Have you ever fasted? Day one you are hungry. Day 2 you have headaches and are getting really hungry. Day 3 you would eat anything. Day 4 hunger is way less. Day 5-7 energy is low but you are not hungry. Day 8-whatever… I have no idea what that feels like. Could you imagine fasting 6 days a week and only eating one meal on the 7th every week? Sounds terrible and a recipe for death.
Many Christians eat only one spiritual meal a week and fast the rest of week. Then their pastor does a couple evangelistic series, and they complain about not being fed. Then many get stuck in a form of religion (going through motions without any transformation happening in them) or just walk away thinking it didn’t work.
All of us have experienced some part of the above! I know with 4 kids, 2 jobs, and preparing to plant a church, there is so much that pulls on me that will not keep my heart alive. So how do you keep your heart alive?
3 Keys to Keep Your Heart Alive
- Prayer
- Worship
- Word
Today I am going to write about prayer. There are many forms of prayer that are valuable. Talking to God and talking with God are very different. Both are valuable but waiting for God to speak is the single most important way to keep your heart alive. This is my opinion… Jesus gave us the Lord’s prayer, but I do not think he gave it to us so we could pray it word for word but to teach us how to pray.
Mark 6:9 Pray like this:
Our Father in heaven,
may your name be kept holy.
Start by focusing on who God is and telling Him how he alone is worthy of worship and praise. Relate to Him as a good Father who loves you as a son. Sons are sons by birth not worth. Some of you need to read that again. Sons are sons by birth not worth. Approach Him boldly as a dad who deeply loves you and has great plans for you.
10 May your Kingdom come soon.
May your will be done on earth,
as it is in heaven.
Pray that Dad’s will would be done and that you would lay your will before His. Ask Him to open your eyes to see a bigger picture than the one you see on your own. Pray the Kingdom of Heaven would be in your home, your church, your work, your world. This is about aligning your values and vision based on what Dad sees and not just what you see.
11 Give us today the food we need,
Remember who is your provider! You can plant seed but cant make it rain. All the farmers know something about that this year. You can’t make things grow. You can apply wisdom, great strategy, and great stewardship but if you add Dad’s blessing to that the results can equal whatever God wants. We do not worry about tomorrow because God is faithful and His principles true.
12 and forgive us our sins,
as we have forgiven those who sin against us.
Now confess to your great Dad your failure, your sin, and your shame. He will remove it as far as the east is from the west.
13 And don’t let us yield to temptation,
but rescue us from the evil one.
Remember you have a real enemy. It is not a boss, a spouse, or a person, but an enemy that wants to steal, kill, and destroy you. Ask Dad to give you His grace to overcome. On your own you do not stand a chance to the enemy, but when God surrounds you, we walk in victory and freedom.
So today, pray! Keep your heart alive! Don’t eat one meal a week!
Helping people live a better story
Brandon Sereg
www.thevibrant.church
