Burn On, Not Out!

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”

(2 Corinthians 5:17, NKJV)

Since the day you received the Lord Jesus as your Savior, all things are new. That is, you are a brand new person inside! You’ve learned that instead of going about things your way, you can live by his power through the Holy Spirit. He helps you to fulfill your responsibility in this new relationship!

But we must also cooperate with the process. Allow me to illustrate. No one has to tell us to feed our stomachs every day. When hunger bites, we do something about it. We know that if we don’t eat, we will die. In the same way, once we become born-again with the Holy Spirit living within us, we will experience another kind of hunger pang known as spiritual hunger.

“Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment,”

(1 Peter 2:2, NLT)

When the Apostle Paul tells us that “all things have become new,” this includes a whole new set of desires the Holy Spirit creates within. Peter describes it as a literal craving for the things of God, such as the desire to read His Word, pray, spend time in His presence, and be around other Christians for companionship. The more you spend time in God’s Word, prayer, worship, and with other Christians, the more this wonderful spiritual hunger will grow. Likewise, the less time you spend doing these things, the less “hungry” you will be.

The failure to feed the inner man with the good things of God can result in spiritual burnout, stagnation, and lack of spiritual growth.

This is why it is important for us as individual Christians to develop what I described in previous chapters as holy habits. We all know bad habits, like smoking, drinking alcohol, pornography, cursing, etc. How did we get those bad habits? Simple. By repetition. We just kept doing them until they become habits. For instance, if you ever started smoking, you remember that the first puff on a cigarette was not pleasant. You probably coughed, and your eyes watered, leaving a terrible aftertaste. But you persevered and made the decision to do it again and again until it became a habit. You wound up with a bad habit that is much harder to break than it was to start.

The good news is that good habits are acquired exactly the same way—by repeatedly doing them. The general rule is that it takes twenty-one days to create a new habit. How easy is that! When you cultivate a good habit for spiritual growth, it becomes a “holy habit” that literally changes and directs the course of your future.

A Good First Step

The most important holy habit that paves the way for all others is to start a daily time with God. I adopted a short motto early on in my walk: “No Bible, no breakfast.” That four-word phrase summarized my commitment to putting God first in my life. When I get up in the morning, I grab my Bible and head straight for a place where I meet with God each and every day. I do it FIRST. In doing so, I’m setting the spiritual compass heavenward for the rest of my day.

Jesus put it like this:

“Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”

(Matthew 6:33, NLT)

We all have “first things” in life, the priorities we’ve adopted based on our values, and what we deem most important. Some put money; first, others seek fame, others live for personal pleasure, and some even put some religion first. Yet Jesus said that his followers would be characterized by putting Him and His kingdom (the things that matter to God) first.

Typically, I begin my morning with God with thanksgiving, thanking him for His many blessings. I promise, show me a thankful person, and I’ll show you a happier person. I’ve never met a happy complainer nor a miserable thankful person!

Next, I open His Word, the Holy Bible. Different people take different approaches to Bible study. I have found it easiest to purchase a “One Year Bible” that takes you through the Bible in a year. That way, I don’t have to figure out where and what I’m going to read each day.

Then, I close out my time with prayer. I make requests, cast my troubles and worries onto God, and spend a moment of silence in case he wants to speak to my heart. An old hymn says, “Oh, what peace we often forfeit, oh, what needless pain we bear. All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.” Truth!

Finally, I end my devotional time like I started—with thanksgiving. Read this powerful passage out loud:

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”

(Philippians 4:6–7, NLT)

A daily time with God assures that your inner spiritual life will remain well-fed and healthy! You won’t burn out. You’ll burn on!