On Fire! Not Lukewarm

Hello, again, friends! I hope your year has started right, and you are on your way to IGNITING your faith!  

My husband and I are both coffee drinkers. Yes, we both enjoy coffee, but the similarities end there. He likes coffee in the morning; I enjoy it at night. He likes black coffee; I must have cream and lots of it. He likes his coffee piping hot; I like my coffee cold, preferably frozen!  

His coffee is hot, and mine is cold—either or, but not in between.  

This is what God expects of our faith, to either be hot or cold, NOT lukewarm.  

John, the revelator, wrote these words in the book of Revelation, “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth” (Revelations 3:15-16).  

This was God’s message to the Church of Laodicea, one of the Seven Churches of Asia Minor. Though these were actual churches at the time of John’s revelation, there is also much significance in the messages for churches and believers today.  

God’s desire for His church is that we NOT be lukewarm but on fire with zeal and enthusiasm for Him.  

Now, this is not an indictment but more of an admonishment. Some have settled into their faith, are on their way to Heaven, and are so glad! I’m glad too! But there is so much more! More power. More strength. More peace. There is more! Oh, so much more. 

Greater Measures of Grace and Peace

May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. 2 Peter 1:2. 

We all need greater measures of grace and peace in our lives. The more you know God and our Lord Jesus, the more grace and peace you will experience. A sweet sense of peace, a blessed assurance, deepens as your relationship deepens. When we experience the fullness of His divine power, we come away with joy in knowing that we have everything we need (2 Peter 1:3).  

You Will Pray More Confidently 

Now, this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 1 John 5:14

Knowing the character of God gives you the confidence to pray boldly. When we know God’s will, we will pray for things consistent with His plan and purposes. Praying in His will gives us the confidence to pray without wavering or doubting. When we know our High Priest, we will come boldly to the throne of God (Hebrews 4:15-16).

You Will Be More Confident in Doing the Work of the Lord

We have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. 2 Corinthians 4:7 

We are so painfully aware of our frailties that we sometimes shy away from the calling of God on our lives. We should find strength in knowing that God CAN and WILL use us. As you deepen your relationship, you will understand and know God’s power and how He works through you! As you yield your life to God, He will work more powerfully in you! 

We Will Enjoy True Fellowship With God

We proclaim that which we have seen and also heard to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; indeed, our fellowship is with the Father and his Son Jesus Christ. 1 John 1:3

Through Christ, we have fellowship with the Father! That is amazing because Isaiah 55:8 speaks of His transcendence, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. But if we walk as children of the light, we will enjoy sweet fellowship with Him. How beautiful it is that our all-powerful, all-knowing God invites us to have fellowship with Him! 

God doesn’t want your faith to be lukewarm. He wants intimacy with you! And as you draw near, He will draw nearer to you (James 4:8). The lukewarm believer misses out on sweet fellowship with God. Remember, the Lord is the only one who can light a fire in your heart, but it is our responsibility to keep this fire burning bright. So fan those flames, and reIGNITE that fire.