A Prayer for the Beginning of a Year

O God of Hope and Promise,

Though the turning of the year is simply a human act of marking time, this ritual affects us at the core. We are stirred with a longing for freshness and change. “New Year’s resolutions” churn through our minds, and all our intentions swell with hope. We surrender this desire for growth and change to you. Only You can direct this energy into that which glorifies You. Only You can keep us in focus and keep us energized when the enthusiasm of the new year begins to wane. On this fresh first day we are hopeful, but we realize that we cannot fill this year with meaning and purpose on our own. We must have You, for we know that the challenges of life are about to happen. The newness will fade and our hours and days will be strewn once again with disappointment, pain, grief, and tears - even amid moments of blessing and thanksgiving. Remind us that all our days, the good and the hard, are within Your view and that Your goodwill and immense love are continuously turned toward us. Lord, keep that in the forefront of all my thinking and planning. I seek You in this new dawning. Help me to make Jesus the compass of my hours, to take Him into my plan for each day. Teach me that, even when I fail spectacularly, You are there to forgive and to move me onward to the next step. Lord, raise me up, not to prominence, but to that place of utter trust, total dependence, and humble surrender, knowing that You are Emmanuel still and that You will not forsake me. Therefore, I go into this new year with confidence, and I will go out in joy, praising You, my Lord and my God. Amen.

"No Whining!"

I recently saw a sign in a fire station that read “No Whining.” The saying was written in red on a white background and had a circle with a line going through it. The message was obvious; stop your whining.

In today’s fire service, it is easy to criticize others, complain about our circumstances, and tear down other departments. The advent of social media has only made the problem worse. Rather than working out issues directly with people, many firefighters and first responders choose to turn to their favorite social media platforms to complain.

I would hope that this little reminder would go a long way in preventing negative situations that begin with whining and complaining.

Read Philippians 2:12-18

Challenge for the day – “Do everything without complaining and arguing,” Philippians 2:14 (NLT)

The Bible is very clear when it comes to complaining. Those who name the name of Christ should avoid useless complaining and arguing. We are encouraged to do everything in our life without these negative characteristics so that we might be blameless in the eyes of God.

Rather than becoming like the rest of the world, Christian firefighters and first responders should be innocent when it pertains to complaining about their circumstances or what others are doing. We are called to be children of light in a dark world. Complaining and arguing only weakens our effectiveness.

Our lives are on display for the rest of the world to see, do not fall prey to this sin which is so easy to do in today’s world. Ask God to give you words that will build up and edify others.

Prayer: Lord, help me today to choose words of encouragement rather than words that tear down and destroy. Amen.

“Northbound Lanes Blocked”

We knew we were responding to a bad accident. The initial dispatch was for a two-vehicle accident that involved a pickup truck that had rolled over and ejected the three occupants.

The police officer who arrived first painted an awful picture of the accident and told incoming units that debris was flung throughout both lanes and there were three unconscious patients in the medium strip. Both northbound lanes were blocked.

The first arriving chief assumed command and the northbound lanes were blocked by fire apparatus. While a crew assessed the damaged vehicles, everyone else assisted the EMS units in assessing and packaging the patients for transport. All lanes remained blocked until all the debris was removed from the travel lanes and the vehicles removed.

Read I Peter 3:1-7

Encouragement for the day – “In the same way, you husbands must give honor to your wives. Treat your wife with understanding as you live together. She may be weaker than you are, but she is your equal partner in God’s gift of new life. Treat her as you should so your prayers will not be hindered.” I Peter 3:7 (NLT)

Christian firefighters and first responders are blessed to be able to go directly to God in prayer. Because of the completed work of Jesus Christ, believers do not need a go-between to give God our prayer requests. All we need to do is give God our requests and wait for His answer.

God always answers prayer. We may not always receive what we ask for, but we are confident that He hears us. But have you ever felt that your prayers are like those northbound lanes that were blocked?

In today’s passage, Peter reminds us that how we treat our wife can affect our prayer life. Peter warns husbands to treat their wife with equality, honor, and understanding. When we fail in this task, Peter goes on to tell us that our prayers could be hindered. The writer of Psalm 66 proclaims; “If I regard iniquity in my heart, The Lord will not hear” (Psalm 66:18). Solomon says it this way; “If one turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination” (Proverbs 28:9).

Evaluate your life today and ensure that you do not have any sins or unhealthy relationships that are blocking your northbound prayers to God.

Prayer: Lord, help me today to live a life that is pleasing to you. Amen.

“The Benefits Outweigh the Risks”

The modern fire service talks a lot about risk vs benefits. We risk a lot to gain a lot, and if the risk is too high and the benefit is too low or nonexistent, we will not commit people to go interior. Officers must make quick decisions at emergencies, and the fire service has invested a lot of training to ensure they are making competent decisions. The fire service values life, and we want to ensure that both citizens and firefighters are afforded an opportunity to survive.

I remember being on a structure fire where I watched an inexperienced firefighter working as quickly as possible to take a charged handline inside the burning structure. A wise senior officer stopped him just before he entered the building. Why? Because this vacant building had seen several fires in the past month, and there was not any indication the building was occupied. The risk was too great for an interior attack, and the captain ordered an exterior attack. Fortunately, his wisdom led to no injuries minutes later as the building came crashing down in front of us.

Read Psalm 103

Encouragement for the Day – “He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.” Psalm 103:12 (NLT)

The benefits of believing in Christ for the forgiveness of our sins and the assurance of eternal life far outweigh the risk of trusting in some other way. The world is throwing out a lot of misinformation when it comes to having a right relationship with God. Contrary to popular belief, there are not many roads that lead to God. I would not want to risk eternity with any of these faulty myths.

The Psalmist clearly articulates some of the benefits of believing in Christ. God forgives all our wickedness (verse 3), heals our diseases (verse 3), redeems our lives from destruction (verse 4), crowns us with loving kindness and tender mercies (verse 4), satisfies our mouths with good things (verse 5), renews our youth (verse 5), executes righteousness and judgment for the oppressed (verse 6), makes known his ways (verse 7), is merciful, gracious and slow to anger (verse 8), and forgives our sins (verses 9 and 12).

With benefits like these, why would anyone not want to follow God?

Prayer: Lord thank you for being gracious and merciful to me a sinner. May my life be pleasing to you as I serve in the fire service and every other moment in my life. Amen.

“Too Far Gone”

We have been on many fires over the years where the fire has got the best of the building. Upon our arrival, the building is too far gone to attack it from the interior. Experienced firefighters are quick to recognize the weakness of the building and begin to hit the fire from the outside. Going inside would lead to certain injuries or death, and the risk is not worth the reward.

We have also run medical calls where the patient is too far gone. There is no life in the person, and they have been gone for some time. When the paramedics hook up the monitor to the patient, it confirms our assessment.

It’s sad when this happens. If we had been notified sooner, we might have been able to help.

Read Galatians 2:15-21

Encouragement for the day – “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20 (ESV)

God can use broken people for His purposes. As only God can, He fixes people from the inside out. Don’t think for one second that your sin is too big for God to forgive. Don’t think that, because you have messed up your life since trusting in Christ, that God cannot use you for ministry. You are not too far gone for God to be able to fix you.

The Bible is full of messed-up people who God was able to change and use for good. Moses murdered a man; Paul had people arrested and put in jail. He even consented to the murder of Stephen. The list goes on and on.

God wants to use you for His perfect plan. Learn to live your life by faith in the One who died so your sins could be forgiven. Determine to serve Christ no matter where He leads you. “But Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible’” (Matthew 19:26).

Prayer: Lord, use me today in the department you have called me to. May everything I say and do be pleasing to you. Amen.

"Defending Your Actions and Beliefs"

It is always disheartening and sometimes even frightening to have to defend your actions during an incident. Whether it’s in a post-incident debriefing or in a court of law, there may be times when our actions will be called into question.

If you are ever called to testify in court, the defense team will want to find any little thing that you or your department did (or did not do) that would benefit their client.

I have talked to many firefighters who were directly involved in an incident that involved a fatality. As different agencies investigated the incident, every action (or inaction) was called into question.

So we’re not placed in a position where we have to defend our actions at an incident, we should study hard and ensure we are proficient in everything for which we are responsible.

Read 1 Peter 3:8-17

Challenge for the day – “But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,” 1 Peter 3:15 (NIV)

Christian firefighters and first responders should always be ready to defend our faith. As we minister to members of our department, other firefighters will be watching. Some will watch with the sole purpose of discrediting you as a Christian. Others will watch simply because they want to know more about our God. Either way, we should be ready and willing to tell those who challenge us or ask questions of us the hope that we have living within us. We should be able to clearly articulate our faith to them and share what the Bible has to say about having a right relationship with God.

Are you prepared to defend your actions and beliefs to someone else? If not, start by reading and studying your Bible on a regular basis and learn what God wants you to lovingly share with other firefighters and first responders.

Lord, may my life be pleasing to you as I learn how to minister to other firefighters and first responders. Amen.

"Down-Time"

In the fire service, there is a lot of down-time. It doesn't matter if you are paid or volunteer, work in a busy or slow station, you will always have some time for yourself.

Firefighters use this time in a variety of ways. Some will clean the station or apparatus. Others will study to be better firefighters, while others will watch television or play games.

Firefighters are notorious for playing pranks on their fellow firefighters when they have too much time on their hands. There is no end to what firefighters will think of to accomplish in their downtime.

Read Ephesians 5:15-21

Encouragement for the day – “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.”
Ephesians 5:15-16 (ESV)

Christian firefighters are encouraged to make the most of their downtime. Paul reminded the church in Ephesus that the days are evil and they should be mindful of what they do during their down-time.

Rather than lazily sitting around and accomplishing little, we who know Christ should be actively involved in the ministry. Reading or studying the Bible should be a top priority for Christian firefighters, and there are many quiet places around the station in which you could do this. Building relationships with other firefighters in order to share the Gospel and encourage them to have a relationship with God also takes time and effort.

Life is short. Take time today to make a difference in someone else’s life for the sake of the Kingdom.

Prayer: Lord, help me to make wise use of my time each and every day. Amen.

"Restoration"

Have you ever been to an antique fire muster? I love going to antique fire musters and seeing all of the antique fire trucks that have been restored. I could walk for hours looking at them. Some of those fire trucks were left to rust in a field somewhere until some buff got hold of it and began to restore it back to their glory. I cannot even imagine the amount of time and energy it took, but it was worth every minute of it.

Every year, the City of Pittsburgh has an antique fire muster along the banks of the Monongahela River. It’s amazing to watch some of those 100- year-old fire trucks drafting from the river and spraying streams 100’ in the air. It’s a sight to behold.

On my first structure fire, I was riding tailboard on a 1949 Mack B Model. That engine is still in limited service today. Classic antique fire apparatus have a special place in my heart.

Read Psalm 23

Encouragement for the day – “He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me by still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake” Psalm 23:2-3 (NKJV)

God is in the restoration business as well. He specializes in restoring the lives of men and women. Some people have gone astray and their lives are falling apart; just like the fire truck that was left in the field. Left to themselves they will rot away, not look very appealing, and no longer serve the purpose for which they were made.

God has promised to restore us and make us useful to Him - if we place our trust in Him. As you begin to follow God’s Word revealed to us in the Bible, He will lead you to “paths of righteousness” and save you from heartache and pain. God will lead you to a place of green pastures and still waters, and give you the rest you so desperately long for. Then, just like those antique fire trucks, you will be restored to a place of glory and once again be useful to the Master.

Prayer: Lord, help me to faithfully study Your Word, and help me to obey the life lessons that You designed for us. Amen.

“Train More Than You Complain”

Every once-in-a-while, we all search the web for fire service related information. In today’s world, it’s easy to get up-to-date articles, videos, and training platforms that are dedicated to improving firefighters.

There are also a lot of individuals who love to post inspirational and encouraging quotes that help firefighters to stay focused. One such quote I came across the other day encouraged firefighters and first responders to “train more than you complain.” It can be easy today to get on the “complaining train”. There are so many things that we can complain about that it becomes easier and easier to let the world know what is wrong with the fire service.

This may seem obvious to many of you, but there are no perfect fire departments. Complaining never changes the direction of the department, and we should avoid this practice. Rather than whining and grumbling about our situation, let’s heed the advice of this leader and spend more time training to get better instead of wasting our time complaining and arguing.

Read Philippians 2:12-18

Challenge for the day – "Do everything without complaining and arguing," Philippians 2:14 (NLT)

The Bible is very clear on this subject. Paul tells believers to stop “complaining and arguing.” We are encouraged to put these damaging traits far from our everyday life in the fire service so that we might be blameless and innocent before God.

God did not save us from our sin so that we can continue in our worldly passions. Jesus Christ paid the penalty for our sins and now we have become children of God. This transformational process should change us. We should no longer look like the world around us, but rather, we should shine as lights that reflect Jesus in a dark world. When we serve in the fire service as Christian firefighters, complaining and whining about things that are out of our control will dim our lights and people will no longer be interested in hearing about God’s amazing grace.

The next time you find yourself boarding the complaining train, ask God to forgive you of your sin and to lead you to the path of righteousness.

Prayer: Lord, help me not to fall for the tricks of the world. May every word I chose to use bring honor and glory to your name. Amen.

“. . . With Command”

The incident command system (ICS) is a recent development in the fire service. The first incident to use the ICS system was the Pacoima fire in the Angeles National Forest in 1978. The fire service in America has been around since the late 1700’s, which makes the ICS system relatively new. While the west coast fire departments quickly adopted this new way of managing incidents, east coast departments took longer. One of the main functions of ICS is that of the incident commander who is tasked with organizing and managing the incident until its completion or whenever they are replaced with someone with more qualifications.

Many company officers are used to giving a complete size-up of the incident whenever they are first due, and they will typically announce that they are on location “with command.” Firefighters and first responders are used to listening to and obeying the commands of the incident commander.

Read Proverbs 2

Encouragement for the Day – “My son, accept my words and store up my commands. Turn your ear toward wisdom, and stretch your mind toward understanding.” Proverbs 2:1-2 (CEB)

Solomon has provided us with Godly wisdom for Christian firefighters and first responders to obey. These nuggets of wisdom come directly from God and are still relevant for believers today. Those who chose to refuse this Godly advice are labeled as fools by Solomon.

Christian firefighters and first responders must be diligent in studying the Bible, which can keep us on the pathway that pleases God. We must be convinced that these very words of God are a fountain of life and a standard for us to follow in the fire service.

We are encouraged to treasure Solomon’s commands because they are inspired by God. Like a firefighter who willingly and quickly obeys the incident commander, we are to eagerly obey these words of wisdom from Solomon.

Don’t be a fool. Read through the Proverbs and discover Godly wisdom that you can apply to your company.

Prayer: Lord, please give me the wisdom to know how You want me to act around other firefighters. Help me not to be a fool in Your sight. Amen.