Fervor: Intense and passionate feeling.
Have you lost your fervor for life, your spiritual life that is? Paul instructed his son in the faith Timothy, to keep his fervor, he also instructed the believers in Rome to do the same thing, and as we read it today, it now applies to us. Do you recall when you first met Jesus? How eager you were to share your new birth experience, you wanted everyone you knew to be born again. You had unstoppable zeal and fervor in serving the Lord and others. Do you still feel that way today?
Life with all its twists and turns can nullify our fervor if we let it. We have to fight the good fight of faith, and not allow our circumstances to dictate how we feel. The joy of the Lord is still our strength. We have to constantly guard against joy and fervor stealers. Our passion for Christ should never be deterred by how we feel, or what we’re going through. He never changes, and neither should we. To be fair we don’t always feel on top of the world, but the life we’ve been given doesn’t operate on feelings but by faith. That’s why we’re instructed to speak to ourselves, not with words of doubt, but in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. To speak those things that are not, as though they were.
The natural mind cannot conceive of such things, they’re spiritually discerned. We have to guard against the flesh and elevate the Spirit of Christ in us. Starve the wranglings of the mind and feed our faith the Word of God. Remember it is no longer us who lives, but Christ who lives in us. We won’t lose our fervor if we maintain a daily diet of spiritual food. Let’s explore some scriptures to encourage our hearts. We’ll begin with Paul’s encouragement to the Believers in Rome. Our fervor is maintained when we remain a vital part of the body of Christ. Using the gifts we’ve been given to serve others. When you submit to Jesus Christ completely, you may stumble but you never lose your dedication to Him.
“Beloved friends, what should be our proper response to God’s marvelous mercies? I encourage you to surrender yourselves to God to be His sacred, living sacrifices. And live in holiness, experiencing all that delights His heart. For this becomes your genuine expression of worship. Stop imitating the ideals and opinions of the culture around you, but be inwardly transformed by the Holy Spirit through a total reformation of how you think. This will empower you to discern God’s will as you live a beautiful life, satisfying and perfect in His eyes. God has given me grace to speak a warning about pride. I would ask each of you to be emptied of self-promotion and not create a false image of your importance. Instead, honestly assess your worth by using your God-given faith as the standard of measurement, and then you will see your true value with an appropriate self-esteem. In the human body there are many parts and organs, each with a unique function. And so it is in the body of Christ. For though we are many, we’ve all been mingled into one body in Christ. This means that we are all vitally joined to one another, with each contributing to the others. God’s marvelous grace imparts to each one of us varying gifts and ministries that are uniquely ours. So if God has given you the grace-gift of prophecy, you must activate your gift by using the proportion of faith you have to prophesy. If your grace-gift is serving, then thrive in serving others well. If you have the grace-gift of teaching, then be actively teaching and training others. If you have the grace-gift of encouragement, then use it often to encourage others. If you have the grace-gift of giving to meet the needs of others, then may you prosper in your generosity without any fanfare. If you have the gift of leadership, be passionate about your leadership. And if you have the gift of showing compassion, then flourish in your cheerful display of compassion. Let the inner movement of your heart always be to love one another, and never play the role of an actor wearing a mask. Despise evil and embrace everything that is good and virtuous. Be devoted to tenderly loving your fellow believers as members of one family. Try to outdo yourselves in respect and honor of one another. Be enthusiastic to serve the Lord, keeping your passion (fervor) toward Him boiling hot! Radiate with the glow of the Holy Spirit and let Him fill you with excitement as you serve Him. Let this hope burst forth within you, releasing a continual joy. Don’t give up in a time of trouble, but commune with God at all times- Romans 12:1-12 TPT
Do you sense fervor in Paul’s words? Most of his writings were done from prison, yet, he never lost his passion for Christ and His work. Why? He did all things through Christ who gave him strength. Philippians 4:13
“I’m writing to encourage you to fan into a flame and rekindle the fire of the spiritual gift God imparted to you when I laid my hands upon you.” 2 Timothy 1:6 TPT
“So fight with faith for the winner’s prize! Lay your hands upon eternal life, for this is your calling—celebrating in faith before the multitude of witnesses! So now, I instruct you before the God of resurrection life and before Jesus, the Anointed One, who demonstrated a beautiful testimony even before Pontius Pilate, that you follow this commission faithfully with a clear conscience and without blemish until the appearing of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah.” 1 Timothy 6:12-14 TPT
“And Nehemiah continued, “Go and celebrate with a feast of rich foods and sweet drinks, and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared. This is a sacred day before our Lord. Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength!” Nehemiah 8:10 NLT
Nehemiah shared those time tested words of encouragement with Israel after they had gone through a time of soul searching, and hearing the law of God being read. They had lost their fervor for Jehovah. But once they understood His laws and made a decision to adhere to it, rejoicing replaced weeping. (Read the entire chapter)
“Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts. And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Ephesians 5:18-20 NLT
“(as it is written, “I have made you a father of many nations”) in the presence of Him whom he believed—God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did;” Romans 4:17 NKJV
Fervor keeps your expectations from drying up. Abraham believed even when there was no physical evidence. (Read the entire chapter)
“Someone living on an entirely human level rejects the revelations of God’s Spirit, for they make no sense to him. He can’t understand the revelations of the Spirit because they are only discovered by the illumination of the Spirit.” 1 Corinthians 2:14 TPT
“My old identity has been co-crucified with Messiah and no longer lives; for the nails of His cross crucified me with Him. And now the essence of this new life is no longer mine, for the Anointed One lives His life through me— we live in union as one! My new life is empowered by the faith of the Son of God who loves me so much that He gave Himself for me, and dispenses His life into mine!” Galatians 2:20 TPT
I pray you have been stirred up, encouraged and refreshed by timely reminders in God’s Word. That you will find the fervor and joy you once had. Not barely getting by, dragging yourself out of bed. But living a life of exuberance, a life filled to overflowing with His goodness and grace. Fan the embers of your heart until they burst into a flame of love for your Lord.
Written by permission of the Holy Spirit
W. Tennant