Did your overcrowded, busy, and sometimes hectic life extinguish your spiritual passion for Christ? Were you on fire at one point and now find yourself unexcited, sometimes disinterested, and struggling to get back on track? Here's some excellent news! You can reignite your spiritual fire and overcome your spiritual struggles and I will show you how. First, you need to understand how you got here because you can't address the “fire extinguishers” if you don’t know what they are.
CLINT'S TOP FIVE FIRE EXTINGUISHERS
FIRE EXTINGUISHER #1: DISTRACTIONS
Life's numerous and sometimes overwhelming demands prevent you from giving your spiritual growth the undivided attention when needed. Jesus cautioned us about the dangers of allowing worldly things to distract us (Matthew 13:22). Hebrews 12:1 tells us, "We must get rid of everything that slows us down, especially sin that distracts us. We must run the race that lies ahead of us and never give up…" Distractions take our focus away from God and hinder our ability to keep fanning the flames. Take a moment and list the things that are slowing you down and sucking away your time with Christ. How many of these distractions can you correct with a little extra focus? You won't believe how many things compete for your time with the Lord and how much you can reclaim for Him.
FIRE EXTINGUISHER #2: BUSYNESS
Overcommitment can create a misguided sense of urgency that makes it virtually impossible to give our spiritual lives the top priority. In Luke 10:38-41, Jesus visited two sisters named Martha and Mary. Martha became "very busy" and preoccupied with preparing the food for Jesus, while her sister Mary chose to spend her time with Him rather than being distracted by the preparations. When Martha complained to Jesus about the workload and no help from her sister, His response was, "Only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her" (Luke 10:42). Do you overcommit and then complain that you can't spend any or enough time with Jesus? List your commitments for the day, week, and month, and the time spent on each. Add them all up for the total time spent on these activities combined. Look for commitments that are lower priorities to you. You will be surprised by how much time you can redirect to Jesus.
FIRE EXTINGUISHER #3: NEGLECT
Consistent spiritual disciplines such as prayer, Bible study, worship, and fellowship with other growing believers are vital in nurturing our relationship with Christ. Neglecting these essential practices can quench your spiritual fervor and is like cutting off the propane supply to a gas grill—the result-no fire! In Revelation 2:4-5, Jesus gave this criticism, "You have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember how far you have fallen!" Compare your current patterns of prayer, bible study, worship attendance, and fellowship with your past practices. Try to find the season and cause of your drop-off. Most of all, identify what changed. Be brutally honest with yourself on this one. Neglect is tough to admit, but it is a crucial step to recovery!
FIRE EXTINGUISHER #4: STRUGGLES
Sin separates us from God and creates a barrier between Him and us. Sin hinders our ability to be in God's presence and for Him to hear our voice. Unconfessed sin extinguishes our spiritual fire, which cannot reignite until we come clean with the Lord. "Your sins have separated you from your God. They have caused him to turn his face away from you. So, he won't listen to you" (Isaiah 59:2). Think about today, this week, last week, or any time before. Can you remember any harmful things you said, poor attitudes toward others, or hurtful behavior, whether intentional or unintentional? How often do you think about whether your intentions, behavior, mood, thoughts, and agenda are pleasing or disappointing to Christ? Do you confess your sins to God regularly and frequently? Is this your top spiritual priority?
FIRE EXTINGUISHER #5: DIFFICULTIES
Trials and hardships are designed to develop us to maturity (James 1:1-4) but can cause us to doubt God's love, goodness, faithfulness, and presence if we are not focused. Difficult times can be challenging, but if we are surrounded by maturing and "on-fire" people, they can help us maintain our spiritual focus and not give up. The Apostle Paul said, "He helps us in all our troubles so that we can help others who have all kinds of troubles, using the same help that we have received from God" (2 Corinthians 1:4-5). Look at the people in your text messages, call history, emails, social media communities, and those you spend the most time with. Then ask yourself, how many of them are consistently passionate about Jesus as they press through their personal challenges? How much time do you spend with them? Who can you call for authentic and non-judgmental spiritual support?
We have found five of the top fire extinguishers in our lives and now we can be watchful and prayerful (Colossians 4:2) as we watch God reignite. Be encouraged! The next article will show us how to deal with distractions, busyness, neglect, struggles, and difficulties to relight our spiritual fire. As we take this journey, together we will experience Romans 12:11, which says, “Never let the fire in your heart go out. Keep it alive. Serve the Lord.” God will do it!
Until next time: Keep the Fire Burning!
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