There’s a fire that changes everything.
Not the kind that destroys, but the kind that purifies—
That burns away the illusion of control,
That wakes up the soul.

And I believe it’s time we stop resisting it.

The center point of all history—of all our stories—is the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. When he rose from the grave, he gave us a commission that wasn’t small, vague, or optional:

“Go. Preach the gospel. Baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit” (paraphrasing Matthew 28:18–20).

It was simple.
And it was massive.

But let’s be honest—when we hear the word baptism, most of us still think of water.

And water is beautiful. Water is symbolic. Water is scriptural.
But water was only meant to point to something greater.

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The Water Was Just the Beginning

The first baptisms we see in Scripture come through John—Jesus’ wild-eyed cousin, preaching in the wilderness. The people were drawn to him. Even the religious leaders came, desperate for something more real than their own traditions.

John baptized with water, yes. But he knew that wasn’t the end.

He said plainly:

“I baptize with water for repentance…. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I…. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”

Matthew 3:11 TPT

Fire.

That’s the difference.

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This Fire Was Never Meant to Be Optional

The gospel isn’t just about getting clean—it’s about becoming new.

Jesus didn’t just say to dunk people in a river.
He said to baptize them in a name.
In Hebrew thought, name means identity.
So what Jesus was saying was:

Immerse them in the identity of the Father. Saturate them in the Son. Drench them in the Spirit.

The goal was never dry religion. The goal was always saturated life.
We are to be soaked in the love of the Father, the grace of the Son, and the fire of the Holy Spirit.

And yet… somehow, we traded the fire for water.
We made the symbol the source.
We made the sign the saving.
We baptized into tradition instead of transformation.

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What John Saw—and What We Forgot

John wasn’t just preparing people to behave better.
He was preparing them to meet the Lamb.

And when he saw Jesus walking toward the river, he didn’t say, “There’s the Judge of the sinners.”

He said:

“Look! There he is—God’s Lamb! He takes away the sin of the entire world!”

John 1:29 TPT

Not the sinners.
The sin.

That’s the fire.
It doesn’t destroy people—it destroys what’s destroying them.
It doesn’t condemn—it cleanses.
It doesn’t shame—it sanctifies.

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Why We Need the Baptism of Fire

Water can wash the outside.
But only fire can purify the soul.

We’re not talking about a scary emotional experience.
We’re talking about the power of God to transform the entire landscape of your life.

We see it in Paul. He wasn’t changed by a warm bath.
He was struck blind by divine light and filled with fire that never went out.
He said it himself:

“For the Anointed One has sent me on a mission, not to see how many I could baptize, but to proclaim the good news.”

1 Corinthians 1:17 TPT

Paul understood: the gospel was never meant to be transactional.
It was meant to be relational.
Not a formula, but a family.
Not behavior modification, but complete identity transformation.

And that kind of transformation takes fire.

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Why We Resist the Flame

Let’s be honest—fire feels threatening.
Water is manageable. Predictable. Ceremonial.

But fire?
Fire transforms.
Fire exposes.
Fire doesn’t ask permission.

Maybe that’s why we resist it. Maybe we don’t want to be that undone.
Maybe we’re afraid to look foolish.
Maybe we’ve mistaken the fire for judgment instead of love.

But friend, if God is a consuming fire,
then everything he touches, he touches as a Father.

He’s not out to burn you down—
He’s out to burn everything in you that keeps you from him.

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Let the Fire Fall

In John 20:22, Jesus breathed on his disciples and said:

“Receive the Holy Spirit”

John 20:22 TPT

But he didn’t stop there.
In Acts 2, that breath became fire.

Tongues of flame. Wind. Wonder. Power.

He told them to wait.
To want.
To welcome the fire.

So I say this with everything in me:
Don’t stop at the water.
Don’t settle for the sign when you were meant to receive the substance.
Don’t build a life around trying to stay clean when Jesus came to make you burn bright.

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What the Fire Brings

I can’t tell you what the baptism of fire will look like for you.
But I can tell you this:
Everything he brings is good.

• The fire will burn away fear.
• It will awaken your purpose.
• It will restore your wonder.
• It will speak in groanings too deep for words.
• It will birth joy that your circumstances can’t touch.
• It will break chains you didn’t even know you carried.

You may speak in tongues.
You may feel the heat of heaven.
You may weep.
You may laugh.
You may fall to your knees.
But you will be filled.

The fire will wreck you beautifully.
And it will leave you more like Jesus.

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The Invitation Still Stands

If you’re tired of religion.
If you’re weary of cycles.
If you’ve been baptized in water but feel dry inside…

There’s more.

Jesus didn’t just dip us in water.
He drenched us in himself.

You don’t have to perform your way into it.
You only have to surrender.

Let Him breathe on you again.
Let the fire fall.

Let Me Burn in You (A poem by Cheryl Ricker)

My fire refines, defines—crowns.
It is courage rekindled,
Spirit-breath through dry bones,
crackling, rising in your ribs
like Holy rushing wind
hushing fear,
thundering you alive.
My fire burns lies;|
So, no settling for less
than this loving leading breathing
fire you carry like sky carries sun.
Surrender to “yes”
and let me blaze in you
for the healing of nations—
for the fullness of my glory and joy
set before us as One.

_{Cheryl Ricker is an author, collaborator, Holy ghostwriter, speaker, poet, artist, and literary agent, who is passionate about unveiling Jesus to the world. Cheryl wrote A Friend in the Storm, Rush of Heaven: One Woman’s Miraculous Encounter with Jesus (with Ema McKinley), Josiah’s Fire: Autism Stole his Words, God gave him a Voice (with Tahni Cullen), and The Masterpiece Edition of the Passion Translation, which includes 60 paintings by Ron DiCianni alongside Cheryl’s family devotionals.  http://cherylricker.com} 

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