please help me with text

ok i'm new with photoshop and i'm having truoble editing my text. I want to make flaming text but everytime i want to apply a filter is says that the image needs to be rasterized. After i say yes everything is all weird. Does anyone know what i'm trying to say here? lol

Are you running an action that you've downloaded (like from Adobe Studio Exchange)? If so, there might be a glitch somewhere in your action.

Try Rasterizing the type layer before you work on the flames. Type has to be rasterized for a filter to work with it anyway.

Right click the text layer to rasterize the text before applying the fire. I believe it is from EyeCandy?? You can't edit the text after you apply any filters to it.

define weird?

Ok here's the lowdown. I'll try to be as specific as possible. I first started out with a blank image. Then i wanted to apply text. After i applied the text i wanted to start a flame effect by use the Distort-Wind filter. Before I can use any filter it says the image must me rasterized before using a filter. So i hit yes. Now the background on the layers pallette is checkered. Now i go to wind or ocean ripple(whichever i want to do) and the checkered background appears and the text looks really messed up. Sort of like the more i apply the more the text disappears. Ug, sorry for the lack of words. Um it's like the ripples are making the text illegable and all weird like. the when i apply a background the text disappears. This is the only thing i don't understand. I've been making sigs for while but i can't get this. I hope this helps. Thanks for your replies