#renew #waterwalkinggirls

“Elijah challenged the people: ‘How long are you going to sit on the fence? If God is the real God, follow him; if it’s Baal, follow him. Make up your minds!’” 1 Kings 18:21 MSG

Today I challenge you to remember your conversion experience. Recall the moment you first accepted Christ into your heart. Then remember how excited and on fire you were in the days to follow. For those of us that grew up in the church and have a more gradual experience, remember when you first fell in love and the excitement you felt. You probably wanted to spend every waking hour with your new love and your enthusiasm drove your actions. I want you to ponder those feelings for a few minutes and really recollect all the emotions you felt.

Now I want you to compare those feelings and attitude with where you are now in your walk with Christ. Are you still full of fervor and excitement to spend time with your Lord? Does your love for Christ drive your actions? Be honest with yourself. I am stepping on my own toes too. I think that often we do catch fire for a cause or mission and then instead of others helping to fan the flame we are met with resistance and so we give up instead of pushing forward for Christ. Slowly we back away from whatever we felt called to and eventually the fire dies down and we become complacent. We carry on with our own routines and schedules and forget about trying to power on towards the mission. And sometimes we are the ones that presented the roadblocks that caused someone else’s fire to be squelched.

This week we have talked about having renewed strength through spending time with Christ and allowing Christ to renew your spirit. Today I want you to reach deep within yourself to examine if what you really need is revival of your spirit and as a result revival in your church. It is necessary to look inward at yourself, your needs, and your growth but at some point you must look outward. The same is true of our church. It is necessary to take care of the needs of the church members but we are also called to share our love of Christ outward with those that do not know Him. Today I am praying that you will truly spend some time examining your actions and motives. Have you become complacent? Is it time for you to rekindle the fire?

“Don’t burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant. Don’t quit in hard times; pray all the harder. Help needy Christians; be inventive in hospitality.” Romans 12:11-13 MSG