently today to prepare for Fresh Fire?
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Day THREE
My breakthrough came just before I broke down.
Isaiah 40:29-31 (MSG)
Why would you ever complain, O Jacob, or, whine, Israel, saying “GOD has lost track
of me. He doesn’t care what happens to me”? Don’t you know anything? Haven’t you
been listening? GOD doesn’t come and go. God lasts. He’s Creator of all you can see
or imagine. He doesn’t get tired out, doesn’t pause to catch his breath. And he knows
everything, inside and out. He energizes those who get tired, gives fresh strength to
dropouts. For even young people tire and drop out, young folk in their prime stumble
and fall. But those who wait upon GOD get fresh strength. They spread their wings and
soar like eagles, They run and don’t get tired, they walk and don’t lag behind
REFLECTION:
God has you waiting. He has you standing still for a reason. You have to do the work,
deal with those issues that lie beneath the surface and get ready for his fresh fire.
Waiting is difficult, and can wear down your strength. It takes a lot of self-control
and faith to wait, not knowing when God is going to move. However, this is what he
requires of us. Just remember, even though it may feel like he has left you, he hasn’t.
He is still there. You will get tired, and frustrated, and want to give up, but remember,
your breakthrough will come just when you need it.
• Reflect on all the ways God has empowered you not to give up.
• Listen for God’s voice to give you direction for the next move.
• Prepare for your breakthrough and get excited for what God is going to do!
How will I do things differently today to prepare for Fresh Fire?
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Day Four
If God made you a GIANT, you don’t have time to fight ANTS.
Genesis 1:26-28 (MSG)
God spoke: “Let us make human beings in our image, make them reflecting our nature,
So they can be responsible for the fish in the sea, the birds in the air, the cattle, And,
yes, Earth itself, and every animal that moves on the face of Earth.” God created human
beings; he created them godlike, Reflecting God’s nature. He created them male and
female. God blessed them: “Prosper! Reproduce! Fill Earth! Take charge! Be responsible
for fish in the sea and birds in the air, for every living thing that moves on the face of
Earth.”
REFLECTION:
God has made you in his image. He has given you the power to overcome anything that
life throws at you. However, we often don’t believe that we can do it. We see problems
as insurmountable. We don’t fully grasp the power we possess and we give the enemy
a chance to win. Stop doing that. God created you to be great. Stop wasting your time
on people, places and things that are distracting you and taking you away from the
greatness God has purposed for you.
• Identify The ANTS in your life.
• Develop a plan of action to overcome them.
• Remember God has given you the power to overcome any obstacle you face.
How will I do things differently today to prepare for Fresh Fire?
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Day Five
You’re too Powerful to be Petty
Ephesians 4:31-32 (MSG)
Make a clean break with all cutting, backbiting, profane talk. Be gentle with one another,
sensitive. Forgive one another as quickly and thoroughly as God in Christ forgave you.
REFLECTION:
Forgiveness is a hard task, but one that God requires of us. It’s so much easier to
be petty, and seek revenge. We rationalize by saying they deserve it, or they had it
coming. God wants us to handle things differently than the world does. If we are to
receive his fresh fire, we must leave revenge to him. He has given us the tools we
need to get over, and get through any hurt someone has inflicted on us. Remember
you are too powerful to be petty!!
• Self-control is important!!! It will help you control your anger, thoughts, and words so God can have the final say.
• Discipline is a must!! You have to work at being in control. It will take time, but God has given you the power to succeed.
• Remember God gets the Glory!! In all things. How you respond to people is a direct reflection on the God you serve.
How will I do things differently today to prepare for Fresh Fire?
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Day Six
Wait it Out
Hebrews 10:23 NLT
Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to
keep his promises.
REFLECTION:
Life can present challenges and create realities that cause us to feel hopeless and
that nothing can change the current cycle of pain, disappointment and hurt. Know that
this is not the last chapter! Believe, get ready, and wait for God’s move for the next
chapter of your life.
• Believe: Don’t allow fear and doubt to speak louder than your faith. Ask God to give you the courage to keep turning the pages.
• Get Ready: Position yourself for the change you want to see. Healing comes
with your willingness to walk to it. Confront negative, unproductive thinking. Make
informed choices and take action. Remember no choice is a choice; no action is an action.
• Wait: Waiting is difficult when you want change especially in this Nano second age. Change your focus. Meditate on God’s promises as the author and finisher of your life. Activate your gifts and talents.
How will I do things differently today to prepare for Fresh Fire?
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Day Seven
Make Space for Possibilities
Philippians 2:7 (ESV)
…but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
REFLECTION:
Christ emptied himself, divesting his divine nature in order to complete God’s assignment. Kenosis, a Greek term used in the new testament, is the concept of ‘self-emptying’ of one’s own will and becoming entirely receptive to God and his divine will. In
order to experience God’s fresh fire, the next chapter of your spiritual transformation,
prepare yourself for a fresh infusion of God’s spirit.
• Make a decision today to evict unhealthy practices and behaviors and let go of emotional, spiritual and psychological baggage that keep you from walking
confidently into your next chapter.
• Identify specifically those things that you will commit to address.
• Identify support where needed and accountability to make it happen.
How will I do things differently today to prepare for Fresh Fire?
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Day Eight
God will allow distress in areas of your life where change is needed
Hebrews 4:12 (KJV)
“For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword,
piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow,
and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”
REFLECTION:
Our spiritual journey is intended to bring into existence a transformation that changes
your heart, character and conduct such that it matches that of Jesus Christ. As you
allow the Holy Spirit access to more and more of your soul, you become aware of the
inconsistencies in your thoughts, attitudes and behaviors that don’t match. In psychology, we call this cognitive dissonance - mental stress or discomfort experienced
by an individual who holds two or more contradictory beliefs, ideas, or values at the
same time; or performs an action that is contradictory to their beliefs, ideas, or values.
The Holy Spirit creates spiritual dissonance, making you aware of deviations in your
thoughts, attitudes and behavior that don’t line up with who God is calling you to be.
God uses the distress of this dissonance to guide us to decisions that bring about
change and transformation.
• What spiritual joint does God have his surgical tool in?
• In what area of your life are you experiencing the most spiritual dissonance?
Listen intently during Fresh Fire to hear where God wants you to focus.
How will I do things differently today to prepare for Fresh Fire?
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Day Nine
A Promised Future
Jeremiah 29:11 (MSG)
I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon
you, plans to give you the future you hope for.
REFLECTION:
The current climate of our nation – racial tension, political polarization, sweeping
violence, financial uncertainty and social disenfranchisement – gives us pause to want
to put life as God designed on hold and develop a wait and see posture. But scripture
tells us that we are not a people who are without hope. In Jeremiah 29, God instructs
his people who are exiles in Babylon, suffering and living in hardship to live fully,
produce and seek peace. He promises us hope and deliverance as we pray and seek
him with our whole heart.
• How will you honor God in your life in these confusing and turbulent times?
• What new beginning is God calling you to despite the uncertainty and turbulence of your current reality?
How will I do things differently today to prepare for Fresh Fire?
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Day Ten
Reprogramming the Mind
Philippians 4:8-9 (MSG)
Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on
things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst;
the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you
learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes
everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.
REFLECTION:
Becoming like Christ is the sole goal of our spiritual journey. Therefore, our daily walk
as believers should take us closer to becoming like him. The process of spiritual transformation requires that we let go of parts of ourselves that have defined us – hard
work. Yet, if you think about it you can see evidence where the Holy Spirit guided you
into change. Get ready for the Holy Spirit to descend upon you during Fresh Fire.
Allow Fresh Fire to be a catalyst for your spiritual growth and transformation so that
you are fortified for whatever lies ahead.
• Commit to transformative thinking, thinking like Christ. (Philippians 4:8-9)
• Exercise control over your thoughts. Decide what you allow to come into your thoughts and what stays out.
• Speak truth to yourself and not negative scripts of doubt and fear.
• Think about what you think about.
• Remember: Your thoughts direct your behavior → behavior shapes your character.
How will I do things differently today to prepare for Fresh Fire?
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