I have a friend who pastored a large church, and he would often organize pastors’ meetings—bringing in various speakers to encourage his fellow church leaders.
My friend had become close with one of the most well-known atheists in his country, and he invited this man to be the keynote speaker at one of these meetings. He told the atheist, “I want you to talk to us about why you won’t come to church.” With all the pastors sitting there, the atheist said, “The reason I don’t come to church—and the reason most of the country doesn’t come to church—is because we don’t see any passion.” He continued, “If Jesus really is God’s Son, if He really did die on the cross, and if He’s really the only way to heaven, then it must be the highest blasphemy before God to not be absolutely passionate about what you say you believe.” He said, “But I see no passion in the church.”
Friend, God wants us on fire. The Bible says we are to be “fervent in spirit” (Romans 12:11). That means, literally, burning hot in the Spirit. And some Christians have lost their fire because they’ve gotten away from the on-fire crowd, and they’re just hanging out with a bunch of old dead coals.
If you take a burning coal out of the fire and set it down, it will grow cold pretty quickly. But put that coal back in the fire, and it’ll go right back to being red-hot again. The same is true for you. If you want to get your passion back, start hanging around with some people who are passionate about God—who are following God’s vision for their lives. When you do, God will begin speaking into your life, give you His vision to live out, and bring back the enthusiasm you once had.
There are a lot of extinguished coals in our churches today—people who at one time burned brightly for God but no longer do. They were passionate; they took chances; they launched out and even found themselves outside of their comfort zones. Sadly, those days are gone. Their spiritual lives have become sedate, boring, and domesticated.
Friend, you were made by God to be wild and fierce—and you can get your passion back by connecting with those who have it, and following God’s vision for your life. He wants to speak truth into your soul and reveal His good and perfect will.
When you begin following God’s purpose and the vision He has for you, it will reignite the spark you’ve lost and lead you into a deeper, more passionate and fulfilling spiritual life than you’ve ever experienced!
