Council Fire

Intertribal Life Ministries
  • 5.0 (1)
  • CHRISTIANITY

Council Fire is a podcast and book set of daily devotionals written by Indigenous followers of Jesus across North America. It's a year long journey through Scripture and story. Council Fire is a collaborative project between Intertribal Life Ministries and Native Evangelical Fellowship of Canada.

  1. 19 HRS AGO

    God Is Our Provider

    “Jesus replied, ‘They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.’ ‘We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,’ they answered. ‘Bring them to me,’ he said.” Matthew 14:16-18a (NIV) We used to have Sunday school in our home back when we lived in Cormorant, MB. We had people from all ages attend. This one day, there were families from our community, and a lot of out-of-town families, too. We used to feed the people who would come from out of town, but this day everyone decided to stay. We knew how much food we had, and it certainly wasn’t enough food for everyone. My husband, Bert, and I talked it over and decided that he and I would not eat. So, we prayed over the food that day. Everyone ate, and to our surprise there was some left over so Bert and I could eat after all. Wow! It reminded me of the loaves and fish story in Matthew 14, where the disciples said, “We only have five loves and two fish,” and Jesus replied, “Bring them to me.” Do you know what happened? All the people had enough food that day, and there were even leftovers. There were over 5000 people to feed! I believe that when we prayed over the food that day, God multiplied the food so everyone could eat. Praise Jesus! Thank you, Lord, for hearing our prayers. You multiplied the food that day, and everyone including us had a meal! Increase my faith, Lord, to believe daily that You are Provider and will provide for my every need. – Liz Genaille   Council Fire is a collaboration with Intertribal Life Ministries and Native Evangelical Fellowship of Canada. The Council Fire Daily Devotional Book Set is available on the Intertribal Life Ministries website. Learn more about Council Fire at councilfire365.org

    3 min

  2. 1D AGO

    Once Not a People

    “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” 1 Peter 2:9-10 (NIV) I grew up near Williams Lake, B.C., on a small reserve called Sugar Cane. I have many sweet memories of playing in the beautiful surroundings of my childhood home. When I started attending the Day School on the reserve, everything changed. The teacher was very cruel and racist. After completing grade six, I went off to residential school until I completed high school. After these experiences, I had very low self-esteem and a deep confusion about authority figures. I started using alcohol and became dependent on it to boost my confidence and ability to interact with people. However, my sister gave her life to God and I noticed a change in her. She encouraged me to come to church with her. A missionary shared the gospel, and I put my trust in the Lord. In a study one night I heard, “You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession.” Those words did not fi t my image of myself. I cried because I felt unimportant. God’s Word was telling me something different. I was interested in learning more. Since then, I have learned how God sees me and about His love for me. John 3:16, 1 Corinthians 13 and Psalm 139 are only a few passages that tell us of God’s love, His goodness, and His generosity. Father God, I ask You to help me treasure the truths that Your word speaks, and to learn to apply these truths to my life. – Theresa Bose   Council Fire is a collaboration with Intertribal Life Ministries and Native Evangelical Fellowship of Canada. The Council Fire Daily Devotional Book Set is available on the Intertribal Life Ministries website. Learn more about Council Fire at councilfire365.org

    3 min

  3. 2D AGO

    Fried Bread

    “The student is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher.” Luke 6:40 (NIV) Everyone always says, “My mom’s fry bread is the best.” I think back to when I would say the same thing. I can remember when I asked my mom to teach me how to make fry bread. She told my wife and me to grab a bowl, and she told us the ingredients: flour, water, oil, salt, baking powder . . . and two handfuls of love! She told us to mix them together and try not to knead it too much. We would eventually fry it in oil that was in a frying pan, and it became a golden-brown masterpiece! She was a very good teacher. The above Scripture reminds us of our need to be a student and to be taught. We are always students when it comes to the Holy Spirit, who is constantly teaching us to be fully mature. We can’t be above the One who teaches us because the Teacher has been a teacher for a long, long time. We may think that we know a lot, but do we really know a lot? When I first became a student of the Bible, it would come easy—but there is so much to learn about being a student for life. The Holy Spirit was given to us so we can learn to be a believer, to learn to follow Him, and live a life that God wants us to live. Living a godly life will teach you to be a good student, and one day you will be a teacher to another person, like my mother who taught me to make fry bread. – Kirby James   Council Fire is a collaboration with Intertribal Life Ministries and Native Evangelical Fellowship of Canada. The Council Fire Daily Devotional Book Set is available on the Intertribal Life Ministries website. Learn more about Council Fire at councilfire365.org

    3 min

  4. 3D AGO

    Drops From Above

    “If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above . . . ” Colossians 3:1 (NKJV) The old trapper I was visiting mentioned “drops from a plane.” I began to ask some questions of this man who had spent many years on a trapline north of Ft. Chipewyan, Alb. He explained that it was difficult to take enough supplies to last for the duration of the winter and spring trapping seasons, so supplies were ordered whenever they ran low. Communication to the store was by two-way radio. People at the store would wrap up the order—things like flour, sugar, tea and lard. Then a plane would fly to the designated area and begin to drop the items. This worked well, as there were no nearby airstrips for landing and take-off. Though this trapper had been familiar with this procedure for years, he remained fascinated with the accuracy of the drops. He said, “We never lost anything. As the plane circled, the carefully wrapped items would bounce near us until the drops were completed. They were right on!” I had heard of similar things being done in other parts of the world. I felt there was a comparison here to something in the spiritual realm. Answers from God to us in “gift packages” should include the leading of His Spirit, more sound knowledge of His Word, and a genuine concern for others that moves us to pray for others and speak to them. One more thing the trapper told me was, “When we came home from the trapline we went to pay for our drops from the plane.” As believers, we know that we need not pay for our “drops from above”— they are gifts. James 1:17 says, “Every good and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” (NKJV) – Bill Jackson   Council Fire is a collaboration with Intertribal Life Ministries and Native Evangelical Fellowship of Canada. The Council Fire Daily Devotional Book Set is available on the Intertribal Life Ministries website. Learn more about Council Fire at councilfire365.org

    3 min

  5. 4D AGO

    Gospel Freedom—“Cast it off”

    “And Jesus stood still, and commanded him to be called. And they call the blind man, saying unto him, Be of good comfort, rise; he calleth thee. And he, casting away his garment, rose, and came to Jesus.” Mark 10:49-50 (KJV) Life is unfair and hard at times. Unforeseen events, pain and tragedy seem to confront us. Events can prevent us from continual spiritual growth and happiness in our Christian life. Blind Bartimaeus begged daily in order to survive. During this time in history, such disabilities were often considered a death sentence. As a result, Bartimaeus was likely hopeless and broken. We can all relate to spiritual captivity and bondage. Years pass by, and the wilderness season of spiritual drought drags on. The tendrils of doubt and discouragement take root deep in our hearts like Bartimaeus. However, with Jesus, what is impossible for man is not impossible for God! Hope rose in Bartimaeus’s heart when he heard that Jesus was near. He began to cry out to Him for mercy, despite people telling him to be quiet. Jesus stopped and called for Bartimaeus. Notice the Lord’s compassion for this poor lost soul. Surely this was the best news that Bartimaeus had ever heard! Then, casting away his garment, he rose and came to Jesus, who healed him. This is an incredible encouragement for us. No matter what mountain confronts you or bondage that besets you, cry out to Jesus! He will deliver you from the grip of the enemy. You may feel that you are all alone but, if you are a child of God, the Holy Spirit dwells in you. Jesus will never leave you nor forsake you. Arise like Bartimaeus. Cast away the lies, the discouragement, the shame, the anger and come to Jesus! What has kept you defeated and discouraged? Jesus wants you to come to Him today and He can deliver you. – Steven Keesic   Council Fire is a collaboration with Intertribal Life Ministries and Native Evangelical Fellowship of Canada. The Council Fire Daily Devotional Book Set is available on the Intertribal Life Ministries website. Learn more about Council Fire at councilfire365.org

    4 min

  6. 5D AGO

    Never Hopeless

    “The faithful love of the LORD never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is His faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh each morning. I say to myself, ‘The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in Him!’ ” Lamentations 3:22-23 (NLT) The Bible is not clear as to the author of the book of Lamentations but, regardless of who wrote it, it appears to be someone who was in deep distress, particularly over the fact that Jerusalem was being destroyed by the Babylonians. Imagine having your country and people in ruin! It is a terrible loss and the person who wrote this book shares what is going on. The author was in deep distress, but was never hopeless. The author penned the words so beautifully, “The faithful love of the LORD never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is His faithfulness, His mercies begin afresh each morning.” That doesn’t sound like someone in terrible ruin. Even though the author was in the midst of ruin, they put their faith and hope in the Lord. This encourages my heart to know that when discouraging times come (and they do), there is always hope! It is hope that is certain and never wavers. God is in control of hard and discouraging times, and I know that I, too, can trust Him for the time and for the outcome. – Myrna Kopf   Council Fire is a collaboration with Intertribal Life Ministries and Native Evangelical Fellowship of Canada. The Council Fire Daily Devotional Book Set is available on the Intertribal Life Ministries website. Learn more about Council Fire at councilfire365.org

    2 min

  7. 6D AGO

    Lord, Use Me for Your Glory

    “Who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with his blood.” 1 Peter 1:2 (NIV) When the Lord first called me to His work, I was so excited and ready to go about sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ. But then things happened to destroy all that. I felt shame. There were people relying on me, but I had come up way short of everyone’s expectations— most of all Jesus, who gave up all things for me. I felt like an outcast. I sought to restore my relationships, but I remained hurt and angered because I was convinced that people did not understand what I was going through. I met with a Christian friend, thinking that he will be on my side and see things my way. After we talked quite a while, he said three words that angered me. Those words were, “You are selfish.” But it was godly advice. My friend was telling me that I was serving myself and was sitting on the throne that was meant for Jesus. All these devastating things that happened to me brought me into a closer relationship to Jesus. I had been placing “I” at the front, and not putting all things in His hands. First Peter 5:6-7 says “Humble yourself, therefore under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxieties on Him because he cares for you.” I prayed to God, saying I was sorry for serving myself, pleasing myself, and not placing God before me. Not many years after, the Lord opened a door of ministry for me once more. Praise God, I am still remembered by Him and have been restored for His glory! – Ken Mitsuing   Council Fire is a collaboration with Intertribal Life Ministries and Native Evangelical Fellowship of Canada. The Council Fire Daily Devotional Book Set is available on the Intertribal Life Ministries website. Learn more about Council Fire at councilfire365.org

    2 min

  8. MAR 11

    Strengthen That Which Remains

    “Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God.” Revelation 3:2 (KJV) In Revelation 3, Jesus gave the church in Sardis a warning to repent and turn back to God. It sounds as if most of the believers in the church had become spiritually weak. But there is hope! . . . although death is mentioned, the possibility for renewal remains. Some people have a life motto. My own motto is the title of this devotional. In our little village, language is what kept our people intact. That was a big part of our cultural identity, and the Oji-Cree dialect is what I speak. Many of our people were forbidden to speak our language in residential schools. I personally experienced this and could have lost my language, as many have. I was led to believe that there is something wrong with my language and, sadly, it impacted my life. What kept reminding me of my language, though, was my father’s teaching when he would sit me down at our kitchen table. He had me memorize the syllabic chart from his hymn book. I thank God for how He has helped me restore that part of my identity—today I speak and write my language. It’s a blessing to worship God using the Cree hymn book. I encourage others to use our language any way we can, as it’s quickly becoming lost, especially among our youth. We all have beliefs and values that have defined us—especially how we walk with God. Are there other losses that we need to speak about? Perhaps godly lifestyles the church no longer practices? The Scripture states, “Be watchful and strengthen that which remains.” Let’s take time to reflect and pray for what grieves us. Do our actions meet the requirements of our God? Let’s go back to what we heard and believed at first and hold to it firmly. “Repent and turn to me,” says the Lord. – Liz Beardy   Council Fire is a collaboration with Intertribal Life Ministries and Native Evangelical Fellowship of Canada. The Council Fire Daily Devotional Book Set is available on the Intertribal Life Ministries website. Learn more about Council Fire at councilfire365.org

    3 min
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About

Council Fire is a podcast and book set of daily devotionals written by Indigenous followers of Jesus across North America. It's a year long journey through Scripture and story. Council Fire is a collaborative project between Intertribal Life Ministries and Native Evangelical Fellowship of Canada.

Information

  • Creator
    Intertribal Life Ministries
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    78
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 Intertribal Life Ministries
  • Show Website
    Council Fire