Flame On!

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Today's Passage: Romans 12:11-12
Memory Verse: Romans 12:11

Whew!  I got home from a long day at work yesterday and crashed on the couch.  I was tired.  The devil wasn't, though.  He immediately began to work on my mind.  The mind is usually the epicenter for his deceptions.  So in my weakened state, his attack began.  Ever been there? 

Fatigue is an enemy of committment.  And it eats at dedication from its core.  You can barely function when you're tired.  Being tired makes the simplest job extremely tough.  So, if that's the case when we're tired, what are we like when we allow ourselves to get burnt out?  Burnout has claimed the ministries of several men and women of God over the years.  It leaves people questioning their very calling.  They can't focus or see God clearly, and they end up experiencing spiritual disorientation.  Which means they began to minister things that don't line up with the word, don't make sense, or is not what God said.   Think about it.  What if I dropped you off in the middle of the desert?  When all your food and water is gone, your body will begin to shut down, or burn out.  Which means you'll begin to lose energy, focus, and even become disoriented or hallucinate.  God's word warns us about this.  In Romans 12:11-12 (Mess.), it says "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".  Burn out keeps us from being fueled and alert.  If we aren't alert, we miss what God is doing/saying, and we can't discern the tricks of the enemy.  We should be like a flame.  A flame is constant.  A flame can stand on its own, or be the ignition for an all-out blaze.  Wow!  The Word advises us to pray.  A consistent prayer life keeps us from burning out.  Remember what Pastors Chad & Nette said?  In prayer we are the car; prayer is the gas pump.  God fills us through prayer.  He gives us direction through prayer.  He keeps our flames lit through prayer.  So are you ready......flame on!

Prayer:  Father, let Your spirit energize me.  No matter how my body feels, I want You to know my spirit will drive me.  Lord, rebuke the enemy's plan to make me feel bored or tired.  As I stay in Your hands, give me that time of refreshing I so desperately need....in Jesus' name. Amen.