Gtcotr/021124
God has given you the power to create your passion.
This morning I want to lead you to discover or to re-discover your passion. It is going to be a quick and easy process that promises to give you more energy and an almost immediate return.
Sound too good to be true? God often does. Let’s begin with:
Proverbs 26:20 Where there is no wood, the fire goes out; And where there is no talebearer, strife ceases.
Without regard as to how much wood is used to start a fire, it will eventually go out unless more wood is added.
A car cannot run forever on only one tank of gasoline.
Every battery carries a limited amount of energy and will become dead and useless, unless re-charged by a higher source of power.
This principle of stored energy is also true for humans. A body needs food and water without which it weakens and loses its capacity to sustain life. According to some figures, each year more than 18 million people die from starvation of the body. However I fear even a greater number of people suffer from spiritual starvation every day. The alarming difference between physical and spiritual starvation is most often that of choice. People seldom die a physical death from lack of food when food is plentiful and in ready supply. This is not so when it comes to spiritual malnutrition.
Either by ignorance, neglect or by outright choice, many live in a severely weakened spiritual state, almost comatose, and with little or no ability to respond or make any meaningful spiritual contributions to life. Perhaps you have known someone who stopped recharging themselves spiritually, quit putting wood on the fire of their spiritual passion, or allowed themselves to avoidably run out of gas and are now looking for a place to pull over, or maybe they are sitting on the roadside of God’s will for their life.
A life with no spiritual investment will weaken and eventually lose capacity for continued participation. How does a person know when this is happening to them, their spouse, children or church?
We are designed to live life on stored energy which we cannot borrow from the future. Without energy – we go nowhere in life.
There are some indicators which we can use to gauge our current capacity and our stored energy levels. Let’s discuss three of the top ten signs a person is spiritually running out of gas. Then we will discover one simple fix. First, let’s look at these energy level indicators. One indication you are running low:
1.
It’s been a long while since you filled your tank.
o Old gasoline turns into a
sticky varnish like substance.
o Stale bread dries out, becomes
tasteless, and molds.
o Un-replaced batteries tend to
corrode.
o Even wood rots and crumbles
into dust after a while.
2.
You’ve come a long, hard or fast way since you filled your tank. (Distance – Difficulty –
Speed, all 3 determine depletion rate)
o The farther and the faster you
go, the more often you will need to fill up again.
o The demands on energy dictate
the consumption and the frequency with which we must recharge.
o Wood burns more rapidly on a
bigger fire. (But it also produces a greater heat which often meets greater
needs)
3.
You are dangerously close to shutting down
o
Slowing down – Are you looking for a place to pull
over.
o Left with no reserve of energy to access – Do you lack motivation
o Growing colder by the moment – Have you been losing vision..
Don’t be fooled into thinking you are ok simply because things are
happening around you.
·
It
could be the other batteries in the pack providing the power you’re seeing
·
You
might be riding on someone else’s bus
·
Eating
from someone else’s table
· Or warming by someone else’s fire
This can happen with your job, your career, marriage; family; friends; and even your church involvement. This morning we are not asking how your job, your family, or you church is doing … we are specifically discussing our personal spiritual strength and the contribution we are making to God’s overall plan.
When we take inventory today, let’s take inventory of our own lives and remember: Taking an honest inventory is the first step.
Many of you may already know that you are running on empty, but you simply don’t have the energy, the motivation or the vision to do anything about it. Oh, you might have energy, motivation or vision for some other things, but not for what you know God has called you to … not like the energy, motivation and vision you used to have.
Take the person who has plenty of energy and motivation for things which they should not be doing … it’s not that they lack passion – it’s rather they have misplaced passion and misplaced potential. Remember, today we are focusing on God’s will and how your life benefits His Kingdom plan.
Perhaps you have never found, or cannot now find passion which you know you should have but don’t have. It’s just not in your heart!
Jeremiah 17:9 "The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?”
Let me clear something up for you … It can be a dangerous thing to follow your heart … as a Believer in Jesus and the Bible, we embrace the responsibility to lead our heart and we do this by making an investment.
Have you ever heard someone say: “I don’t want to, but I want to want to”? This is often the testimony of someone who has let their fire go out. But there is good news!
You can change your heart even when you don’t want to. You know the difference between right and wrong. Don’t let the enemies of your life deceive you to believe you don’t know what to do.
You don’t have to live life without energy, motivation, vision and passion for your marriage, family or future, and especially concerning your personal relationship with Jesus and His Bride, the Church.
What can you do to invigorate or re-invigorate your life? It takes only one step and you can take it today. What step? What can you do? How can you lead your heart, obtain or regain energy, motivation, vision and passion?
Matthew 6:21 "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
On February 11, 2011, I was traveling on the road and stopped to eat at a restaurant. It was a Friday night and there was a talk show on the television facing my table. The host, Jimmy Fallon, was interviewing the actress Jennifer Anniston and it was her 42nd birthday. She had just returned from Super Bowl 45 in Dallas which had been played on the previous Sunday. It had been her first time to attend a pro ballgame. She decided to go with friends but had no care and no connection to the process or the outcome. She had always been indifferent to football other than thinking some of the players were cute.
When asked what she thought of the game now … she was pumped. (For those of you in other parts of the world who aren’t familiar with the American slang, “Pumped” – in this sense it means “really excited”, “full of energy”, “Passionate”!) At any rate:
Her body language on the show that night showed how excited she was about the game and even though she still did not know the names of the players, (she referred to Brett Favre as that guy who retired and came back to play again) … nonetheless – she was pumped.
The reason she gave the drastic change stemmed from the pre-game advice she received from her friend, Adam Sandler. She said that Adam had told her that in order to enjoy the game she needed to place a bet on one of the teams – which she did. She bet on the Packers while Sandler took the Steelers.
Now she didn’t know the players, had never followed or even seen a pro football game, and really didn’t care anything about it … that is until she made an investment. Then – all of the sudden – her passion came alive. She began to care and got involved in both the process and the outcome.
How did she go from not caring to caring? How did she go from low energy to high energy? How did she go from cold to hot? What connected her to the game, its process and the final outcome? – It was her investment! And BTW – the Packers won over the Steelers 31 to 25. Some of you will see her again today in another 2024 Super Bowl commercial.
(Some of you might be having a hard time with me quoting Jennifer Anniston to prove the point here in church today, but believe me when I tell you – the principles of God’s Word are true and the work without regard as to who you are or where you make your investments.)
Your heart follows your investments. Each investment will stir and strengthen your passion.
In conclusion – I challenge you to do two things with me this morning:
1.
Take inventory of your stored energy levels.
a. How long has it been since you
were filled with passion for the purpose to which God has called you?
b. How far, fast and difficult
has the journey been?
c. How close are you to shutting
down or just quitting?
d. Are you looking for a place to
pull over or stop?
2.
Make an investment.
a. Stir your heart and begin a renewed
adventure today.
b. God has given you the power to
create passion and energy.
c. Re-Fuel yourself for
the journey ahead.
d. God has given you the greatest
investment opportunity known to man.
e. Invest in the will of God for your life … everything else will follow.
It will need to be an investment of something you really care about. Money – time – attention … … what are you protecting, what are you holding back on God … give God your best and He will do the rest!
Make an investment in the things you value most.
Your
life won’t change without you!
