How do we find the fire?

It’s 4:30 a.m.

As I sit in office this morning, I am seeking for inspiration. I am feeling unsettled. I am feeling cold.

I hear the tick of the furnace and I anxiously wait for the heat to follow. Not only do I want to feel warm on the outside, but my soul seeks additional comfort today.

I sit. I pray. I wait.

In 2 Timothy, Paul writes to encourage Timothy to never forget his genuine faith and to “fan into flames” the spiritual gift that has been given to you. He must have written this to remind us we will need to stoke the fire. We will need to push aside the ashes to find the hidden embers that glow underneath. There are seasons in everything just like as fall closes, winter settles in.

So, what may cause our fluctuations of temperature in our spiritual walk and what may cause the embers to grow cold.

The Unknown. We have to admit. None of us really like to not know where we are going. What is my purpose? What is God’s plans for my life? Proverbs 3:5 says, “trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.” We must trust. We must accept that we may never ‘know’.

No answer to the question, why? Whether you believe in God or not, you have probably asked this question. There is pain in this world. It is dark. We don’t understand the “why”? God has a plan for everything and even when it seems so dim, His magnificence is amazing and can light our world.

We never commit. We are just too busy to give God any extra time. We go to church on the weekend but we don’t sacrifice anymore throughout the week. We want the reward but without the sacrifice.

We never practice. Athletes never win a game just because they showed up and desired to win. They practiced… and they practiced… and they practiced some more. This is the same for studying the Word and nurturing your prayer life even as awkward and discouraging it may be to you.

We never change. None of it is possible if we don’t change our habits and routines. The definition of insanity: do the same things over and over again expecting the same result. If your life doesn’t include more of God than it did yesterday, you may want to change that.

We never gather. Fellowship is key. Probably why it is so often referenced in the Bible that we should live among other believers and in harmony with one another. As we seek to go stronger in the Word, in prayer, and seek answers to questions that may make us feel uncomfortable, we can find them by learning from each other. Our own individual trials and circumstances can minister to one another as we join together in our journey to seek our Creator. To draw closer to Him.

My prayer today is that we seek to gather together and change as one body igniting the desire and power that God has given us. That we may encourage each other in our individual seasons and that we lift up our hands in praise and feel the warmth from our Father.