Never be lacking in zeal. Need Some Revival? To Hear God? Dial Into A New Frequency and Remember the Lord's Character

Sometimes we get into a spiritual rut.  Bumping along the bottom basically on drift, low passion, not soaring or ascending.  

This Kingdom of God is about ZEAL and PASSION and DEVOTION. 
 

Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, 

serving the Lord.  Rom 12:11

and 

Jhn 2:17

His disciples remembered that it is written: 

“Zeal for your house will consume me.”

Day and Night the heavens are awake and alive with the Lord's purpose and the advance of his Kingdom (Isa 9:7).    Heaven never sleeps and the sun is always rising in some part of the world.  The heart of the Father is always working.  When we see into heaven in the scripture (Rev 5) there are wild creatures and amazing things going on.  These are momentary glimpses.   Imagine a day in our time.   I'm sure few of us could handle the overwhelming volume of love being poured out.

So why do we slide out of passion, devotion, and zeal so often?  

There are as many reasons and answers for this question as there are cultures, families and people reflecting his image.  But getting a basic understanding of things always helps us move out of lukewarm and into his presence.  Jesus is seen by John the Apostle as "his eyes were like blazing fire.  His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace." Rev 1:14

Passion and zeal die when sin takes hold of us. 
 1) Sin.  Definitely puts a damper on zeal.  But it is easily dealt with.  What you say?  Christ Jesus our Lord accomplished "condemning sin in the flesh" (Romans 8:3).  It is dead along with our flesh.  "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (I John 1:9-10) The power that conquered sin in our lives yesterday is the same power that will conquer it today.   Repent.  Confess.  Agree with heaven and the mercy of God.   Receive in faith the perfect work of Christ over sin and death and walk in the Spirit. (Rom 8) Remember how it all worked at first.  Leave sin behind and move out in the new life in the Spirit.  Childlike faith overcomes the darkness. 

2) Religion and self-righteousness have a way of cooling the fires of love and zeal.  Religion is basically "I can do this" "I got this" spirituality.   It is soul power.  Soul power is not to be confused with Kingdom power and the Spirit.  Somehow after we have walked with the Lord a bit we forget the basics.....

Are you so foolish? 

After beginning by means of the Spirit, 

are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh?  Gal 3:3

We all know, we are not saved by anything within ourselves.  So, why do we take on things that only Christ in his power has been able to do in and through us?  Like defeat sin.  Bring freedom.  Pour forgiveness on our sins.  By grace and faith in the perfect work of Jesus Christ, the firstborn among all creation, the Kingdom pours into us.  Jesus is our righteousness by faith.   We forget this so quickly especially after entering into believing communities that are very outward focused and rule focused.   The Holy Spirit is the one who disciples us.   We were unable to save ourselves, disciple ourselves, free ourselves.  Why do we think that now we have something more in ourselves that puts us above others for shows of righteousness? 

Fascinating Fact -  The Pharisees did not recognize Jesus.  
The sinless Lamb of God who takes away all the sins of the world.  
Why?   He did not speak religion and self-righteousness.  
He spoke Son-ship and Adoption.  He was the walking definition of 
righteousness and truth.  They were as he called them.  
Clean cups on the outside with everything vile and distorted on the inside.  

Zeal is from the inside.  Seeing with the eyes of the heart 


The Kingdom of God never sleeps.  Heaven is active now.  Learning to tap into new avenues of hearing and abiding in the presence of the Lord is key to keeping zeal burning and alive. 

Here is a simple equation  
1)Presence abiding in Jesus leads to (John 15)   
2)Revelation to heart eyes (Eph 1:17-19)   
3) Can lead to faith put in motion in the world and pleasing God (Hebrew 11:6)
4) By hope it is sustained through perseverance and endurance (Rev 1:9)
5) To the advance of God's Kingdom (Matt 13:31)
6) To more revelation of Jesus (John 16:12-14) 
7) To deeper abiding in his presence (John 15)


Hard as it is, we need to dance to the music of our life.  Bloom where we are planted.  There is grace enough for zeal and passion in the life we are walking. 

A pastor friend of mine pointed me to a book for this kind of season, Dark Night Of The Soul by St. John of the Cross.   For years I acknowledged the title as if I had read the book.  Mainly because I wasn't sure I wanted to read it.  It seemed like I was going to give in to something.  The Dark Night.  Not really something I was wanting to agree with or dive into even through I may have been in and out of it on occasion.   I did eventually read the book. Recommended.  But these days my mindset is so opened up with encouragement.  There is a passage through the dark night, but I am discovering a steady stream of grace, love, and passion flows in the presence of the Lord with endless proportions.  Tapping into that requires some diversifying.  We need to open up to new ways to hear the Lord, recognize his presence and dwell and abide. 

Think about these words with me.

Frequency - Atmosphere - Discover - Desire 


Frequencies
Learn to hear God in and through the many frequencies of God's world, both spirit and natural.   (John 16:12-14 and Ps 19)
Sound is a wave.  There are thousands of frequency waves in the world.  Heaven is speaking in so many ways...
in the Dark night of the Soul.   
David had those often it seems.  He wrote about them.  Heaven broke into those poems and he was reminded of the Lord's character.  The way God acted with him.  His loving kindness. 
Jesus had the darkest night ever recorded.   Before the cross.  So intense it was as if we sweated drops of blood.
Peter on the roof top at the tanners house.  Probably wondering why he was hanging out at a stinky tanners house dreaming about food.  A whole new people were introduced into the kingdom through his vision and obedient action.  (Acts 10:6)



Atmosphere
Anyone who has the Spirit of Christ is a carrier of the fulness of Christ, the mind of Christ, the Spirit of Christ and the blessings of his relationship with the Father.  Anyone who has the Spirit of Christ in them carries the Kingdom of Christ with them everywhere.   A key idea in the Kingdom is "overcome evil with good".  The Kingdom presence carriers are full of overcoming grace.  We can shift whole atmospheres with the love of Christ.   What kind of atmosphere do you carry?   Are you the fragrance of Jesus?   As you abide in his presence look into the atmosphere of your life and ask the Holy Spirit what he sees.

Childlike discovery
Raising kids provides an opportunity for some of the best things to come up - jewels to remember forever.  Sweet moments that nothing else in life provides.   After a wedding that my four year old attended and I officiated, we were eating dinner together with the family.   My 4 year old asked me what I was doing at the wedding and what it meant.  After telling him what marriage was about he said, "Dad, You are just like Jesus.  He paused and then said, "only smaller".   From the mouth of babes come pristine truths.   From the heart of the childlike his Kingdom explodes into the world.

 Same with God and us.   He loves our discoveries.  He loves seeing us find something new about Him and then diving into it with abandon.   

“Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.”

  Mar 9:37

Desire for God
Hunger and thirst are necessary ingredients in the pursuit of God.  When you feel your appetite for the Kingdom waning, invite the Spirit to search you and know you.  (Ps 139)  He is able to get straight to the "mind of the flesh" and point us to the mind of the Spirit (Rom 8:1-7)
 Pro 27:7

One who is full loathes honey from the comb, but to the hungry even what is bitter tastes sweet.

 Mat 5:6

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

Hunger mixed with righteousness is the recipe for divine envelopment.   When our hearts agree with heaven and our lives resonate with his righteousness his heart is opened to us. 

Mat 5:8

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

Water of the Word  
Nothing will secure the road to transforming power and grace like the Scriptures.  Being drenched in their insight and encouragement is a key to walking free and finding the grace to serve with zeal.  Zeal is part of the Character of the Father.   He displays it throughout the world.    

Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, 

serving the Lord.  Rom 12:11

What is he doing in your life?  Share your story, encouragement.  I'd love to partner with you to bring glory to the Lord Jesus.  
jeff@jeffreynoldsministries.com 

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Thank you for reading.  Please comment.  Let the dialogue begin!

 

With Love in HIS awesome CULTURE OF LOVE

Brother Jeff

Jeff Reynolds. Sr. Leader

Capstone Christian Fellowship

jreynolds@mycapstone.org

jeff@jeffreynoldsministries.com

www.jeffreynoldsministries.com