The Right Side of Passion
What are you passionate about? Take a second, and really think about it. Once that thing or cause comes to mind, ask yourself if you’re on the right side of that passion. (Yes, there is such a thing as being on the wrong side.) What you’re most passionate about is typically the area that God wants to use you in the most. But, it’s also the area of life that the devil will try his hardest to throw you off your game.
Passion, despite how some may feel, is a really (really) good thing. Feeling deeply about something, and even someone, can move the heart of God, and ultimately change the world. It becomes dangerous, though, when we remove God from the center and start setting our own standards. When we take truth out of the equation. When we become so filled with the world and start straying away from the word. So, question: what are you full of?
We’ve all heard the phrase, “you’re so full of it,” but honestly, have we paused and asked ourselves what “IT” is? As Christians, we can only pray that our “it” is truth, love, compassion, joy, hope, and all the other gifts God gives to us through the Holy Spirit. When we’re full of Jesus and His words, truth and promises, we then have the power to pour out these gifts that’ll change cultures, shift atmospheres, and move rooms we walk into. So, how can we be the kind of Christians that are “full of it”? How can we be believers who stay on the right side of passion?
- Get planted in the Word. It sounds obvious, but it’s still important to point out. You can’t know truth until you get to know the One who created it. The Bible isn’t just a religious book that we as Christians have to read. It’s a love letter from God to His people, filled with stories of imperfect humans who were just trying to love God the best way they knew how. Stories of Jesus, teaching His followers how to live lives filled with purpose. Stories that teach us how to love our neighbors, seek justice, and walk humbly. Through this book, we get to know God’s heart, and the love that he has for his children. So yes, it may be obvious, but it’s a key source for being effective for the Kingdom.
- Let Jesus be the standard. We live in a world that loves to “live their truth,” and make no mistake, living authentically and unapologetically as YOU is important. But, if living your truth is not in line with THE TRUTH, is it really truth at all? There’s so much need and so much brokenness in the world, and it’s our job as the Church to meet those needs. But, our broken world doesn’t need more of what it already sees. We are obligated to show the world a NEW standard of living and a new way of operating that is completely contradictory to the world. This is why Romans 12:2 says, “Do not conform to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (NIV). How do we renew our minds? By taking in the word of God day in and day out.
- Allow Him to take you deeper. God knows your passions, but so does the devil. He can have you thinking that your fight or your passions are only to satisfy yourself or an earthly need, but the truth is what we live for is so much bigger than just the here and now. When waves are crashing in the ocean, the water can look wild and intimidating. But if you were to dive deeper into the ocean, you’ll notice that the water below is calm, every organism and living thing is still functioning, and there’s a stillness that exists. This is what happens when we dive deeper into our relationship with God. The waves of life could be crashing all around us, but if we were to dive deeper, we’d be able to see that there’s a whole other realm — a Kingdom realm — that exists outside of life’s storms. Dive in, and go deeper with Him. You’ll see why your passion has a greater purpose.
How will you move to the right side of passion this week?
Watch the full message “The Right Side of Passion” from our LEADER-SHIP series on YouTube.
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