Is It Time to Reignite Your Spiritual Passion?
A few months ago I realized my spiritual passion was lacking. We weren’t in a time of crisis or severe suffering. Instead, complacency was knocking on the door. Sometimes the slow and steady rhythms of life are the exact ingredients leading to a spiritual slump.
If you can relate, this post is for you. At the bottom of this page, you will find my latest free online devotional to help you reignite your faith. First, let me share the words I wrote as summer drew to a close – when I realized it was time to reignite my spiritual passion:
How to Reignite Your Spiritual Passion
We press close to the warmth of the flames while the oldest two prod the smoldering beech log with ash-smeared sticks. I resist the urge to reiterate tips on fire safety for the sixth time of the night and quietly watch the flames flicker to embers in the night.
We have embraced a full season lately. The days have been filled with blessings – abundance, really. I once read that abundance is defined as a relative degree of plentifulness.
Our summer has been full of days spent along creek bottoms and evenings gathered around campfires. We’ve enjoyed late evening dinner on the deck beneath the poplar tree, water fights, fireworks, and more toad-catching quests than I can count.
When Spiritual Passion Dwindles
In the midst of it all, I can’t help but marvel at the reality that I’ve been less desperate for the things of God than in other seasons.
It’s not that I’m entirely apathetic.
It’s not that I’ve wandered away from the grip of his grace.
Maybe I’ve simply stopped giving thanks for the small miracles.
When God's blessings aren’t wrapped in the cloak of gratitude, smooth seasons easily lead to a slow fade in passion for kingdom-purposes. #spiritualpassion #gratitude #encounteringGod Click To TweetMy life is consistent, purposeful, and full. But if I’m honest with myself, I’m not as fiery as I was when the idea of living out my faith was new to me. 
I’m steadfast and secure. But the raging fire of passion feels like it’s faded to an ember.
We return home from our trip to the little brown cabin in the woods, and I begin listing the ways to get the fire back. A few poignant thoughts stand out. I pray these truths might fan the flame in your life as well:
1. Make up your mind to worship in the middle of the mountain just as you did on the summit.
It’s easy to worship in spirit and truth when life presents mountaintop moments: the births of children, the healing of diseases, long weekend retreats in which you feel like you tangibly encountered God, and weeks spent serving in the slums of Nairobi.
Interestingly, I also find that it’s easier for me to truly lift my heart in worship when life brings me to a valley. When the going gets particularly tough, I recognize the battle, slip into my armor, and get fired up to worship.
However, the middle of the mountain speaks of the place where life is rather ordinary. There is no crisis. There is no elated moment of celebration. Middle of the mountain moments are Wednesday afternoons with errands to run. They are Monday mornings with laundry piled high. They are Thursday evening carpool nights, dishes filling the sink, little bodies to bathe, and bills to pay.
Make up your mind that you will daily offer your worship to God, even in the middle of the mountain. Exalt him, and you will stir up spiritual passion in the middle of the mountain. Don’t forget his holiness or take your eyes off his throne.
When you can worship in the midst of the mundane, you stay plugged into the power.
2. Stir spiritual passion by interacting with your Bible in a way that brings life.
Too often, in the doldrums of everyday life, Bible reading becomes a steady and consistent source of sustenance for our souls, but we overlook the value of interacting with it in a way that actually fills us with a sense of life.
Try entering into the text as you read. Decide not to stop reading until you encounter a Word for your life. Memorize a passage. Use a new Bible study tool to study your daily reading. Paint a verse on a canvas. Pray through Scripture. Set out on a mission to find and copy as many verses as you can on a particular subject.
While I believe in the value of steady and consistent Bible reading, and while I don’t aim to sensationalize the experience of faithfully chewing on the Word of Life, I also try to keep my Bible-reading fresh. When my method is no longer life-giving to my spirit, it’s time to read and seek God through his written Word in a new way.
3. Stir spiritual passion by seeking Spirit-led encounters as you take risks in love.
Finally, if I’m not feeling particularly fiery in my walk with God, it can be helpful to pray and ask the Lord to show me where I can take risks in making his love known to others. We don’t risk for the sake of risk itself; instead, this is more of a decision to step out of a comfortable slump and remember the calling to share God’s love with the world.
I have been led to prayer walk in public places, pray with strangers, bake for neighbors, invite younger women to connect and talk about faith, and more.
Sometimes the best way to get the fire burning again is to step out in faith before you feel like it.
A Free Devotional to Stir Your Spiritual Passion:
And now . . . exciting news! It’s time for another free devotional gift for you! Is it time to get the fire back? If so, my free gift to you is my 10-day devotional, Fan the Flame. This devotional offers dozens of practical ways to connect with God in both your quiet moments and your busy everyday moments of life. Click here, and I will send this devotional directly to your email inbox. 
