Staying ‘on fire’ for Lord

By Todd Barrier 

Oftentimes when someone becomes a Christian, they begin to be what many describe as “on fire for the Lord.”  

Of course, this means they are highly motivated to love and work for the Lord, and they show it! This is great; it’s wonderful to be motivated to be part of God’s family.  

Many times, that response comes from those who have no prior experience with religion and are on a “spiritual high.”  

As I often tell my Bible class students, when you become a Christian, the world and Satan really begin to focus on you. This can be discouraging to those new and excited Christians who are just ready to be servants.  

A lot of times the disappointment that follows this initial excited beginning drives some away from the faith.  

Some things that disappoint new Christians – and veterans as well – are falling back into old habits, other Christians showing inconsistency and setting bad examples, lack of support from friends to grow spiritually, continued struggles in life and many others.  

The thing we can do to encourage people who have become discouraged is to remind them God said things won’t always be easy (John 16:33), but because of Him, we can overcome it.  

Also remember: When people disappoint you, that is no reason to leave the faith.  

Why? We are all imperfect, and our relationship with God shouldn’t change because of what someone else has done to us. We are followers of Christ, not followers of men.  

So, stay “on fire” for the Lord and prepare ahead of time for those disappointments. They will come, but in the end, Heaven is worth it.