His Word In My Heart Like A Fire

O Lord, you persuaded me, and I was persuaded; you overpowered me and prevailed.  I am ridiculed all day long; everyone mocks me.  Whenever I speak, I cry out proclaiming violence and destruction.  So the word of the Lord has brought me insult and reproach all day long.  But if I say, “I will not mention him or speak any more in his name,” his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones.  I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot.’

– Jeremiah 20:7-9

Has doing what the Lord specifically told you to do for him only brought you ridicule, reproach, mocking, and insults?  All you want is to proclaim God’s word and speak what the Lord has revealed to you through the Holy Spirit, but you clearly see that is the last thing people want to hear because of the sharp persecution that you are receieving!  You start to wonder why the Lord has called you to accomplish such an arduous task?!  You’re not outgoing!  You’re not influential!  Why would the Lord choose you of all people to speak to anybody?!  It seems like even your family will not listen to you!  So why would anyone else??  Now you understand exactly what Jeremiah felt when the Lord called on him to prophesy!  Jeremiah was proclaiming precisely what the word of the Lord was telling him to say to the people, but nobody wanted to hear it!  Instead, all Jeremiah received was insults and reproach all day long all on account of the word of the Lord!  Yet Jeremiah went on to say something Amazing!  He said, “but if I say, ‘I will not mention Him (God) or speak anymore in His name,’ His word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones.  I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot.’  The word of God is a fire in your heart!  You might try to contain it, hold it in, or hide it from people, but the word of God will become a BLAZING FIRE shut up within your bones!  Indeed, you cannot hold it in!  The word of God will overpower you and it will always prevail!  It will come out of you!!  So no matter what kind of opposition you are getting from people, you MUST speak God’s word no matter what!  And just remember, you are not alone!  God is on your side!  And if God is For you, then who can be against you?!!