desire – Inspired Life

I want my heart to burn with firey passion for the Lord. I want to know him more intimately day by day. I want the heat of the Spirit to be an ever-burning flame within me.

And they said to one another, “Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?” Luke 24:32

While that’s truly my heart’s desire, life has a way of extinguishing the fire. Life has a way of choking the flames causing the fire to be snuffed out. But He does not want us to stifle Him and the work He’s trying to do in and through our lives.

Do you remember being ON FIRE when you got saved? Do you recall the intimacy you had with Him when facing one of life’s greatest difficulties? [bctt tweet=”Then you look up one day and you’ve Mother-May-I baby stepped your way away from the heat of His presence.”]

How do we keep the fire burning?

Just a few weeks ago I was sitting in on my son’s Cub Scout meeting and wouldn’t you know they were talking about fires. They discussed building a fire in a safe place, having a starter, kindling, tinder and logs. I was amazed at the boys’ knowledge of how to start a fire and the different things they could use for starters (anyone ever heard of using steel wool and a battery to start a fire?).

The principles of getting the fire started seemed simple enough. But how would they keep a fire burning? The main element needed to keep a fire burning is oxygen. The fire needs room to breathe and additionally requires replenishment of wood.

In the beginning, the Lord breathed the breath of LIFE in Adam. In Job, the breath of the Almighty continued to give life as His breath was in our nostrils. We are recipients of scripture that is breathed out for teaching, correction and training. And Jesus himself breathes on us saying, “Receive the Holy Spirit”. So invite Him to breathe on you. Allow His breath to oxygenate your fire.

We continue to feed the fire as necessary with wood, solid teaching and sound doctrine. In addition to reading our Word daily, it is critical to continually feed our spirit throughout the day. Listening to sermons, worship music and bible studies are good wood to keep the flames roaring. In addition to being sensitive to His promptings and responding as needed.

We’ve been appointed kings and priests. And part of the priestly role is to keep the fire on the altar burning continually (Leviticus12-13). Just as eternal flames burn at memorials for MLK and JFK, YOU are to be an eternal burning flame for Christ. And keeping the flame burning is not just for me for today. Like passing on the lit Olympic torch, I pray to do a clean hand off to my children so my future generations will continue to declare Jesus is Lord. We WILL pass on the fire. For the Lord does not want us to be cold or even lukewarm. He wants us to keep our desire for Him vibrant and fiery hot.

I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth.

Revelation 3:15-16

Not only does the heat of the flame keep you burning brightly for Him, but ash left behind from the burning wood, is useful for continued nourishment. For centuries ash has been used as fertilizer, being rich in essential minerals and nutrients for plant growth. So be that flourishing tree, planted by rivers of living waters, fertilized by the ash from the fire burning within.

In his book Secrets of the Secret Place, Bob Sorge says in eternity, we’ll burn somewhere.

Will we choose to burn with unabashed passion and desire for our Lord? Or will we burn in an everlasting dark torturous hell? I long to be a holy flame, ablaze all my days, for His glory.

If you are a Believer, you’ve been baptized with the Holy Spirit and with fire (Luke 3:16). But as stated earlier, the issues of life can try to extinguish your fire. If that’s you and your embers are but a faint glow, go back and read my first two posts in this series, FIRE FALL and FEEL THE BURN.

Let us pray…Elohim, God of all creation, we praise you. You oh Lord, are the Spirit and the flame that burns brightly within us. It is you living in us that radiates as a LIGHT for all to see. Continually stoke the fire and fan the flames that we may burn as a never-ending example of your love and power. Like moths to a flame, may others be drawn to us, ultimately being drawn to You. Let us always be prepared to share the hope and Zoë that compels us to continue following you, The Way, The Truth and The Life. Amen.

As always, it is my prayer that you’ve been Inspired To Live Fully!

Happy to connect with others sharing the Good News Purposeful Faith, Mommy Moments, #LifeGivingLinkup, Titus 2sdays, Grace & Truth

Photo Credit

Crave. Desire. Long For.

Dependency. Habit. Addiction.

Oh friends, can I be brutally honest with you today? I LOVE coffee! I do, I do indeed. The experience is inextricably woven into my day. Immediately upon waking I say still in my bed and worship to whatever song is in my head. Nearly every morning I wake up with a worship song on my heart. I sing the song in my head, I think about the lyrics and how they relate to me, and I worship God for how amazing He is. After that I proceed to grab my devotional book, journal, pen and phone (which I need for my bible app) and make my way downstairs. I place my books on the loveseat and proceed directly to my kitchen. Oh yes, the joy in making a fresh cup of coffee. I love everything about the ceremony of it; grabbing my jar, removing the lid and catch a whiff of that bold, enticing aroma. Next, measuring out just the right amount. Then taking the pot and filling it with the exact amount of water I need to make 2 cups, one for me and one for the hubs. Slowly pour the water in. Close the lid, power on and wait. As the water heats, it steams and pops in my Cuisinart. The machine has an auto feature which I’ve never used because I’m a creature of habit who loves the ceremony of making coffee so I couldn’t deny myself the routine of carrying out the task by filling it at night.

Inextricably woven into my daily life, I’ve got to have that cup.

From Gevalia to Starbucks to organic fair-trade, I love everything about coffee. I prefer dark roasts for their almost burn flavor. The fruity, chocolatey notes, the smokiness, the aroma, the slight bitter toasty taste of the beans. And the smell….Even typing this is a challenge as it makes me want to run and make a cup. Even on the About Me page on my website, I give a shout out to my friend, Cup o’ Joe.

Can I just skip having a cup in the morning? No. And that’s what let’s me know there’s an issue here, my attachment to it. The creamy dreamy goodness of a sweet warming cup is so comforting. But God whispers, “Come to me for comfort. Comfort is not found in that cup.” Oh, but I do find comfort and joy in each sip. But I’ve been here before. I had to end my attachment another beloved (click here to read more on that story).

I need that cup.

The ONLY time I will not have a cup of coffee is if it’s what I’ve surrendered on a fast, otherwise it’s my daily companion. It’s become something that I not only want but also something I feel I need because I can’t seem to want to start my day without it. I’m naturally an energetic person, so I didn’t thing it was about the caffeine. I do put 2 teaspoons of sweetener in it. So it is the sweet I crave?

What do you crave?

“God made us capable of craving so we’d have an unquenchable desire for more of Him, and Him alone. Nothing changes until we make the choice to redirect our misguided cravings to the only one capable of satisfying them.”

― Lysa TerKeurst, Made to Crave: Satisfying Your Deepest Desire with God, Not Food

Whatever it is that has me dependent of that cup to start my day has to stop. I realized it was a problem when I started to creep up from just one cup a day. For so long I had disciplined myself to JUST the one cup. I love it so much I would like more but I’d exercised restraint. Until that one cup became a cup and a splash, then a cup and a 1/3. I would make a tiny cup in the wee hours of the morning and sip on that while doing my devotions then make my usual to go cup that I drink while driving the children to school.

So in light of Wellness Wednesday I’m sharing with you my commitment to break this habit. With my food I’ve make a conscious decision to consume foods that add to, not detract from my health. Coffee crops are one of the most heavily sprayed crops and the cream and sweetener, though turbinado are not adding to my health.

And coffee is one of those things that appear to be both good and bad for you. It’s like a back and forth argument.

~The Caffeine in coffee will leach your body of vital nutrients

~But it has antioxidants helping kill those free radicals

~But it’s addictive

~Yet is has magnesium and chromium

And on and on and on.

In general, I’m not a fan of substitutes. I don’t eat meat and am not a fan of meat substitutes. When I stopped eating ice cream about a year ago, I knew no substitute could ever come close to full fat super premium ice cream so I didn’t look for an ice cream replacement (though I do LOVE banana “ice-cream” it’s not a replacement). So in trying these, I knew going in that it would never be coffee because coffee is well…coffee.

Nonetheless, because of my attachment to coffee, I needed something to help me bridge the gap while I work toward releasing its hold on me. So here’s a peak at what I’m currently testing.

Dandy Blend

Dandy blend is an instant herbal beverage that can be considered a coffee substitute. This non-acidic, 100% caffeine free drink is made from dandelion, chicory, barley and rye. It tastes pretty good. It reminds me of the Cambric tea (hot milk with a little tea and sugar) my grandmother used to make for me as a child.

Teeccino

Teeccino is another herbal coffee alternative. They have several in their line but the one I’m currently trying is the Java since I was looking for something dark and sweet. This one is made from Organic Carob, Organic Barley, Chicory, Organic Chicory, Almonds, Organic Dates, Natural Coffee Flavor, Organic Figs Contains: Almonds. Carob is an interesting flavor reminiscent of chocolate but with a strange taste. Teeccino is grounds so it gives me the ability to still have my coffee ceremony.

Between the two I can’t say which I prefer. I like the taste of Dandy Blend and the ceremony of Teeccino. Both are missing the heavy mouth feel of actual coffee. At some point when I have brought my love affair with coffee into its proper alignment, I think I’ll do one scoop of coffee with one scoop of Teeccino. And there will be times when I will drink a nice strong cup again but for now I’ve got to step back while I work through this attachment issue.

It’s been almost two weeks since I began walking away from my addiction. There I said it. My dependency will be called what it is, an addiction. You may be thinking, but what’s wrong with having a cup of coffee a day? Well, when your attachment to anything is such that you can’t do without it, you ought to examine it further. Just because something is permissible doesn’t mean it’s good for you.

All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify.

1 Corinthians 10:23

I invite you to examine anything in your life that you crave, long for or desire. Has that longing become a habit? Do you go out of your way to get that thing? Does your day or life feel incomplete without it? If yes, I’d say it requires further examination to ensure you have a healthy relationship with that thing.

As always, it is my prayer that you’ve been Inspired To Live Fully!

Posts

Keep the Fire Burning

How do we keep the fire burning?