I’ve been exploring some of the very modern worship songs as an old guy😀. But now, I’ve decided to alternate between very modern hymns, old hymns, and in-between hymns, namely the worship songs from the 60s to the 90s that feature in hymnbooks such as Mission Praise. Today it’s the turn of the in-between hymns.
Today’s song is Light the Fire Again from 1994.
One of my favourite secular songs from the 1980s was Ever Changing Moods by the Style Council.
I’m not entirely sure what Paul Weller had in mind in writing it. Much of his material at the time was political. But it did make me consider my own frustration at my “ever changing moods”. Perhaps we all have a vision of the kind of person that we can be and want to be, but we even fall short of our own standards, let alone God’s standards.
Sometimes we feel strong and close to God, and other times, we don’t. And when we don’t, today’s hymn is the song to sing. We call on God to fill us with His Holy Spirit again. Our first experience with the Holy Spirit’s presence and power can be very memorable, but so many other things can distract us and affect our day-to-day lives. We often think in terms as the world, the flesh and the devil.
- World: Much of the world’s culture or outlook puts God out of the picture and attempts to squeeze us into its mould.
- Flesh: That part of ourselves that wants to live without God and drag us down. It would be great if this was eliminated when we first repent and believe, but God wants us to fight it throughout our lives in this world. And it will be eliminated when we get to heaven.
- Devil: He’d prefer us to rebel against God and be more like he is, and his army of evil angels (demons) and human followers. Sinning is like declaring our allegiance to the devil, which is why we need a Saviour. Without a Saviour, we would share the fate of the devil and his demons. Again, how many of us truly say no to him all the time? No-one, apart from Jesus. But we should do all we can to resist his influence, and the best approach is to draw near to God every day.
The New Testament warns against all three forces that cause our hearts to grow cold. Here are some associated verses:
Romans 12:1-2
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Galatians 5:16-17
16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want.
James 4:7
7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
When I watch the world cup and pick a team to follow, they don’t necessarily win every game. But I want to see them attempting to win. And God wants to see us engaging in the battle. Jesus has already won our salvation, but He wants us to model ourselves on Him, the one who successfully and completely resisted temptation.
If Ireland qualified and got into the World Cup Final, and if I was granted my wish to play in the game, and told we would win. would I engage in the play or would I prefer to sit back on the substitute panel and wait for us to win? Surely, I’d want to be out there playing, even if it wasn’t me who’d score the winning goal. And it’s like that with our spiritual battle. All the credit goes to Jesus, but we want to be in the battle. We want to be on fire for God.
Here are some other versions of the song:
Hibernia Gospel 