The term is also often applied to a lively or eager interest in, or admiration for a proposal, cause, or activity or love - to a feeling of unusual excitement, enthusiasm or compelling emotion, a positive affinity or love, towards a subject, idea, person, or object.
The way we think and act are very important but emotions tend to be somewhat frowned upon. Extreme emotions are even considered dangerous because we are supposed to keep a level head and act thoughtfully and prayerfully but the same God who created our minds created emotions too.
They reflect the image of God in men and women of faith everywhere. Passion and a heart for God is the potent blend that will see mountains moved, souls saved and the kingdom of heaven growing on earth. We need to have a passion for God and the things of His kingdom because that’s what compels us to walk close to Him and want to do His will.
Passion is belief in motion.
Belief is essential to all Christs followers. Belief is the entry into relationship with God and it isn’t simply just a mind based agreement. Belief is the whole embrace of Christ in your life. Yet belief without passion is nothing.
Belief that doesn’t manifest in emotional expressions quickly shrinks and becomes dry, it becomes something pathetic really. Don’t get me wrong, the relationship with God doesn’t end but it doesn’t go anywhere either.
There is a part of our life with God that is intimate and hidden, the psalmist calls it the secret place.
Psalm 27:5, in the secret place of His tent He will hide me.
Psalm 31:20 you hide them in the secret place of your presence from the conspiracies of man, you keep them secretly in a shelter from the strife of tongues.
This is the place where the flame is kindled but if we keep it there it will suffocate.
When we fan that flame into a passionate fire your life with God becomes a Holy force to be reckoned with. And like a true fire, it gives of heat, it gives of light, it has the power to consume, to change and to transform its surroundings.
Do you know someone who is passionate about their football team? We all do. They wear the team colours even when their side is running rough, they go to all the home games and some of the away matches too, they get there early and are the last to leave. They know the whole team and all the stats and when they are at the game there’s no doubt who they are cheering for. Passionate.
Its how we are meant to be as Christians and in our ministries.
Passion is the freedom to let belief out of the closet of our minds where it can draw some fresh oxygen into its lungs and start living life. Passion by definition, moves beyond what is expected or what is considered normal. It draws attention to itself, perhaps for good, sometimes not, but it is never hidden. If we lack passion, we are ripping ourselves off from living a full life.
Passion without direction becomes a loose cannon and can cause more harm than good, so the greater the passion the greater the wisdom needed to harness this powerful expression to the building of God’s kingdom.
Our passion for seeing God’s kingdom grow will affect the way you worship, and it may look extreme…you might clap your hands and sing loudly and even move in time to the music…you might even raise your hands in the air in praise to Him…but it will be authentic. People will mock you for it and judge you. They’re the ones that have no passion. They’re the ones who believe with their mind but the fire has turned to cold coal.
Its ok to clap and dance in church. Its ok to boldly agree while the message is being delivered and say 'Amen!'. Its ok to sit in the gutter and talk to people. Can you imagine how much different church would be if we were half as keen as a proud football supporter?
Passion will affect the way you pray and serve….it will affect your friendships and relationships. Passion will release you to share your faith without any fear. I love giving my testimony to others. Give me the slightest chance and I’ll tell others about how Jesus changed my life.
That’s what passion does.
God wants us to be passionate about things. He wants it to be an empowering force that enhances our walk with Him. We don’t need to be ashamed of it. Never hold back your exuberance of your emotions toward God. But DO allow it to be grounded and directed by truth and wisdom.
I’ll guarantee that your passion for Christ will bring disapproval from people, even people in the church. But if it’s the authentic expression of your faith and your love for God, it will bring approval from God and it’s His opinion that counts.
It's important to remember too, that if you don’t have a whole hearted focus on something worthwhile, the little things will seem like the biggest inconveniences and you’ll get indignant and angry at the most insignificant things.
You’ll hear those types of people whinge about the air conditioning in church being too cold or the music being too loud or the kids being too noisy.
Friends… Please….Don’t be so short sighted.
Get some kingdom vision and fan the flame of Godly passion and you’ll soon become grateful that your nerve endings work properly and that you feel the air con in the first place. You’ll soon realise that it’s a beautiful blessing that we have parents who bring their children into a Godly environment every week.
We will stop complaining and getting angry about the menial things and start getting stirred up about things that matter.
After cyclone Yasi, I spent nearly 2 weeks doing recovery work with the people in Tully Heads who had absolutely nothing at all. I prayed with them and lived with them and fed them and slept in the same shelter as them.
If anyone had a right to be angry, it was them, but they weren’t. Bewildered, yes. Upset, of course, but the weren’t angry. They saw the bigger picture. They had their loved ones and they had their life.
So often, we get so self absorbed we forget about the things that really matter. Our selfish attitude has us do things we regret later. We use angry words, and we are hostile towards others for no other reason than they didn’t comply with the selfish standards we have set and expect others to meet to make us happy.
We are at this very moment as close to God as we really choose to be. True, there are times when we would like to know a deeper intimacy, but when it comes to the point, we aren’t prepared to pay the price involved to get closer to Him. We are more interested in work, or friends or anything else that is a little more enjoyable than getting on our knees and spending quality time with him.
The Message bible says (Matt 5:6) “ you’re blessed when you’ve worked up a good appetite for God. He’s food and drink in the best meal you’ll ever eat”.
Appetite is always an indicator of a healthy life. When a person loses their hunger for food it’s a glaring sign that the body is sick and needs healing. The same is true with our spiritual walk. Its like taking our spiritual temperature and checking our vital signs.
Do you yearn for time amongst other believers that are struggling? Do you desire to make a difference in the world today? Are you passionate about sharing the things God has been doing in you with others?
Of course no one is wide open and passionate all the time. It’s entirely normal for feelings to ebb and flow but its also important to know the average level of spiritual hunger that characterises your life. When feelings are low, your core beliefs allow you to hold true to your course and not get shipwrecked by destructive appetites, and so it should surprise us that this world of spiritual forces that we live in tries to lure us away from our passion with glittery substitutes.
There are plenty of things that seem to comfort our soul and bring us temporary pleasure but just like junk food, the satisfaction fades quickly and leaves a dull ache in its wake. On the other side of the coin, the pleasures of God bring lasting satisfaction that doesn’t disappoint or leave a bad aftertaste.
To be continued....
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