FIRE IN MY BONES, OH LORD

THE BUD FAMILY AFRICA

MONTHLY PRAYER AND FASTING BULLETIN FOR FEBRUARY 2026

THEME: FIRE IN MY BONES, OH LORD

TEXT: JEREMIAH 20:7-11

 

Beloved sisters, I gladly welcome you to another time of fasting, prayers, and fire! God has been faithful and He is worthy of our Praise. Before we delve into our study and prayers for today, let’s take some time to praise and adore His name. 

• Tell the Lord how glad you are to be in His Presence this day. 
• Thank Him for the BUD family and how He has been sustaining us as a family- spiritually, emotionally, maritally, financially, and in every ramifications of life. 
• Bless the name of the Lord! Adore Him for His lovingkindness and faithfulness.
• Tell the Lord how glad you are to be His daughter and for access to His Spirit who is at work in you daily. 
• Thank Him for three specific things you are certain His Hands have wrought in your life this month of February. Say Father, for these three specific things and more, I thank You, Lord.
• Glorify His holy name. Sing His Praises!!!

 

“Emmanuel” by Nathaniel Bassey 

 

Fire In My Bones, Oh Lord! 

We bless the Lord for how He has led us thus far and His continual guidance through the past moments of fasting and praying as a family. Today will be a day of greater dimensions of encounter for us in Jesus name! The Lord will speak directly to our hearts even as we delve into our study today. We invite the Holy Spirit to help our hearts and fill us with understanding, Amen!!

 

Our key text for the day is from Jeremiah 20:9 KJV:

 “Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name. But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay”. 

 

Prophet Jeremiah was going through a very rough season in his life and ministry at the time he spoke this lament. He was saying prior verses to verse 9 that people were mocking him for the message the Lord had put in his mouth to say to the people of Israel. They said all he had were messages of doom and destruction and there was nothing good in his ministry. 

 

Their taunting got to the Prophet and he made up his mind that he would not say anything the Lord has laid on him to say. He made up his mind, refusing to say anything that was doom or destruction. But the God who called him, would not let him! God had prepared long ahead for his time of discouragement, by making a way out for Jeremiah to remain in His will. 

 

This is what Jeremiah described as God’s word in his heart had become a burning fire that must spread, that must burn, that must set other hearts ablaze whether they wanted it or not. God did not cause His word in his heart like a flood of water, nor did He leave it as restlessness of the spirit. No it has to be fire, consuming fire, fire that must burn and can’t be covered, can’t be quenched, can’t be shut down! God would not let Jeremiah keep silent. 

 

Should we not also desire that the Lord will deal with us in a like manner?

Can you envisage God also not willing to let you go and have you set up to stay with Him, remain in Him when you are most discouraged, tempted to withdraw, being flirted with by the things of the world, encumbered with the world’s busy schedule, overwhelmed with expectations? 

 

You can barely keep the Lord in your heart, can barely stay focused in the place of prayer without dozing.

 

You find yourself so busy that you could hardly find time to listen to a sermon to stay energised spiritually.

 

Can you imagine if like Jeremiah, you also have fire shut up in your bones such that you can’t do without the Lord?

 

So that regardless of your busy schedule, you are always running to Him.

 

When you are loaded with doubt and fear, you find yourself running to cling to the old rugged cross.

 

When you are weighed with hopelessness, your hands are still clutched to a fist, banging heavily on heaven’s door. 

 

When you are so sick and you can barely make sense of your surroundings or so weak you can’t even sit, your lips are constantly speaking to the Lord.

 

You are at that juncture of giving up, in fact you have chosen to give up but at that very moment, you find yourself feasting on the Word for renewal of faith!

 

This fire is what burns from within by the power of the Holy Ghost and will refuse to let us go even when we are at the verge of letting go.

 

The fire burns and in the face of persecution, we still say like Jeremiah ‘I am worn out trying to hold it in! I can’t do it!’ (NLT). We will profess the Lord when we are persecuted for our faith, for righteousness, for choosing Jesus and pleasing our Father. 

 

Fire, shut up, in my bones!

 

Apostle Paul’s Refusal to Give Up! 

In 2 Corinthians 11:23-28, we see a more practical description of Apostle Paul’s experience of fire shut in his bones. Read the passage below slowly and carefully. Take a moment to pause in reflection as you do. 

 

• Are they servants of Christ? I know I sound like a madman, but I have served him far more! 
• I have worked harder, been put in prison more often, been whipped times without number, and faced death again and again. 
• Five different times the Jewish leaders gave me thirty-nine lashes.
• Three times I was beaten with rods. 
• Once I was stoned. 
• Three times I was shipwrecked. 
• Once I spent a whole night and a day adrift at sea. I have traveled on many long journeys. 
• I have faced danger from rivers and from robbers. 
• I have faced danger from my own people, the Jews, as well as from the Gentiles. 
• I have faced danger in the cities, in the deserts, and on the seas. 
• And I have faced danger from men who claim to be believers but are not.
• I have worked hard and long, enduring many sleepless nights. 
• I have been hungry and thirsty and have often gone without food. 
• I have shivered in the cold, without enough clothing to keep me warm. 
• Then, besides all this, I have the daily burden of my concern for all the churches.

 

What do you see in Paul? What have you heard as you read those verses? Do you see a man that could not give up even if he felt like doing so?

 

Did you notice the man that chose to keep pressing when all that was before him was roadblocks?

 

Did you hear the voice of a man who said he would persevere even when his life was being pressured to death? 

 

Did you see a Paul who had fire shut up in his bones and could not hold it in? The raging fire burning in him would not let him say no to the will of God. It would not let him deny the call of God upon his head nor the ministry the Lord had committed in his care!

 

Fire was burning in Paul, it consumed him and he could not stay still!

 

Fire, shut up, in my bones!

 

Love keeps the Fire Burning!

 

Matthew 24:132 KJV:

“And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold”. 

 

Fire needs fuel, and in the life of faith, love is that fuel. Love is the oil that keeps the fire burning. Love sustains devotion when feelings fade and circumstances change.  When love for God is alive, obedience is not forced any longer. Prayer is not a chore. Sacrifice is not a burden.

Love keeps the heart turning toward God even when the cost is real and the season is hard.

Love guards the flame against coldness and also gives endurance. Fear may motivate Christians for a moment, and pressure may produce outward compliance, but only love carries faith through waiting, loss, and unseen reward. The Scriptures show that those who endured did so because they loved God. Love stays when answers delay. Love trusts when outcomes are unclear. This is why love does not burn out easily. It rests in relationship, not results.

This is why the devil fights that love! He doesn’t bring in hatred for God, no, he just introduces other loves and he’d be good. The love of God will not compete with the other loves, you must choose Him only or another. So, before you know it, the love for God grows increasingly cold. The devil is willing to use any and every method to make the flesh grow so uncomfortable with this fire and would use various strategies to make it work. If one doesn’t work, he would try another. 

Sometimes, he uses very ‘good’ opportunities, sometimes, very bad situations, challenges. The goal is to turn the heart from loving the Lord and staying faithful to Him to having other lovers till the Lord is numbered among them and certainly not the centerplace, the first and foremost.

These love killers are often inlaid in the love for family, love for one’s self, and love for earthy possessions.  

Also read: Knowing Love.

 

That is why Jesus categorically mentioned in Luke 14:25-33, that to follow Him, He must be loved far above family and loved ones, self, and enough to forsake earthly possessions for His sake- a good job, a juicy allowance or offer, opportunity to roll with the big goons of the society etc.

 

Why will the Apostle Paul willingly get beaten for five times, thirty-nine strokes of cane? Why will he let himself be endangered to be stoned, beaten with a rod, go hungry, be shipwrecked if not for love? Love keeps the fire burning!

Fire, shut up, in my bones!

 

Other Factors that make love cold and fire dead:

1. Mammon: 

This is the god of many Christians today! Mammon!

Mammon is not simply money. It is money given authority. It is provision turned into a master. It is wealth trusted, pursued, feared, and obeyed in the place of God.

 

Matthew 6:24 NLT: “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.

Mammon works quietly. It does not always look sinful. It often looks responsible, ambitious, prudent, and wise. Yet beneath it is a shift of trust. The heart begins to rely on income more than God, financial security more than obedience, physical helps and strategies more than faith. This is how mammon makes love grow cold.

Mammon demands the kind of allegiance that belongs only to God. Mammon rules wherever money becomes the source of security, the measure of success, and the ground of confidence. When a person looks to wealth to preserve life, protect the future, or define worth, money has crossed from being a servant to being a deity. The Scriptures say you cannot serve God and mammon because both require the heart, the trust, and the obedience that only one master can rightly command.

Is mammon rooted in you in any way, dear sister?

 

2. Bitterness and Hatred: 

1 John 4:30 NLT: If someone says, “I love God,” but hates a fellow believer, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see?

This is one plague the enemy has used to quench the love of many without them realizing. “If another believer sins against you, go privately and point out the offense. If the other person listens and confesses it, you have won that person back”. Matthew 18:5 NLT

Most times, we do not practice this scripture, instead we gossip and continue to be bitter without the other person even knowing they did anything wrong to us, and even when we confront them, we keep up the bitterness and distance and call it staying in our own lanes. 

You cannot have a believer you’re avoiding or not talking to and expect the revival fire. This also goes for those who are not saved around us, our hearts should be filled always with love for them and not hatred. Dear sister, search your heart for this sneaky bitterness and hatred because if it’s hiding anywhere it will definitely hinder the genuine love that fuels the fire. 

 

3. Busy with a lot of activities: 

Luke 10:38-42 KJV: “…But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her”.

Being busy with many activities can quietly put the fire out, not because the activities are evil, but because they crowd out what is essential. In Luke 10, Martha was not doing anything sinful. She was serving. She was hosting. She was active in good work. Yet the Scriptures say she was cumbered, careful, and troubled. Her service had crossed a line where it no longer flowed from love and rest, but from pressure and distraction. Activity had displaced intimacy!

Busyness also distorts perception. Martha became irritated, resentful, and accusatory. She questioned whether the Lord cared. This is one of the quiet fruits of overactivity. When the soul is overextended, even God can begin to feel distant or demanding. Love cools because spiritual rest is absent. 

Jesus said one thing is needful. Not many. One. Your love will burn when priorities are clear and ordered. When activity flows from sitting at His feet, it remains life giving. When activity replaces sitting at His feet, it becomes draining and fire extinguishing.

Even ‘holy work’ can quench love if it pushes God Himself to the margins.

Mary chose the good part because love always chooses presence first. From that place, service becomes worship, not burden. Fire is preserved not by doing more, but by remaining near. Where love chooses closeness over constant activity, the flame is protected and continues to burn.

 

4. Satisfaction with your present spiritual State: 

Satisfaction with one’s present spiritual state is dangerous because it creates the illusion of arrival. The moment a person believes they have reached a sufficient level with God, hunger fades. The fire begins to settle into embers. The Scriptures say, “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you,” which clearly implies movement. Nearness with God is not maintained by standing still, but by continual drawing near.

There is no standstill with God. In the life of the Spirit, we are either pressing forward or quietly drifting backward.

Spiritual satisfaction often disguises itself as maturity. A person may know the Scriptures, understand doctrine, and be active in service, yet no longer be pressing in. This is dangerous.

The Scriptures invite continual drawing near because God is inexhaustible. There is always more to know, more to love, more to obey, and more to receive. To assume we have reached a maximum spiritual state is to shrink God and overestimate ourselves. True humility keeps the heart hungry. True love keeps moving closer.

 

5. Problems and Challenges of life: 

Matthew 6:27 KJV: “Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?” The truth is none of us by spending time worrying and feeling downcasted and discouraged about challenges can make any change to it.

Problems and challenges of life can quench the fire when they shift the heart from trust to worry. Trials themselves do not destroy love. It is the posture we adopt in them that does. Worry consumes strength without producing change. It drains the soul while leaving the situation untouched.

Verse 31,32: Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

The Lord knows you need all you’re worrying and crying about dear sister but He only wants you to do one thing.

Verse 33: “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you”.

Spend time seeking Him because the solutions are hidden in the place of seeking the Lord.

 

There may be many more factors not listed here, but sisters do a deep search by asking yourself, ‘Do I really love the LORD?’ 

 

The Fire Must Not Go Out!

Leviticus 6:13 KJV says: “Remember, the fire must be kept burning on the altar at all times. It must never go out”

Jeremiah did not arrive at fire in his bones by accident. He kept eating the word. He kept receiving what God was saying to him, even when it was heavy, even when it was unpopular, even when it brought him pain. The word kept entering his heart, settling deep within him, until it became fuel. Fire does not sustain itself without fuel, and in the life of the believer, apart from love, the word of God is that fuel. The love will push you to the Word of God.

Because Jeremiah kept receiving the word, there was no room for escape. Silence became impossible. Withdrawal became unbearable. The fire had been fed for too long to be smothered by a moment of discouragement. Even when he decided to stop speaking, the word he had stored up would not allow him rest. The Scriptures show that what we continually take in will eventually govern us. Jeremiah had taken in the word, and the word took hold of him.

This teaches us why the fire must not go out, sis. Fire fades when the word is neglected. Love cools when the heart stops receiving. But when a person keeps eating the word, even in dry seasons, the fire is continually refueled. The word works quietly, steadily, building pressure within, until obedience becomes unavoidable. Then, an inward burning is established.

God, in His wisdom, calls His people to keep coming to His word because He knows that what fills the heart will sustain the soul. Jeremiah was preserved not by luck but by intake. The word shaped his endurance. It shaped his refusal to quit. The fire burned because the fuel was constant.

If we desire fire in our bones, we must keep receiving. Keep listening. Keep feeding on the word. Where the word is stored, fire is sustained. Where the word is neglected, fire diminishes. The fire must not go out, therefore, the word must not stop coming in.

 

Open Up by Dunsin Oyekan

Download Audio

 

Open up!
Let it flow now
Open up!

Out of the mundane to where I’m ordained
For things that were made, were made from things unseen
There are realms of glory for my world to see
Dimensions found only in Jesus Christ, the Son

Channels of my spirit open up
I am with the Father, open up
No boundaries, no limits, open up
Let deep call unto deep, open up
Channels of my spirit open up
I am with the Father, open up (ah-ya-ya)
No boundaries, no limits, open up
Let deep call unto deep, open up (open up)
Let the river flow now

Out of the mundane to where I’m ordained
For things that were made, were made from things unseen
There are realms of glory that my world should see
Dimensions found only in Jesus Christ, the Son, hey

Channels of my spirit (open up)
I am with the Father (open up), ah-ya-ya-ya
No boundaries, no limits (open up)
Let deep call unto deep (open up), ay
Channels of my spirit (open up), open up now, now
I am with the Father (open up)
No boundaries, no limits (open up)
Let deep call unto deep (open up)
Somebody lift your voice and say

Channels of my spirit (open up), ay
Because I am with the Father (open up)
No boundaries, no limits (open up)
Let deep call unto deep (open up)
Somebody, lift your hands and say it with me
Channels of my spirit (open up)
Because I am with the Father (open up), oh
No boundaries, no limits (open up), ay
Let deep call unto deep (open up), somebody lift your hands and say

Out of my belly shall flow rivers of living water
Out of my belly shall flow
Out of my belly shall flow rivers of living water
Let deep call unto deep
Lift your voice and begin to speak in tongues
Let it flow, flow, flow
No boundaries, no limits
Somebody say, ah-na-na

Channels of my spirit (open up) ah-ya-ya-ya-ya
Because I am with the Father (open up)
No boundaries, no limits (open up), ay
And let deep call unto deep (open up)
One more time, say with me now
Channels of my spirit (open up)
I am with my Father (open up)
No boundaries, no limits (open up)
Let deep call unto deep (open up)

Let it flow, flow, flow
Let it flow, flow, flow
Let the river flow
Let the river flow
Let the river flow
Let the river flow
Out of my belly shall flow rivers of living –

Let the river (let the river flow), somebody say
(Let the river flow), put your hands on your tummy and declare
Let the river flow (let the river flow)
Let the river flow (let the river flow)
Somebody say (let the river flow)
Ay, let the river flow (let the river flow)
Let it break forth, let it break forth (let the river flow)
Let the river flow (let the river flow)
Let the river flow (let the river flow)
Let the river flow (let the river flow)

Out of my belly shall flow rivers of- (let the river flow)
Out of my belly shall flow rivers of living water (let the river flow)
Let the river flow, flow, flow (let the river flow)
Let the river flow, flow, flow (let the river flow)
Let the river flow, flow, flow (let the river flow)
Let the river flow, flow, flow (let the river flow)

(Let the river flow)
(Let the river flow)
Let the river flow
Let the river flow
Let the river flow (let the river flow)
Let the river flow (let the river flow)
Let the river flow (let the river flow) somebody say

Channels of my spirit (open up), ay
I am with the Father (open up), ay
No boundaries, no limits (open up), one more time, somebody declare
Let deep call unto deep (open up), one more time, everybody say
Channels of my spirit (open up), ay
I am with the Father (open up)
No boundaries, no limits (open up)
Let my deep call unto Your deep (open up)

Channels of my spirit, open up
I am with the Father, open up
No boundaries, no limits, open up
Let deep call unto deep, open up
Let the river flow

My world needs to see Jesus
They need to feel Jesus
Because I’m the extension of His hands
I’m the extension of His hands
I’m the carrier of grace, a-yah
I’m the carrier of grace, ay
Nations are inside of me, open up, open up
Destinies are inside of me, open up (open up)
Open up, open up

Out of the mundane to where I’m ordained
For things that were made, were made from things unseen
There are realms of glory for my world to see
Dimensions found only in Jesus Christ, the Son

Channels of my spirit
I am with the Father (open up)
No boundaries, no limits (open up)
Let deep call unto deep (open up)
Let it open up

 

Shall We Pray

• Bless the Lord for the way He has spoken to you today, challenging your faith, renewing your passion and zeal for Him. Thank Him for His word, bountiful love and care towards us. 
• Lord, I come before You acknowledging my weakness and my tendency to grow weary. Have mercy upon me, oh Lord.
• Father, please deliver me from a shallow walk with You. Take me beyond surface encounters and give me an inward burning that sustains me in private and in pressure in the Name of Jesus.
• Oh Lord, let Your word lodge so deeply in me that obedience becomes unavoidable and love for You remains alive in me in all seasons of my life in the mighty Name of Jesus. 
• Father, please where I have learned to cope without You, break it. Where I have grown comfortable with distance, disturb me with holy fire. Let Your presence be so real within me that I cannot rest outside of Your will henceforth in the mighty Name of Jesus. 
• Father, I ask for fire that lasts. Not excitement that fades, not zeal that depends on seasons, but a steady, holy burning that carries me through my lifetime. Let my altar remain lit until the end, in Jesus’ name.
• Lord fill my heart with rekindled fire. Baptize me with fire, fill me from within to my without, that I may burn continually.
• Father, I am before You today, this hour, don’t pass me by until You have locked Your fire in my bones.

• Father, won’t You save me yet again? Please save me from every form of distraction, every form of laziness and everything seeking to take Your place in my life. Save me Lord and I know I will be saved! 

• Father, affect my life, breathe on me, I look to You for life. Spirit of the Living God, fall fresh on me, like a mighty fire, fall on me and burn me. Consume everything in me that has no part in God till the whole of me reverberates God!
  
• Lord please just like Mary, may my desire be to daily seek that one thing that cannot be taken away from me, Your presence in my life.

• Holy Ghost, please help me! Help me continually, for it is in Christ I live and move and have my being. Lord, help me not to ever depend on myself and my own strength. Teach me how to daily live in absolute dependence on You. 

• Holy Spirit, please revive, renew, refill love for God in my heart. Let my heart be unable to contain the depth of Your love. Never let me get tired of loving You. Let love for You, O God, be my daily incense, the oil that keeps Your fire burning fiercely upon my altar. 

• Lord please I cry for renewal, refreshing, a new anointing even as I continue my walk with You in this year. 

• Let there be a daily release of Your grace upon me to draw nearer to You, O God, in Truth (the Word) and in Spirit (in Prayers), always.

 

Praying for The BUD Family Africa

Father, in the name of Jesus, we lift up the BUD Family before You. We ask for spiritual stability and deep rootedness in Christ for every member of this family. Let us be planted firmly in You, established in faith, unmoved by circumstances, and strengthened day by day by Your grace.

Lord, we pray for light, boldness, and visible impact in the life of every sister in the BUD Family. Let Your light shine through us clearly, not only this month and this year, but for many years to come. Grant us holy courage to stand for truth and let our lives bear fruit that can be seen, felt, and testified of, to the glory of Your name.

Father, we ask for discernment and freedom from every form of deception in the BUD Family Africa. Cause us to grow into spiritual maturity, grounded firmly in the Truth. Uphold us by Your grace in our daily walk, our decisions, our homes, and our assignments. Let the Scriptures guide us and let the Holy Spirit lead us in all things.

We stand against every hidden and subtle attack in every area of our lives. In the name of Jesus, we declare Your standard and Your war against them. We ask that Your hedge of protection will surround the BUD Family continually and that it will never be broken for any reason. Let peace, safety, and divine preservation rest upon us at all times.

Lord, we pray for strategic positioning and divine covering for everyone in this family. As we move into the month of March, we declare that we march into greater manifestations of Your blessings and into the fulfillment of Your promises and Your will over our lives. Order our steps and align us with Your purposes.

Finally, Father, we hold on to Your Word concerning the rain of babies, glory babies. Let Your Word come to pass unhindered in the lives of our waiting sisters. We decree in the name of Jesus that our glory babies are born in multiple folds this year, by Your power and according to Your perfect timing.

We thank You, Father, because You hear us and You are faithful. We ask all these in the name of Jesus. Amen.

 

Praying for African Nations

Rom.10.1 Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved. (NKJV)

Rom.10.3 For they, being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. (NKJV)

This month, we are praying for Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea & Guinea Bissau. 

Father, in the name of Jesus, we come before You on behalf of these countries. We ask that Your kingdom be firmly established here and that Your will alone be done, not the will of men, not competing interests, and not the different ways that exalt themselves against You. Let Your rule prevail and let every heart, system, and structure come into alignment with Your purposes in the mighty Name of Jesus.

Lord, we lift up the churches in these countries before You. Let the truth permeate Your church again. Let the truth of discipleship be restored. Let the truth of biblical womanhood and biblical manhood be exalted. Let the truth of biblical parenting, biblical order, and everything that is of the Bible and of the Holy Spirit take its rightful place. Father, snatch Your church by Your Spirit and take the central place again in the churches of these lands in the mighty Name of Jesus.

We ask that the knowledge of the Lord will fill these countries as waters cover the sea. In every place where powers have worked to suppress Your voice and to prevent the knowledge of God from rising, let those powers be subdued. In the name of Jesus, let every voice that exalts itself against the truth be silenced. Let every contrary voice bow to the authority of Christ. Let the truth of the Lord prevail openly, boldly, and freely in these countries in the Powerful Name of Jesus.

We declare that Jesus Christ is Lord over these countries. Let Your light shine, let Your truth stand, and let Your name be glorified. We ask all this in the name of Jesus. Amen.

 

Also Read: Loving God by Elisabeth Elliot