Stand Firm: Building Bonfires - Cultivating A Life Lived For God - Jonathan Hansen
Building Bonfires: Cultivating a Life Lived for God
What does it mean for men to be truly on fire for Jesus? The most important thing you can cultivate in this life isn't your retirement plan or career—though those matter. It's cultivating a heart connected to Jesus and becoming a burning, shining light in this generation for God's glory and others' good.
Key Verses
Hebrews 12:1
John 15:2
Philippians 3:7-8
Jeremiah 23:29
1 Peter 1:6-7
John 5:35
Why Men Need to Step Up
When men step into who they're called to be as image bearers of God and come alive in their hearts, the landscape of families, homes, workplaces, churches, and culture changes. This isn't about perfection—it's about engagement in the lifelong journey of following Christ.
What Does It Mean to Build Spiritual Bonfires?
Just like building a physical bonfire requires work, cultivating a passionate love for Jesus that provides warmth for your family, protection from the enemy, and light in darkness doesn't happen by accident. It requires intentional effort and commitment.
The Fire Analogy in Scripture
The Bible frequently uses fire to describe our relationship with God. In Leviticus, priests were commanded to keep the altar fire burning continuously, adding fresh wood every morning. Today, your heart and life are the altar, and you must keep the fire burning through daily spiritual disciplines.
How Do You Clear the Land in Your Soul?
Before you can build a fire, you must clear the land. Hebrews 12:1 instructs us to "throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us."
Understanding Sin's Entangling Effect
Sin has a weighing down, entangling effect on our souls that chokes out God's life in us. Like thorns and thistles that wrap around you as you walk through underbrush, little compromises in selfishness, apathy, passivity, greed, lust, or pride slowly entangle and drag us down.
The Pruning Process
John 15:2 tells us that God prunes every branch that bears fruit so it will be even more fruitful. This pruning process—where God removes things from our lives—isn't punishment but help for growth. He cuts away things that hinder us, even things we think we can't live without.
What Happens When You Find Yourself in the Dark Woods?
At some point in life's journey, many men wake up in what feels like a dark forest—living as a shell of who they were meant to be, unhappy, purposeless, going through the motions. Maybe externally everything looks fine, but inside, intimacy is dying, relationships are drifting, and despite external success, there's a hollow ache nothing seems to fill.
The Power of Surrender
The way out of these dark woods begins with surrender—not quitting or giving up, but saying "Lord, I'm surrendering to you. My way isn't working." This is where healing begins, where new life happens, where God meets us. The best men are often broken men who have learned the power of surrender.
As Tim Keller wrote: "When Jesus Christ was in the Garden of Gethsemane and the ultimate darkness was coming down on him, he did not abandon you, he died for you. If Jesus Christ didn't abandon you in his darkness, why would he abandon you now in your darkness?"
What Is the Treasure Test?
Philippians 3:7-8 presents a crucial question: Do you treasure Jesus above everything else? Paul writes, "Whatever were gains to me, I now consider loss for the sake of Christ... I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord."
This isn't just about believing in Jesus—it's about loving and treasuring Him above all else. What shapes your life most is what you love, not just what you believe. Two practical tests reveal what you truly treasure:
Ask your kids what they think is most important to you
Examine your bank account—where your money goes reveals where your heart is
How Do You Keep the Fire Burning?
A fire never stays lit on yesterday's fuel. Just as Old Testament priests added fresh firewood every morning, you must bring fresh fuel daily to keep your spiritual fire burning.
Three Essential Fuels
1. God's Word
Jeremiah 23:29 asks, "Is not my word like fire?" Scripture before screen—get up earlier, find a spot, and say "Lord, let the fire of your word light the fire of my faith again."
2. Personal Prayer
Prayer should be "an encounter of wills until one will gives way to the other." Don't just bring grocery lists to God—wrestle with Him about real stuff: your marriage, kids, fears, failures, addictions, the emptiness in your soul. Be honest with God about what you're struggling with.
3. Brotherhood
You cannot stay consistent in God's word, prayer, or clearing the land without a band of brothers you can honestly and frequently talk to. You need people who will ask hard questions and let you ask them hard questions about how you're really doing.
What Does It Mean to Fan the Flame?
Building a fire is one thing; tending the flame is another. This requires what we can call "the David model"—being a tender-hearted warrior like King David, who had both thick skin and a soft heart.
Thick Skin and Soft Heart
David was courageous enough to face Goliath yet tender enough to write 80% of the Psalms. You need thick skin to face life's giants and fight the battles you're called to fight, but also a soft heart that prioritizes Jesus, loves and serves your wife and children, and knows how to empathize and be emotionally present.
The Refiner's Fire
First Peter 1:6-7 describes trials as a refiner's fire that proves the genuineness of your faith. When heat and pressure come, God is burning away everything not intended for your life while keeping what's precious and pure. This requires fanning into flame the refiner's fire God is working in you.
How Do You Become a Beacon of Light?
Jesus said of John the Baptist, "He was a burning and a shining lamp" (John 5:35). When a man lives fully alive and aligned with his God-given purpose, his life becomes like a lighthouse—beautiful to visit on sunny days but absolutely necessary during storms.
Providing Warmth and Protection
As men on fire for God, you provide warmth and protection to those who matter most. Your family needs to see you:
Reading your Bible and praying regularly
Showing up even when tired
Being a place of safety and comfort
Owning mistakes and apologizing
Expressing love and pride in them
Loving and serving your wife
Working hard to provide
They don't need you to be perfect, but they need you engaged in the journey, fighting to become the man God called you to be.
Life Application
This week, take an honest inventory of your spiritual life. Are you living as a burning and shining lamp, or have you found yourself entangled in the dark woods? Choose one specific area to focus on: clearing the land through surrender, treasuring Jesus above all else, or adding fresh fuel through daily Bible reading, prayer, or connecting with other men.
Consider these questions as you move forward:
What would your family say is most important to you based on how you spend your time and money?
When did you last wrestle with God in prayer about the real struggles in your life?
Do you have brothers in your life who know the real you and can speak truth into your life?
What needs to be cleared from the land of your soul so God's fire can burn brightly again?
Jonathan mentioned that men often find themselves in 'dark forests' during their life journey. Have you ever experienced a season like this? What helped you find your way out?
What does it mean to 'clear the land' in your spiritual life? What are some things that might be entangling you right now that need to be removed?
How do you currently 'stack wood' on the fire of your faith? Which area (Bible reading, prayer, or brotherhood) do you find most challenging to maintain consistently?
King David is described as having 'thick skin and a soft heart.' What does this balance look like in practical terms for men today?
The pastor emphasizes the importance of surrender rather than trying to do everything in our own strength. Why is surrender often so difficult for men?
How can men become 'burning and shining lamps' in their families and communities? What does this look like practically?
Remember, this is a lifelong journey. You won't be perfect, but your family and community need you to be engaged in becoming the man God has called you to be—a burning and shining lamp in a dark generation.
Setlist
WFC Lenexa + WFC Anywhere
This Is Our God - Phil Wickham
Breakthrough - Red Rocks Worship
We Crown You - Jeremy Riddle
WFC Speedway
Holy Spirit Come - Patrick Mayberry
Goodness Of God - Bethel Music
Make Room - Meredith Andrews
Be sure to save our Spotify Worship Playlist, updated weekly with the upcoming Sunday’s set!
