We Were on Fire

I went to church Sunday and the pastor started out by saying "God called an audible." For non sports people, that is when the quarterback in football changes the play at the last minute and calls out the change vocally while the offense is already lined up. In essence, the pastor was saying that he had a sermon planned, but God got in the mix and redirected the whole thing. That is just like God. You have your own thing planned out and He can see how things are lining up, and He changes things up for your best outcome.

The sermon was a WOW Moment because it was titled, "We were on fire" taken from Jeremiah 20. I had started a new devotional called "100 Days to Brave," by Annie F. Downs. I had underlined, "We can be brave because we were always meant to be brave." The devotional recounted a story of her seeing two friends share the Gospel with a third friend. I was challenged because it reminded me of what it takes to share the Gospel with someone, to step outside of yourself, your own fears, whatever may be telling you not to share and tell someone that Jesus loves them and that God can make the difference in their lives and that He has a plan. But God so many times tells us as His children, "Do not be afraid." He is calling us to be brave!

As I finished the devotional, I thought back on my life these last few years. I have been writing and exhorting, but not for God. I have been so consumed by the political landscape and speaking truth to power that I forgot that my first allegiance is to a higher power. I am not a citizen of this world, but a citizen of heaven. 

Even looking back at this blog, I realized that it has been 3 years since I wrote anything. That is not to say that I have not been wowed by God in those 3 years, but rather I was sidetracked. And that brings me back to the message. "We were on fire!" There was a time that sharing the Gospel was my passion. It drove me. And now, my faith has been on autopilot. 

I wonder if you can identify with that. You still love God. You still pray. You still go to church. You may even still serve in ministry, but you have lost your fire. 

God is calling you to be brave, to hear His voice. He is calling an audible. He is changing things up. From his vantage point, He sees what you cannot. The Gospel has to be preeminent in all we do. 

WOW! That was my moment. I am ready to get off the sidelines and back in the game. Let's be brave together and catch the fire once again!