In our instant, fast-paced society, starting something is easy but staying committed is much more rare. I have felt the frustration of following through but I don't want that to hold me back any longer. Today, I ask You for greater commitment, God, so I can keep my passion for this greater life intact. And when I fall short, help me see where I went off track so I can quickly gain my momentum back and keep on going. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
'Though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again'. -Proverbs 24:16
Devotional: The greater life isn't about living a perfect life. It's about keeping your passion intact, no matter what.
Once you've committed to living the greater way you'll possibly feel the frustration of following through. I've felt that same frustration. So often I feel as if I'm zipping along, living my life, running hard to do God's will- and then, out of nowhere, I lost my flow. I hit a spiritual low. And it feels like, Great. All that progress I was making was for nothing. I was doing so good, being so intentional, really going after the greater things God has for me. Then I slipped right back into the same lazy patterns I was in before. I lost my intensity and settled into survival mode. I let some minor setback get me off the path. Now I have to start all over.
You may have had your share of these moments too. Yet, if we give into these discouraging thoughts, it's just a matter of time until that slower, sluggish, lesser loser mentality takes over.
Here's the beautiful secret I'm learning about the way God works: living for God is not like playing a video game. I don't have go back to the start of a level when I make a mistake, lose my focus, or drift in the wrong direction. By God's grace, I simply go back and identify where I got off track.
How about you? Where do you tend to lose your momentum?
Maybe it was a word of criticism that got you off track. You got a nasty e-mail or overheard a hurtful comment, and you started to believe the bad things you were hearing about yourself.
Maybe you started relying too much on a formulaic approach to God. It became a checklist of activities you had to accomplish every day rather than a living, dynamic relationship. Legalism instead of love.
Maybe you entered into bad relationships with negative people and now they're sucking the life out of you.
Maybe you started to see the blessings in your life as curses. The kids you prayed to have are now making messes in the living room. The husband you were so thankful for on your wedding day is now your obstacle to having a good day.
God is the master of recovering that which is lost. But He expects you to cooperate with Him as the lead member of the search-and-rescue team.
Pray and ask God what He wants you to do. Something to remember is that you are never further from God than a prayer: "God help me get back to the place where I belong in You."
Do I still lose my temper, my perspective, my discipline? I do. Victory comes through depending on the Holy Spirit, faith in Jesus, and crying out to the Father.
I've learned the greater life isn't about living a perfect life. It's about keeping your passion in tact, no matter what. Proverbs 24:16 says, "Though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again."
The next time you lose your momentum to follow through chasing after God's best for you, don't give up and conclude it's over. Ask God, where you lost it, go back to that place, pick it back up and keep moving forward into the greater things God has for you. You've come too far to give up now.
Ask Yourself:
If you're feeling spiritually dull, like you'll losing your momentum to keep going, you shouldn't just try harder; you should cry out to God. Think of a time in your life when trying harder to recover your spiritual passion didn't work. How was going to God and letting Him direct you a turning point instead?
Why not write the four greater prayers you've been praying these last four days in a prayer journal and keep the "Greater" momentum going in your life... Greater Confidence, Greater Clarity, Greater Courage, and Greater Commitment. The biggest reminder we can have in this life is this: even when we fail, even when it hurts, even when it's hard and everything falls apart, His love never, ever does. His love covers us in death and life. It never fails and never runs out, ever, and it is by Him and His love that we are able to stand in commitment.
*Via email from the ministry, 'Pray Greater for Four Days', through Elevation Church and based on the book, 'Greater', by Steven Furtick
