Sometimes I believe it’s hard to stay the course with Jesus because we forget how much we still need Him.

In the beginning many of us were in a place of desperation when we met Jesus; and it was so easy to surrender our lives and wills to Him because that day He was our Savior. Yet it seems that after days turn to weeks and weeks turn to years we begin to reach a place that we think we can ‘handle’ ourselves again. We think we’ve come to a place as a ‘good christian’ that we don’t necessarily have to ‘need’ Jesus like we did before…

This is where we enter dangerous territory. Whenever we reach a place that we don’t see the ‘need’ for dependency on Jesus, we are opening ourselves up for the enemy to come in and reap havoc. The sad part is this is many people in the church today. So many times the church is full of dry people, they are so disconnected from the “vine” (which is Jesus) that they aren’t even spiritually alive anymore.

John 15:4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.
5 “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.

We quickly forget that when we first met Jesus no one could have ever told us we would struggle to stay connected to Him… Am I right? We were so in love with our new Savior! He offered us hope, restoration, purpose, healing, and a love that we had never experienced before! But here we are over time…

It’s like a marriage; no one could ever convince the bride and groom that coming around the bend is going to come troubles and issues that are going to put distance between you… Yet as the years go things happen and you settle into ‘routine’, ‘normal’, just ‘ordinary’ and this causes issues in the relationship.

The same thing goes for our relationship with Jesus. We have to stoke the FIRE that we caught the day we met Him. The PASSION that burned in our hearts for Him; that we wanted to do nothing but serve Him and tell others about our experience with Him! This takes intentional work! It doesn’t happen on accident. When you see people burning on fire for Jesus; many think ‘man I wish I could love Jesus like that’. Guess what… YOU CAN! Those people are working their relationship with Jesus, investing time and effort, and putting Him FIRST above everything else.

Today I am challenging you to rekindle the FIRE that once burned deep within your heart for Jesus! Remember why you surrendered to Him in the first place! Find that place of desperation in your heart that will cause you to break down walls of religion, passivity, and pride! None of us have arrived whether you’ve served Jesus for 5 months or 50 years! We all still need Jesus, every single day!

Revelation 3:1b “I know all the things you do, and that you have a reputation for being alive—but you are dead. 2 Wake up! Strengthen what little remains, for even what is left is almost dead. I find that your actions do not meet the requirements of my God. 3 Go back to what you heard and believed at first; hold to it firmly. Repent and turn to me again. If you don’t wake up, I will come to you suddenly, as unexpected as a thief.“