It’s Not a Matter of Just “Try Harder”
So, how do you get back your zeal for God when it has waned?
And this isn’t a “10 steps to be a better Christian” blog, so I am not asking this question to encourage us to pretend or self-will force zeal or excitement for God. This is not something we need to force ourselves to do to be a better Christian.
But it IS a symptom that something is not right… a symptom we ought to pay attention to.
Two Things to Look Out For
For example, at church today, we talked about Hebrews 12:1-2. In these verses, the Bible (God’s Word) instructs us to “lay aside every weight & the sin that so easily ensnares us.”
This really stood out to me, because I feel like this may be my problem. Aside from looking around me for the approval from others as my gauge versus looking to God & His Word (the Bible) as I have been talking a lot about lately, I have recognized some compromise I have allowed to slip into my heart & life.
How can I expect to be excited being in God’s presence & spending time with Him & praising Him if I have done as the Ephesians were chided for in “losing their first love”? They were praised for doing all of these wonderful things for the kingdom of God, but following all of that praise, they were still chided for “losing their first love.” (Revelation 2:1-5)
(***Read more about the dangers of losing your “first love” aka Jesus Christ: “Keep Your WHY in Life Fresh—Don’t Lose Your First Love”***)
And when I start trusting in things other than God as my hope & help (stronghold), or allow myself to excuse that which God condemns (sin), I can expect to not feel that same joy with Him.
“All the Right Things” & Still a Lack
I have let my focus slip from eternally-focused to right-now focused.
I have let my focus slip from turning to God as my hope in all things to trying to just fix it myself with distractions & avoidance.
I still serve Him in prison ministry, children’s church, discipleship, choir, my website/blog, etc.
I still turn to Him in prayer for wisdom & help & direction throughout each day.
I still live to try to point to Him & give Him glory in all things big & small that I may face.
And yet… this consistent symptom of apathy speaks as an annoyingly loud, ringing alarm in my heart that something is not quite right.
What Else Do I Turn To?
So, laying aside every weight, as Hebrews 12 says… what is holding me back from Him? What else do I find myself turning to when I need help? (*And this, I believe, can also include distractions in life that we allow to drown out any chance for time with or for Him.*)
Honestly, when I am stressed or feeling overwhelmed… I just want to feel comfort… or to avoid said feelings altogether. I want to mask over it & make it all just go away.
That’s a major stronghold that I have built up in my life. And it should not be there. It shouldn’t be there because it speaks to a deeper problem—I don’t trust God to be enough for me there.
I am clinging to & turning to something other than God as my help when I do that. In other words, my hope & trust is divided between me & Him.
And if I continue to insist upon that… eventually God will do the most loving thing He could possibly do in that situation… let that crutch fall out from under me & let me fall so that I can grow & learn that it is weak & that He alone is the One in Whom I really ought to trust.
How can I really expect to feel absolute joy in His presence when I don’t really trust Him with EVERYTHING in my life? Holding back & turning to something other than Him?
Compromise Is NOT Okay… No Matter How Easy It Can Feel to Justify
The other problem that can stifle a zeal for God is sin.
I’ve talked over the years about my lifelong battle with fantasizing. (*Read about it in “Lust: The Secret Sin”*) It started when I was very young, seeing a bad scene on a tv show as channels were being flipped through & it led to years of addiction my whole life, justifying it that “if I wasn’t watching real people & it was just made up in my head with made up people, it ‘couldn’t’ be wrong.” But I will tell you right now that after about 30 years of this addiction & the destruction it caused me—it is far from harmless & it is still SIN.
But I didn’t grasp this until the damage was done & I started to learn that the destruction I recognized was rooted in that habit I had had since I was so young.
But a 30-year habit is one hard to root out because by then it is almost second nature… a habit you don’t even have to think about, it just seems sort of natural.
But it is still sin.
The Wretchedness of Sin Must be Recognized
How can I know this about my lust being sin & still have excuses for it at times versus treating it like a deadly disease that MUST be killed off in me?
How can I expect to feel zeal for God when my heart is divided by sin? Allowing something in my heart to exist for which Jesus had to DIE? “Deep-rooted” isn’t an adequate excuse for sin.
Imagine you got caught robbing the king of a country & the penalty is a beheading, but someone offers to take your place, is killed brutally, & then you go back to trying to rob the king again. Like WHAT?!
That’s what I am doing when I choose to allow sin. Jesus already paid for it with His life & I mock that tremendous generosity & love & sacrifice when I make excuses for it & continue to do that for which He has already paid.
Why I Have Lost My Zeal for the Lord
So, I ask myself why I have lost my zeal for the Lord…? Let’s see… People (versus God) pleasing attitude, strongholds present, & excuses made for occasionally allowing sin to exist in my heart? No wonder my zeal for God has waned.
Maybe next week we can talk about how we can weed that stuff out with a good ol’ heart checkup & start growing again in our zeal for God…. But for now, let’s take stock. What are your strongholds? Are you feeling that little pang of guilt? Did something come to mind? What do you need to ask God to forgive you for clinging to in place of Him?
And what about sin habits? Bad attitudes? Yelling at your kids when you’re angry? Lust? Hatred/bitterness/unforgiveness?
Take inventory. Lay them down as offerings at His figurative feet & ask Him for forgiveness.
My Prayer
Dear Lord, I don’t deserve You. You are so faithful to me & yet I am so wretched. Thank You that Your faithfulness does not depend on mine. Thank You for sending Jesus to pay for my sins. I have nothing of value to offer the God Who made me & Who gave His all for me. You are so Good. Thank You for loving me. Thank You for never ever giving up on me, even though I give You so, so many reasons to choose to do so. Help me to love You better & to live for You better… worthy of all You gave for me, through Jesus. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.
Shine HOPE by recognizing that a lack of zeal for the Lord is usually a SYMPTOM of something that’s not right. Pray about it, don’t excuse it… get rid of it with God’s help. Now.
Coming Next Week
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