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!
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.
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!
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