“Pastor, I used to be very hot, but I recently realized that I’ve lost passion for praying and even giving to the kingdom of God. What could have happened?”

Sorry about how you feel, but you must understand that in life, there’s no harvest without a seed sown. Loss of passion for the things of God is clearly an harvest of an evil seed you may have unknowingly sown into your life. That’s right! Something must have been introduced into your life that created that harvest.

Did you recently get promoted to a position that demands more time and work? You probably didn’t notice it was affecting your prayer life because you only skipped prayers once or twice a week. Little did you know that anything that can make you skip prayer once a week can kill your passion for prayer in no time.

For some people, they got access to more money. They used to create time to pray before money increased, but as soon as money increased, they added more fun routines to their life to spend the money. They may decide to go on a family picnic or just a family outing, even at times when it’s not necessary. The only thing that occupies their mind is how to spend money. Revelation chapter 3 speaks of these category of people. Let’s see how scriptures put it:

Revelation 3:
14 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God
15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou were cold or hot.
16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:

While a cold person would be a person in the world, a hot person is one who is actively engaging with God. A person who is neither cold nor hot is a problem to God, he’s lukewarm. It means that he was hot or has been saved, but he’s not engaging in things that would keep him on fire. God can easily save a person who is cold, but He spues out a person who is lukewarm from his mouth.

In verse 17, He reveals why they became lukewarm. It says, “Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked”. Did you see that? They allowed their riches to blind their eyes. They’d think they have need for nothing, unknowing to them that they are wretched, miserable and poor.

Perhaps you’d understand this better through Nehemiah’s experience. We know how Nehemiah ventured to Jerusalem to build the walls. Many of us know the story, but what we may not know is the correction and seperation that happened in chapter 13, which is the last chapter. Let’s read a few verses:

Nehemiah 13:
7 And I came to Jerusalem, and understood of the evil that Eliashib did for Tobiah, in preparing him a chamber in the courts of the house of God.
8 And it grieved me sore: therefore I cast forth all the household stuff of Tobiah out of the chamber.
9 Then I commanded, and they cleansed the chambers: and thither brought I again the vessels of the house of God, with the meat offering and the frankincense.
10 And I perceived that the portions of the Levites had not been given them: for the Levites and the singers, that did the work, were fled every one to his field.
11 Then contended I with the rulers, and said, Why is the house of God forsaken? And I gathered them together, and set them in their place.
12 Then brought all Judah the tithe of the corn and the new wine and the oil unto the treasuries.

Just imagine that? Eliashib was a priest in the Lord’s house, he knew that Tobiah was an opposition to Nehemiah’s progress, yet he built a chamber in the house of the Lord. Nehemiah was grieved at the sight of that, and he didn’t hesitate to cast off Tobiah from God’s house. His grievance isn’t really different from the way you feel about your prayerlessness right now. A previous verse reveals that offerings and sacrifices were taken out of the Lord’s house, and that’s why Nehemiah restored them in verse 9.

Think about it for a moment, once God’s house was converted to Tobiah’s chamber, the people stopped giving offerings and paying tithes to God, they probably stopped worshipping the Lord too. This must be why the Babylonians succeeded in destroying their walls and city. Believe me, something must have happened to you before you lost passion for spiritual things.

So Nehemiah didn’t only restore the house of God and the offerings, he also restored the tithes of the Levites. Now I’m not saying you should reject the promotion or refuse to spend money, but ensure that no matter how high you go in society, it should never affect your spiritual exercises. As a matter of fact, the higher you go in society, the more spiritual you should become. Everything may seem good now, but as long as your spiritual life is down, it won’t be long before your walls will be destroyed, and then the enemy will take your city. Don’t let the enemy use a promotion or an increase in money to take you away from your spiritual responsibility.

Perhaps I should add this, don’t let your marriage keep you away from your spiritual responsibility. God may have instituted marriage, but God is not marriage. So don’t worship your marriage.

As I conclude, start correcting the errors that has lingered in your life. If anything is affecting your prayer and word study life, correct it. Just as Tobiah should not have a chamber inside the temple of God, don’t build a chamber for your job, money, or marriage inside the temple of God.

Tomorrow, I’d show you a few things to do to stay hot for the Lord. Don’t miss it for anything.

I hope this has brought enlightenment to someone.

Remain ever blessed, in Jesus precious name!

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