“Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.” 1 Corinthians 11:1 (ESV)

The apostle Paul’s advice to the Corinthian church is better than any self-help book you’ll ever find. Our goal as believers is to become
Christ-like.

Have you ever heard someone say, “I just want to love like Jesus loved”? How do you do that exactly? Well, my friend, it begins when
the believer is willing to venture from the church building to the streets, applying the Word they received while they sat in a church meeting — taking the Gospel message and closing the gap between them and the unbeliever . . . going from distant to proximity, moving from observer to participant. To love like Jesus means going from judge to helper, willing to get involved in people’s lives.

Jesus summed up the entire Bible, with all of its laws and precepts, by communicating this one truth: you must love God and love people. Loving like Jesus means that you enter into conflicts, seeking to make peace, walk in sorrow, willing to speak comfort, and raise hands in time of pain, asking the Lord God of heaven for healing in Jesus’ name.

Loving like Jesus is the willingness to go to the highways and byways, taking our biblical position as salt and light to a dark world.
“Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world” (James 1:27).

— Mark Little Elk

Council Fire is a collaboration with Intertribal Life Ministries and Native Evangelical Fellowship of Canada.

The Council Fire Daily Devotional Book Set is available on the Intertribal Life Ministries website.

Learn more about Council Fire at councilfire365.org

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“Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made t hat has been made.” John 1:3 (NIV)

If the Bible is true, and if Jesus is who He says He is, then Jesus is our Creator, and He made it all. Think about what that all includes. Look
around you; even look at yourself. Go back through your memory files to find favorite activities, foods, friends and loved ones. He made
every single atom and molecule for everything; He provided life to His plants, creatures, and people. How much personality, artistic ability, imagination, and power did it take to accomplish all this?

He deserves all our respect, honor and love — even if He never did another thing for us. Yet, He did do something else for us. He gave
up His life so that we could be a part of His family, citizens of His kingdom, now and forever. Can you imagine this happening to the
One who spun the galaxies, perfumed the flowers, and flavored your favorite food?

“They put a purple robe on him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him. And they began to call out to him, ‘Hail, king
of the Jews!’ Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spit on him. Falling on their knees, they paid homage to him. And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him” Mark 15:17-20 (NIV). I wonder how many of those people came to know Him as their Savior and Lord? That would be so like Jesus to make that happen.

Jesus, thank You for all You have created. Thank You for giving Your life so that we can be set free from the sin that destroys lives. Help us learn to walk in Your ways as children of the King.

— Sue Carlisle

Council Fire is a collaboration with Intertribal Life Ministries and Native Evangelical Fellowship of Canada.

The Council Fire Daily Devotional Book Set is available on the Intertribal Life Ministries website.

Learn more about Council Fire at councilfire365.org

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“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renew al of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will
of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Romans 12:2 (ESV)

It just sits there. There’s an old 1964 Mercury “Shorty” school bus behind my dad’s place that’s been sitting there since 1976 when one of
my brothers blew the motor on it. It’s a sweet little three-window bus that I sometimes wonder what it would take to fi x up, rebuild, restore, and customize . . . it would sure turn heads as it chugged down Main Street!

The problem is that it’s just “potential.” It’s just a thought of “what could be.” It may happen someday, or maybe it will just sit there and
rust til it’s deemed as scrap iron.

It kind of reminds me of us as people. God gave each of us a certain amount of potential — things that we are capable of, things that we could be, ways that God could use us, ways that we could maximize what we have going for us right now, ways to become what we are designed to be.

The problem is that it’s just “potential” until we start to let God have his rebuilding, restoring, re-creating hand in our lives. It’s only then that we begin to see the new person that God can morph us into.

It’s only then that our potential can translate to reality.

— Kene Jackson

Council Fire is a collaboration with Intertribal Life Ministries and Native Evangelical Fellowship of Canada.

The Council Fire Daily Devotional Book Set is available on the Intertribal Life Ministries website.

Learn more about Council Fire at councilfire365.org

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“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.” Ephesians 4: 30 (NIV)

It seems that pain has a way of drawing us closer to God. God knew all about pain and grief. He watched His Son die on the cross for our miserable sins.

I remember one time when I was pinning a diaper on my daughter (back before Pampers). I caught her skin on the pin. My poor girl cried in pain, and I cried right along with her, knowing I had hurt her — not on purpose, of course, but still I had hurt her. I cried all day. I carried her, trying to reassure her that I loved her, and that I didn’t hurt her by choice.

God chose to send Jesus to the cross. He could not hold His Son in His arms and try to tell Him that He didn’t mean it. God sent Jesus
to the cross of H is own free will, and Jesus agreed to it. That time of grief for God the Father and His Son, Jesus, must have been beyond
words. I can’t imagine the pain that Father God felt as He saw Jesus dying for our sins.

Each time we stray from our walk, each time we make a choice that we know is not a godly choice, and each time we deliberately turn
our ear from God’s voice, we grieve God. Of course, we are going to make mistakes because we are still human. But God, in His love and
mercy, has given us the Bible as a roadmap to use here on earth. Let’s not grieve the Holy Spirit.

Isaiah 30:21a says, “Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it’” (NKJV).

— June Cardinal-Howse

Council Fire is a collaboration with Intertribal Life Ministries and Native Evangelical Fellowship of Canada.

The Council Fire Daily Devotional Book Set is available on the Intertribal Life Ministries website.

Learn more about Council Fire at councilfire365.org

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“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.”
Galatians 5:1 (NIV)

In my past I was a musician. I played guitar in a band. We played in bars, halls, conferences, and even the Toronto Skydome (I believe now called Rogers Centre where the Blue Jays play).

We even met various rock stars along the way. But I paid a huge price for this. I became an alcoholic, drug addict, party-er, smoker, etc.
The list goes on and on.

One day, I made the decision to stop living this destructive lifestyle and seek the Lord . . . again. You see, I accepted the Lord back when I
was seven years old. I went to church, Bible studies with my parents, youth nights, etc. My parents attended Bible school for three years, and I was with them while they were there. I met a lot of people who were following the Lord. Yet, I wanted to “experience life” myself.

After 12 years of drinking and smoking, I gave up. I told God, “I’m a sinner and I’m sorry. I give up. Help me because I can’t help myself.”
God did!

As the verse above says, we are no longer slaves to sin. Christ set us free at the cross. We may be reminded of our past sins because the enemy wants us to think we have not been set free. But Christ, who dwells within us by His Spirit, has given us authority over the power of sin and the flesh. We can confidently say, “Away from me, flesh, in Jesus’ name. For Christ bought this body at a price with His precious blood.”

Faith in Christ alone will set you free from sin and all its curse. Faith in Christ will keep us “on the narrow road” (Matthew 7:14). Christ set me free, and continues to do so.

— Peter Constant

Council Fire is a collaboration with Intertribal Life Ministries and Native Evangelical Fellowship of Canada.

The Council Fire Daily Devotional Book Set is available on the Intertribal Life Ministries website.

Learn more about Council Fire at councilfire365.org

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“Oh, how abundant is your goodness.” Psalm 31:19 (ESV)

I love flowers. God could have given us just one flower, and only three flowers are mentioned by name in the Bible — the Rose of Sharon,
the Rose, and the Lily of the Valley. But there are over 400,000 kinds of flowers in the world!

All colors, all kinds, some so small you can barely notice them. Others are huge, some have wonderful fragrances, others barely have
any scent at all — but they bring such beauty into our world! It’s hard to look at any flower and not feel God’s love.

God gives us love abundantly. He gave us over 2,000,000 species of living things … over 6,500 species of mammals, 60,000 species of trees, 20,000 species of fish, and 11,000 species of birds. He didn’t haven’t to do any of that. He could have given us a dozen animals, and a few trees, and a couple of birds — and we’d have never known the difference.

Everything about God is about abundance, especially His love and forgiveness. He gave us a beautiful world. He gave us the sun and
moon and stars and the seasons. Our cup is full and running over. There are eight billion people in the world and no two are alike, not
even identical twins.

We use flowers to celebrate almost every holiday and event. We have flowers at parties, celebrations, holidays, weddings and funerals.
People take flowers to cemeteries to leave on graves of people who have passed away years ago because there is comfort in the act of leaving flowers on a grave.

There is a Chinese proverb that says, “Flowers leave some of their fragrance in the hand that bestows them.” Give some flowers to someone today and see them smile, and it will do your heart good. God, we are overwhelmed by your love.

— Crying Wind

Council Fire is a collaboration with Intertribal Life Ministries and Native Evangelical Fellowship of Canada.

The Council Fire Daily Devotional Book Set is available on the Intertribal Life Ministries website.

Learn more about Council Fire at councilfire365.org

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“When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.” Isaiah 43:2 (NLT)

There are times in life when it feels so overwhelming that we just want to give up. Whether it’s our job, our finances, family problems . . .
I’m sure we can all relate in one way or another. I wrote this poem as a reminder of Who is really in control. For those of us who have given our life to Christ, it’s just so great to know that He holds it all in His hand and has a plan for all of us who put our trust in Him.

When I feel like this world is bringing me down,
Your mighty right hand holds me up to not drown.
As I walk through the water, You will be with me.
My life is clay for the Potter to mold and uplift,
The way God the Father holds my soul in His grip,
His presence is present; the Holy Spirit’s a gift.
He wants to know all of us: every woman, child, and man,
No matter if you’re close or in a far-off distant land.
The Lord calls out to those who hear His voice,
No one will ever force you; He’s given all of us a choice.
So won’t you bring what’s broken and lay it at His feet,
As the gates of glory open and heaven’s host we finally meet?

So, even during those hard or uneasy moments, He is there continuing to carry us — along with all of our burdens — through life’s storms.

Thank You, Lord Jesus, for never leaving us nor forsaking us. Help us to strive to be more like You and to be less like us. Amen.

— Jason Jackson

Council Fire is a collaboration with Intertribal Life Ministries and Native Evangelical Fellowship of Canada.

The Council Fire Daily Devotional Book Set is available on the Intertribal Life Ministries website.

Learn more about Council Fire at councilfire365.org

The post He Is With Me appeared first on Council Fire.

“Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off.” Genesis 22:4 (KJV)

In Genesis 22, God commanded Abraham to offer his only son Isaac as a sacrifice. Undoubtedly, it was the hardest day of Abraham’s
life. Isaac was precious to Abraham and his wife, Sarah. Isaac was a miracle child, conceived in their old age, a gift from God. Certainly,
God’s command troubled Abraham greatly. Yet during this very difficult time, Abraham “lifted up his eyes and saw the place afar off.”
Hebrews 11:10 (NKJV) tells us that Abraham “looked for a city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.”

What did Abraham see? . . . and what do we focus on in times of adversity? Notice that during this time of hardship and trial of faith,
Abraham did not focus on the “here and now,” but on the gospel promise from God. Abraham undoubtedly saw a glimpse of heaven, the eternal joy that awaited him, and much more! This glimpse empowered him to be totally obedient to the Lord, despite the seemingly impossible task.

As believers in Christ Jesus we, too, should fi x our gaze on the prize that awaits us. Heaven is a real place, and the troubles, afflictions
and trials of this world will soon pass. It is said there are over 8,000 Scriptural promises of God for His children. As we read and meditate
on the promises of Scripture, like Abraham, our focus will shift from the temporal to the eternal! Reading the Word of God will elevate our view, and God will increase our glimpse of the prize that awaits us. This is the hope of all believers!

Dear Christian, heaven awaits you. Submit what God has asked of you because, despite how precious it may be to you, it will be for your benefit!

Heavenly Father, help me to obey even when it doesn’t make sense. Give me a glimpse of eternity!

— Steven Keesic

Council Fire is a collaboration with Intertribal Life Ministries and Native Evangelical Fellowship of Canada.

The Council Fire Daily Devotional Book Set is available on the Intertribal Life Ministries website.

Learn more about Council Fire at councilfire365.org

The post Gospel Glimpse appeared first on Council Fire.

“Even though the fi g trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the LORD! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!” Habakkuk 3:17-18 (NLT)

It is not easy to rejoice when things are not going well. When we see all the bad things that are happening in the world, it grieves us. It
seems like things are not going to get better.

Well, Habakkuk knew what that was like. He was a prophet of God, and he knew that Judah was going to be invaded by the Babylonians. Habakkuk trusted in God and knew He was sovereign. Yet, he still had some honest questions in mind.

When I see and hear about the evil in the world, it is easy to get anxious and worried. Here we see that, even though Habakkuk knew
things were going to get bad for Judah, because he followed God, he chose to rejoice in the Lord instead. What faith Habakkuk had in the Lord! Habakkuk made the choice to rejoice in the Lord regardless if the situation changed or not.

This challenged me, and still does, to rejoice in the Lord even through these times. The last verse in chapter 3 of Habakkuk says, “The
Sovereign LORD is my strength! He makes me as surefooted as a deer, able to tread upon the heights” (NLT).

The Lord is in control and reigns. This gives me the peace to rest in who He says He is. The Lord is my strength. I choose to rejoice in Him!

— Myrna Kopf

Council Fire is a collaboration with Intertribal Life Ministries and Native Evangelical Fellowship of Canada.

The Council Fire Daily Devotional Book Set is available on the Intertribal Life Ministries website.

Learn more about Council Fire at councilfire365.org

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“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is
admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things.” Philippians 4:8 (NIV)

This morning, I got an email from a friend who’s had some real major losses in the past year. He recounted the deaths of some significant family members and talked about his aloneness and depression. I felt bad for him but was able to use this as a teaching opportunity, pointing out to him how to look at the “flip side” of life scenarios that have the potential to bring us down.

It’s actually quite easy to come up with a pretty long list of the bad stuff we’ve faced, endured, and come through. The natural way for us to address a negative situation is to make a checklist of all the losses and hurts we’ve had in life, and focus on a few of these, rather than on the positive things that God has put in our lives.

A far more constructive and healing approach is to crumple that list up and create a new list that features all the good things that God
has brought us — the good things that He is doing, and the good things He’s planning in our futures as we allow His work in our lives!

Instead of listing our losses, we end up with a much more balanced and positive perspective when we COUNT OUR BLESSINGS!

— Kene Jackson

Council Fire is a collaboration with Intertribal Life Ministries and Native Evangelical Fellowship of Canada.

The Council Fire Daily Devotional Book Set is available on the Intertribal Life Ministries website.

Learn more about Council Fire at councilfire365.org

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