Does Passion Equal Spirituality?

I had a close friend this week ask me to pray for him because he was feeling unmotivated spiritually and with out drive in his life in general. He was having a hard time feeling "fired up" for God and was struggling with feeling like there was something he was missing in his relationship with God. See our discussion below...

Passion is good but at times it can be tempting to base our spirituality (closeness to God...etc) on our emotions of the day or if we feel passionate or not. When we equate passion with spirituality it becomes a work and something we try to do in our flesh rather than relying on God and allowing his grace to be sufficient for us.

I'm an all or nothing kind of guy. If I can't do something well and be the best at it, my temptation is to quit and give up. I had a hard time early on as a christian finding balance. I would often go into these downward spirals where I just felt blah and unmotivated to do anything or into these mountain top experiences where I felt empowered to do everything. If things were good and I had zeal I felt close to God and really spiritual. When I was struggling with even wanting to read or pray I felt really far away from God and guilty.

One thing that really helped me was understanding 2 Corinthians 12:9 "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.

If you were on fire for "GOD" 24/7 and just a flat out spiritual supper star, why would you even need God? God has given you this thorn in your flesh (as Paul would call it) to help you rely on him. You don't need fire to jump start your relationship with God. Sometimes we just need to "Be still and know that I am God!" like Psalms 46:10 talks about.

God is with you today just as much as he was at the day you were baptized and he will continue to be right by your side regardless of whether you feel fired up or not. Your weakness right now is going to be Gods power if you allow his grace to be enough for you. Also remember that loving God is a decision that we have to make everyday and should never be based on our emotions.

Those are my thoughts and I hope it encourages you at some level. I love you bro and I am really thankful that God has allowed me to be apart of your life...I think your awesome!

Bible verses and Spiritual Thoughts on Fasting

Biblical examples on fasting in the bible. Through these scriptures we see that God is please when we fast with the right heart and repulsed when fasting only becomes a ritual or tradition.

Esther 4:3
In every province to which the edict and order of the king came, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting, weeping and wailing. Many lay in sackcloth and ashes.

Isaiah 58:3
'Why have we fasted,' they say, 'and you have not seen it? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you have not noticed?' "Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please and exploit all your workers.

Isaiah 58:4
Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife, and in striking each other with wicked fists. You cannot fast as you do today and expect your voice to be heard on high.

Isaiah 58:6
"Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?

Daniel 9:3
So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes.

Joel 2:12
[ Rend Your Heart ] "Even now," declares the LORD, "return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning."

Matthew 6:15-18

¹⁵ But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. ¹⁶ "When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. ¹⁷ But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, ¹⁸ so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Acts 13:2
While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them."

Acts 14:23
Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust.

Thoughts on Fasting, Lent and having the right heart or motive:

Jerry:
If the heart is right and only God would know. Then I'm all for the fasting and sacrifice. The problem with lent is it just becomes a tradition kind of like people that only go to church on Easter Sunday. I don't know health wise though if I could go three days with out eating or drinking. But that is definitely a convicting challenge to read about our brothers and sisters of long ago fasting that way.

The celebration of Lent has always had a negative connotation in my mind because of all the hypocrisy I've seen in the people celebrating Lent. In New Orleans Fat Tuesday was the day of sin right before Ash Wednesday and everyone would get drunk and then stumble into church the next morning to get ashes rubbed on their foreheads and then start the whole lent fast until Easter. Because of that I've just never wanted anything to do with it.

Ed:

That's powerful! 

 

So like we spoke of yesterday, the same human condition that caused the Hebrews to embrace the law and forget about God's love in saving them from the Egyptians is also the condition that would cause someone to take an act of love towards God (fasting) and turn it into a tradition.  Not that tradition in and of itself is bad, but if the meaning is lost or the tradition itself becomes more important than the God it is supposed to honor, then it becomes profane.  Is this not correct?

 

OK.  So from what I am just now beginning to understand is that the heart of God is his love for mankind, not a bunch of do's and don'ts.  He loved the Hebrews enough to save them from slavery, give them a law that would help them focus on God in everything they did, and distinguish them from other peoples on the earth.  Also, God sacrificed himself as the ultimate display of love (Hebrews 7:26-27) so that people would fall in love with him, help others to fall in love with him, and hang out with him forever. 

 

So acts like fasting, church attendance, church involvement, and even pious living can blind me if not done with a heart of love for God because of his love for me.  I suppose that anything religious can blind me, take my focus away from God, or distort my understanding of God's heart, his love for me.  That danger probably hovers over the church like a dark cloud.

 

Jeff:
I believe in fasting and praying in Christ name only. That is key. Many religions fast and pray. But the main focus has to be Jesus. And this article is very encouraging. So as I go through out the day this reminds me to surrender unconditionally not just when I feel like it but even when I don't want to. That is the whole point of fasting (surrender). Christ surrendered all. So should we surrender all.

Karen:
Good and Bad will be with us until the end of time. Hypocrisy and Righteousness, also.  We are all humans, born in sin, trying to navigate through life one day at a time.  My decision to fast is personal and not based upon how others celebrate Lent or any other biblical principal.   This sacrifice is for my walk, while I'm praying for myself, my family and others.  The Lent season is tradition but how successful someone is with their fasting/sacrifice is personal.  Going without food for 12 hours is definitely a sacrifice, not a tradition.  Much like tithing, it is a sacrifice we make because we are commanded to.  Giving 10% up is hard.  Finding somewhere else to reallocate those funds are easy. This decision is not predicated (or shouldn't be) upon how the church spends the money.  If you don't agree with the fiscal responsibility of the church, you change churches, not stop tithing. The same is true with fasting.

Getting The Most Out of Your Bible Reading

Studying the bible may seem like a daunting task and many people are intimidated by the bible and its many books. When you read the bible take your time, there is no rush and it is always better to do an endepth study versus just reading multiple chapters of the bible at a time.

When you read the bible take one chapter at a time and/or maybe just a few bible versus at a time and ask your self the following questions:

1. Why did God have this particular chapter or passage written?
2. What is God's heart on this issue?
3. Does this apply to my heart and life today?
4. What decisions or changes do I need to make in my life as a result of what I am reading?

The Bible is no ordinary book. It is the inspired word of God and as 2 Timothy 3:16-17 states, it is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness. If you allow God's word to penetrate your heart it can be useful in giving you all of the following:

1. Direction in your life
2. Correction
3. A Godly perspective
4. Inspiration
   
5. Encouragement
6. Warnings to help you avoid trouble in your life
   
7. Historical facts and information

Above all when you study the bible remember that God is speaking to you and wants you to have a relationship with him. Just like with any human relationship there has to be communication in order for the relationship to thrive. Likewise, when we pray we are speaking to God and when we read the bible God is speaking to us! Fall in love with God and read your bible to see what he has to say to you!