Fervent in Spirit

The Challenge of Delayed Expectations

The early Christians believed Jesus was coming so soon that they aligned themselves and began to wait in earnest expectation of Him. The delay of the return of Jesus and the persecution being experienced made them become cold and lose their zeal. But the word of God for them was not to lose their zeal and passion for God because of temporary things that they are either chasing or that are chasing them.

Scripture provides clear instruction for maintaining spiritual fervor:

"Not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer." (Romans 12:11-12 NKJV)

The Treasure in Earthen Vessels

Despite the challenges we face, we must remember what we carry:

"But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed—always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body." (2 Corinthians 4:7-10 NKJV)

Warning Signs of Spiritual Decline

When the fellowship of the saints is becoming strange to you, something is already happening to you. The danger of what you are facing is not that it can end you but that you will lose your spiritual fervor if you do not learn to manage the situation well.

Loss of appetite will birth greater loss of appetite. This principle works both ways, as scripture teaches:

"Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day." (2 Corinthians 4:16 NKJV)

The Principle of Spiritual Appetite

Appetite begets greater appetite. Jesus illustrated this principle:

"For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away." (Matthew 25:29 NKJV)

Redirecting Your Focus

Stop complaining and turn your attention to the Lord Jesus:

"Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." (Hebrews 12:2 NKJV)

Think Jesus rather than think problem, temptation, envy, insufficiency, inadequacy, failure. Pray in the Spirit always; your life depends on it.

Going downward is a downward spiral. It is a free fall. You need no help or equipment to go down. Do not let yourself go down.

The Eternal Perspective

"For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal." (2 Corinthians 4:17-18 NKJV)

You cannot do well as a Christian if your life is based solely on what you see with your physical eyes.

"For we walk by faith, not by sight." (2 Corinthians 5:7 NKJV)

Walking by Spirit Truth

The material of dealing with issues at the level of the Spirit is truth, not by the facts of life that are deciphered by your eyes. If your spirit is correctly tuned, you will realize that Jesus has already handled life for you.

God is abundant in His preparation for you:

"But as it is written: 'Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.' But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God." (1 Corinthians 2:9-12 NKJV)

The Source of True Victory

Your joy, strength, victory is sourced from the Spirit not your flesh. Your body will not tell you that you are victorious. You have to subject it to the reality of the truth by the Spirit.

The spirit of the world includes the principles that govern the way the world handles life.

Prayer: Lord, let me never handle life the way the world handles life.

The best of the world is nothing compared to the least that God can give you:

"The blessing of the Lord makes one rich, and He adds no sorrow with it." (Proverbs 10:22 NKJV)

Avoiding Spiritual Traps

Do not get tired and disregard your spiritual journey because of the pleasures you are experiencing from the world or because of the difficulties being experienced in the world.

When you submit to Him, the situation on the outside is enforced to succumb to the peace from the inside. What you need is there for you in the Spirit.

The devil knows that if you persist, sooner than later you will discover the victories available for you in Christ. So, he distracts you with pleasures.

There is no situation that will never be resolved. It is the lie of the devil to make you see differently. Do not be like Adam and Eve. Stay with what God has said and provided. Do not allow Satan to use the illusion of emptiness to get the fullness you already possess in the Spirit.

Do not ever fall into the trap of having to prove anything to anybody. If you need it, it is provided already.

Walking in the Spirit

"I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish." (Galatians 5:16-17 NKJV)

"If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit." (Galatians 5:25 NKJV)

The Spirit Is Truth

"This is He who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ; not only by water, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who bears witness, because the Spirit is truth. For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness on earth: the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree as one." (1 John 5:6-8 NKJV)

You can only walk in the Spirit as far as you know the truth. Your walk in the Spirit is determined by the knowledge of the truth that you know.

Conclusion

Maintaining spiritual fervor requires intentional focus on Jesus rather than circumstances, walking by faith instead of sight, and drawing strength from the Spirit rather than the flesh. Remember that appetite begets appetite, so cultivate spiritual hunger through prayer and fellowshipping with truth. God has already provided everything you need in the Spirit; your victory comes from accessing these spiritual realities rather than being swayed by temporary challenges or worldly distractions.