“ARE YOU BURNING?”

Christian Times Magazine issue 64 | Monthly Magazine page 29

“ARE YOU BURNING?”

By Sandra Sommerfrucht

The Moravians of North Carolina (Moravian Falls) greeted each other with the question “Are you burning?” Since I recently learned about the Moravians and their inquiry about burning for the Lord, I have been hearing that question over and over in my mind and spirit. I have even been asking my family that question repeatedly because I believe it stirs up the fire inside of us, giving us a greater desire for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, our Father in Heaven, and the Holy Spirit. After all, what is one of the most noteworthy questions that we can ask ourselves? In my own opinion, it is the same question that the Moravians asked each other---“Are you burning?”

The Moravians prayed 24 hours, day and night, seven days a week, and it is said that a portal opened up on the property at Moravian Falls where angels descend and gather. Spiritual activity, such as prayer, invites the angels, those “ministering spirits sent out in the service of God for the assistance of those who are to inherit salvation” (Hebrews 1:14 amplified). I get very excited just thinking about praying in the area of Moravian Falls where there is so much peace and serenity, and I have a great expectation about supernatural encounters. I feel like I am on fire and will soon see a great outpouring of the Holy Spirit in a revival such as the world has never witnessed. Upon researching the Moravians, my husband and I listened to a well-known prophet whom the Lord told to go to Moravian Falls. On his deck close to the falls, he said he saw 14 or more angels dressed as Pilgrims. They asked him this question: “What took you so long?” He said they darted

Christian Times Magazine issue 64 | Monthly Magazine

to and FRO very quickly, so I imagine he had to look very intently at them. When he went inside to sit in front of the fireplace where the fire was blazing, he heard a very loud knock on the door, and it obviously frightened him because in a high tone of voice, he said, “Come in. ” The voice at the door said, “You must come here, ” so he opened the door to find Jesus, the Son of God, the Creator of the world, standing there. Jesus said the cabin must be christened, took out a bottle of anointing oil, and splashed it all over the wall of the bedroom. When He did, the prophet had a negative thought about the wall being made dirty. Jesus, knowing his thought, said that He had authority to do whatever He wished; then, the oil turned into a map of places where the prophet must go to speak the Gospel with a warning from Jesus if he should not go.

I am so intrigued, and because I love the things of the “other world” more than the things of this world, my husband and I have arrangements to visit Moravian Falls very soon. Our expectancy is heightened, and our hearts and spirits are crying out for more and more of the Lord. We do not want to be like the members of the Laodicean church, the church in Revelation 3 that the Lord

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called lukewarm. He said because they were lukewarm, neither cold nor hot, He would spew them out of His mouth! He then added that they thought they were rich and in need of nothing, but they did not understand that they were wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked (Revelation 3:15-17).

God is calling us to turn up the fire and burn for Him! This morning in my prayer time, my eyes fell upon Matthew 16:25: “For whoever is bent on saving his temporal life (his comfort and security here) shall lose it (eternal life); and whoever loses his life (his comfort and security here) for My sake shall find it (life everlasting). For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life (his blessed life in the kingdom of God)? Or what would a man give as an exchange for his blessed life (in the kingdom of God)? (Matthew 16:26 amplified). I don’t want to lose my eternal life, so I commit myself to staying fired up, and what a pleasure it is! What keeps us burning for God? Certainly, it is reading His Word, praying His Word, assembling with brothers and sisters in the Lord, and working the works God has called us to do for Him.

Christian Times Magazine issue 64 | Monthly Magazine page 31

Recently, God called my husband and me into a rather large assignment. We are having to lean upon Him heavily to find out all the details of the assignment so that we will accomplish what He has called “the last chapter of our books. ” I can tell you that when you lean upon the Lord for help, you can catch on fire.

Jesus, in Matthew 24:44, says that we must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when we do not expect Him. Then, in Matthew 24: 45, He says, “Who then is the faithful, thoughtful, and wise servant, whom his master has put in charge of his household to give to the others the food and supplies at the proper time?” Finally, He adds the following comment: that servant is blessed whom, when his master comes, he will find so doing (Matthew 24:46). In summary, I believe that Jesus is warning that we must take care of our assignments as faithful, thoughtful, and wise servants and that we must endure to the end (Matthew 24:13). Staying on fire for the Lord demands that we immerse ourselves in spiritual activities more than worldly activities; in addition, we might want to ask ourselves daily, “Am I burning?” It is a good way to assess our relationship with the Lord and stay ready for His return.