Blog 10/ Embers of Purpose: Rekindling What God Placed Within You
“Fan into flame the gift of God…” — 2 Timothy 1:6
“He will give them beauty for ashes…” — Isaiah 61:3
“The righteous may fall seven times but still get up…” — Proverbs 24:16
“When you pass through the fire, you will not be burned…” — Isaiah 43:2
When the Flame Feels Gone
The inbox blinks, deadlines stretch, and exhaustion settles like smoke after a storm.
You keep showing up, but the fire that once fueled you now flickers beneath the weight of everything you’ve carried.
“The flame may fade, but the spark remains.”
God’s call was never canceled by chaos. His purpose wasn’t erased by fatigue.
Sometimes the fire doesn’t disappear—it hides, waiting for His breath to return.
Beauty for Ashes
“To bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes…” — Isaiah 61:3
Ashes are not the evidence of failure; they’re the residue of transformation.
Every disappointment, every closed door, every tear becomes sacred fuel in God’s hands.
“Even ashes glow under divine breath.”
God doesn’t discard your ruins; He rebuilds from them.
The Phoenix doesn’t rise instead of its ashes—it rises from them.
So too does the believer who dares to believe again.
The Slow Rise
We love the miracle of the instant comeback, but God often moves in the slow burn.
The rise begins quietly—in surrender, in stillness, in the trembling “yes” whispered through doubt.
“You don’t have to force fire. You only have to be willing to glow again.”
Grace gathers in hidden places, preparing the heart for holy ignition.
The rise is not dramatic—it’s devoted.
When Discouragement Lingers
“Even youths grow tired and weary… but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.” — Isaiah 40:30-31
Even prophets grew weary. Even leaders questioned their calling.
Discouragement is not the absence of faith; it’s the soil where faith learns endurance.
If you’re still cooling from the fire, take heart—the ashes are not wasted.
God is forming depth where distraction once lived.
Faith glows even in low light.
Rekindling the Flame
You don’t need a wildfire to begin again. Start with one spark:
Whisper a prayer when words fail.
Open Scripture even when your heart feels numb.
Write the vision gathering dust.
Take the smallest next step.
Each act of faith is oxygen to the ember.
And when divine breath meets your obedience—fire returns.
“Every act of faith adds oxygen to the ember.”
The Phoenix Promise
“He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion…” — Philippians 1:6
You were never meant to live extinguished.
The same Spirit that called you before the storm still calls you through it now.
Rise—slowly if you must, faithfully if you can.
This time your flame burns steadier, wiser, deeper.
You are proof that defeat never has the final word.
Resurrection does.
Closing Reflection
Prayer:
“Lord, breathe on my ashes.
Let every defeat become a doorway to renewal.
Teach me to rise again—not in haste, but in hope.
Fan into flame what You placed within me.
Make my life a testimony that resurrection still happens.”
Dr. Courtney Nicole Johnson
Founder of Courtney Coffee Chats
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