DAILY BIBLE VERSES AND PRAYER THOUGHTS:

MONDAY - VERSES: 1 John 4:19; Jeremiah 32:41; John 15:11-14 PRAYER THOUGHT: Thank God for the passion that He has shown in the way that He has loved you and provided for you.

TUESDAY - VERSES: Psalm 8:3-8; 119:2,10,34,58,69,145 PRAYER THOUGHT: Thank God for creating us with the ability to choose to be excellent and live with passion.

WEDNESDAY - VERSES: Matthew 24:10-13; Mark 12:29-30; Revelation 2:4-5 PRAYER THOUGHT: Ask God to help you flame the fire in your soul and keep your love for Him hot.

THURSDAY - VERSES: Psalm 51:9-12; Psalm 86:3-8; Nehemiah 1:4-9 PRAYER THOUGHT: Ask God to forgive you for the times you have been half-hearted and mediocre.

FRIDAY - VERSES: Psalm 39:1-5; Jeremiah 20:9; Joel 2:12-13 PRAYER THOUGHT: Ask for God's help to look for areas where you need to heat up for God or turn your passions in the right directions.

SATURDAY - VERSES: Galatians 6:1-2; James 5:19-20; Hebrews 10:22-24 PRAYER THOUGHT: Ask God to help you encourage others to rekindle their fires or keep them going.

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Faith is the highest passion in a human being. Many in every generation may not come that far, but none comes further. - Soren Kierkegaard
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The question you really have to answer is: Am I a thermometer or am I a thermostat?

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ASSIGNMENTS

1. At least once a day read over this material and read or sing the song.

2. Place the scripture where you will see it often each day.

3. Think of times when you may have been on fire for the Lord more than you are now.

4. Write down the ways you have resisted mediocrity.

5. Plan to tell the class how you have worked to overcome lukewarmness in your life, or tell how you have struggled with being more committed to God.

SPIRITUAL HEALTH REGIMEN - WEEK 25

PASSION - 1-6-13 TO 1-12-13

SCRIPTURE - Revelation 3:15 "I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot.

COMMENT - God is not satisfied with mediocre Christians. Not being a Christian at all is better in the sight of God than being a lukewarm Christian. God wants us to be "HOT" Christians, on fire for him and his work.

SONG – RESTORE MY SOUL

1. Restore my spirit, Lord, I need restored; My heart is weary, please help me, dear Lord. I stand in need of more strength from Your Word. Renew my love, rebuild my faith, Oh, restore my soul.

2. Revive the fire, Lord, deep in my soul; Stir my desire to work in Your fold. Light in my heart, dear God, Your zeal grown cold. Renew my love, rebuild my faith, Oh, restore my soul.

3. Renew my courage, Lord, it needs restored; My cup is empty, refill it, dear Lord. Replace all doubts and fear with faith so bold. Renew my love, rebuild my faith, Oh, restore my soul.

THOUGHTS

Just suppose the Lord should begin to make people as sick as they claim to be on Sunday.

Just suppose the Lord should make people as poor as they say they are when they are asked to help finance His work.

Just suppose you had to live on ten times what you give to the Lord each week.

Just suppose the Lord should strike all who lie about their giving as He did Ananias and Sapphira.

Just suppose the Lord let some parents look into the future and see what their example and lax control are doing for their children.

Just suppose you had no opportunity to make amends for these things.

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"Motivation is a fire from within. If someone else tries to light that fire under you, chances are it will burn very briefly." Stephen Covey

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"If you want to perform like a champion, you must practice like one!"

Success isn't a result of spontaneous combustion. You must set yourself on fire. — Arnold H. Glasgow

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My diet club meets every Tuesday evening. I hate dieting, so I usually eat as I please all week long and then fast on Tuesday before the dreaded weigh-in. With these eating habits, progress is slow. One day, frustrated by the numbers on the scale, I blurted, "I wish I could lose some of this weight."

"I know how you can do it," my ten-year-old daughter Marvella replied. "Just pretend that every day is Tuesday." -- Jeanne Green

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Robert Ard, president of the Black Leadership Council, explains the difference between involvement and commitment: "When you look at a plate of ham and eggs, you know the chicken was involved. But the pig was committed."

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People often say that motivation doesn't last. Well, neither does bathing - that's why we recommend it daily. – Zig Ziglar

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A Roman coin was once found with the picture of an ox on it; the ox was facing two things -- an altar and a plough; and the inscription read: "Ready for either". The ox had to be ready either for the supreme moment of sacrifice on the altar or the long labor of the plough on the farm. There is no one cup for the Christian living. To drink the cup simply means to follow Christ wherever he may lead, and to be like him in any situation life may bring.

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Christian businessman Fred Smith reports that the membership of the Moscow Baptist church is 5,600, the attendance 6,000, and the participation level almost 100 percent. These Russian Christians are zealous for their faith. The preacher told Mr. Smith, "In Russia, we have no four-wheel Christians." He coined this phrase to describe people who ride to church for their baptism, for the Easter morning service, for the Christmas program, and for their funeral.

Sad to say, a large percentage of people in the free world who profess to believe on Jesus are little more than "four-wheel Christians." How about you? Is your church attendance irregular? Do you tend to be a passive observer rather than an active participant in the cause of Christ?

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People who are unable to motivate themselves must be content with mediocrity, no matter how impressive their other talents. — Andrew Carnegie

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ARE YOU LUKEWARM?

I. ARE YOU ONE LOOKING FOR THE NARROW GATE TO LIFE, WHO WON'T FIND IT? - MATTHEW 7:13-14

II. ARE YOU CALLING JESUS LORD BUT NOT DOING WHAT HE SAYS? - MATTHEW 7:21-27

III. ARE YOU DENYING YOURSELF AND TAKING UP YOUR CROSS AND FOLLOWING JESUS ? - LUKE 9:23-25

IV. DO YOU LOVE GOD WITH YOUR ALL? - MARK 12:30

V. WILL YOU BE SCARCELY SAVED? - 1 PETER 4:12-19

VI. ARE YOU GUILTY OF NOT BEING COLD OR HOT BUT LUKEWARM? - REVELATION 3:15-18

ARE YOU LUKEWARM?

SCRIPTURE - (Rev 3:14-22) "And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, 'These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God: {15} "I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. {16} "So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. {17} "Because you say, 'I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing'; and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked; {18} "I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. {19} "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent. {20} "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. {21} "To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. {22} "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."' "

INTRODUCTION

A. HOW MANY OF YOU CONSIDER YOURSELF TO BE OF AVERAGE INTELLIGENCE - (1 Cor 1:25-27) Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. {26} For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. {27} But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty;

B. HOW MANY OF YOU CONSIDER YOURSELF TO BE IN THE MIDDLE CLASS RATHER THAN UPPER CLASS OR LOWER CLASS (FINANCIALLY)? - (Prov 30:8) Give me neither poverty nor riches

C. HOW MANY OF YOU CONSIDER YOURSELF TO BE NORMAL RATHER THAN MANIC OR DEPRESSIVE (PSYCHOLOGICALLY)?

D. HOW MANY OF YOU CONSIDER YOURSELF TO BE MODERATE RATHER THAN LIBERAL OR CONSERVATIVE? IN POLITICS? IN RELIGION IN GENERAL? IN THE CHURCH?

E. HOW MANY OF YOU CONSIDER YOURSELF TO BE MODERATE IN MOST THINGS? - (Phil 4:5) Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.

F. WE SEEM TO BE IN THE MIDDLE ON SO MANY THINGS. HOW MANY OF YOU CONSIDER YOURSELF TO BE AN AVERAGE CHRISTIAN?

1. CAN YOU GET TO HEAVEN ON A "C" AVERAGE?

2. IS GOD SATISFIED WITH MEDIOCRE CHRISTIANS?

3. IS ANYTHING ABOVE AN "F" A PASSING GRADE WITH GOD?

I. ARE YOU ONE OF THE MANY WHO ARE LOOKING FOR THE NARROW GATE TO LIFE, AND YET WON'T FIND IT?

A. (Mat 7:13-14) "Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. {14} "Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.

B. With the Start of a New Year, I decided I had to get my spiritual life straight, but I didn't know what to do first -- pray, read my Bible, witness, or repent -- and the more I thought about it, the more tired I got. So I decided to rest in the Lord instead!

II. ARE YOU CALLING JESUS LORD BUT NOT DOING WHAT HE SAYS?

A. (Mat 7:21-27) "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. {22} "Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' {23} "And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!' {24} "Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: {25} "and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. {26} "But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: {27} "and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall."

B. The Master's will, for this I pray, Whatever it may be!

I do not want to miss Your best; Reveal it, Lord, to me.

My own desires may lead me wrong, I must consult my God;

His counsel will be justified, When all the way I've trod.

O soul of mine, delight in Him! His Word discern, obey!

The plan you seek to know will then unfold from day to day.

We do not live our lives alone: If I am in God's will,

The lives of others will be helped, His purpose to fulfill!

My all, O Lord, I give to You, My body, mind and soul;

May all the days that lie ahead, be under Your control. - Frances L. Hess

III. ARE YOU DENYING YOURSELF AND TAKING UP YOUR CROSS AND FOLLOWING JESUS ?

A. (Luke 9:23-25) Then He said to them all, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. {24} "For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. {25} "For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?

B. A Roman coin was once found with the picture of an ox on it; the ox was facing two things -- an altar and a plough; and the inscription read: "Ready for either". The ox had to be ready either for the supreme moment of sacrifice on the altar or the long labor of the plough on the farm. There is no one cup for the Christian living. To drink the cup simply means to follow Christ wherever he may lead, and to be like him in any situation life may bring.

IV. DO YOU LOVE GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, SOUL, MIND & STRENGTH?

A. (Mark 12:30) 'And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.' This is the first commandment.

B. During the Korean War, a group of believers were in a little chapel when communist soldiers barged in with machine guns. One of the soldiers said, "All right everybody, get up!" So they got off their knees. He said, "Line up against the wall!" They did what the soldier said to do. Then that soldier ripped the picture of Christ off the wall and threw it down on the floor. He said, "All right, one by one, I want you to come by here, spit on this picture, and curse His name."

The first three in line were men of the church, they did what the soldier said to do. They spit on the picture and they cursed the name of Christ. The fourth one in line was a high school girl. She came up before the picture and she dropped to her knees. She wiped the spittle off with her skirt, and she said, "Go ahead and kill me. I cannot curse His name."

The soldier said, "Get up!" They blindfolded that girl and the three men, and marched them out behind the chapel. The people inside heard three shots. The soldiers came back in with the girl -- alive.

The soldier said, "Anyone who gives up what they believe that easily is not fit to be a communist." And they marched out. -- Ron Blue, Moody Founder's Week, 1985

V. WILL YOU BE ONE OF THE RIGHTEOUS WHO IS SCARCELY SAVED?

A. (1 Pet 4:12-19) Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; {13} but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. {14} If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified. {15} But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people's matters. {16} Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter. {17} For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? {18} Now "If the righteous one is scarcely saved, Where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?" {19} Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator.

B. Recently a young minister named Tim Dearborn had to share a cab with four other people in Bangkok, Thailand. One of the passengers was a Marxist revolutionary on his way to India.

The Marxist quizzed Tim at length about his faith. Finally, he said, "How can you be a Christian? Don't you realize there's no way your cause can win?"

"What do you mean there's no way my cause can win?" Tim asked.

The Marxist explained: "I am on my way to India to organize fishermen to overthrow their oppressors. And I am quite willing to lay down my life for the revolution. Your American Christianity is preoccupied with what your God can do for you. And dying for self- interest is a contradiction in terms!" -- World Vision, Oct/Nov 1989, p.23

VI. ARE YOU GUILTY OF NOT BEING COLD OR HOT BUT LUKEWARM?

A. COULD GOD SAY TO YOU(Rev 3:15-18"I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. {16} "So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. {17} "Because you say, 'I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing'; and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked; {18} "I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see.

B. I am part of the "Fellowship of the Unashamed." I have Holy Spirit power. The die has been cast. I've stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I am a disciple of His. I won't look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still. My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, and my future is secure. I am finished and done with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tame visions, mundane talking, chintzy giving, and dwarfed goals! I no longer need preeminence, prosperity, position, promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I don't have to be right, first, tops, recognized, praised, regarded, or rewarded. I now live by presence, learn by faith, love by patience, live by prayer, and labor by power.

My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is heaven, my road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions few, my guide reliable, my mission clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, diluted, or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of adversity, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity. I won't give up, shut up, let go, or slow up until I've preached up, prayed up, paid up, stored up, and stayed up for the cause of Christ.

I am a disciple of Jesus. I must go till He comes, give till I drop, preach till all know, and work till He stops. And when He comes to get His own, He'll have no problems recognizing me. My colors will be clear. -- Anonymous

CONCLUSION

A. My small son and I were taking a walk. In the far corner of the field we found a small patch of beautiful and fragrant flowers. They were in the middle of weeds, almost completely hidden and unnoticed, yet these flowers were blooming in full beauty and we sensed their fresh fragrance. All of us have met persons unnoticed by many, but who in the middle of struggle and unlikely surroundings far from the center of attention live lives of beauty and fragrance. And living lives which seemed obscure they faithfully fulfilled God's will for them. God's question on the last day will not be, "How much were you noticed?" or even "How much did you do?" Rather, His question will be, "Were you faithful in fulfilling my will where I placed you?"

B. (2 Cor 2:14-16) Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. {15} For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. {16} To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life. And who is sufficient for these things?

C. (Luke 9:62) But Jesus said to him, "No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."

Revelation 3:15 "I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot."

Revelation 3:15 "I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot."

Revelation 3:15 "I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot."

Revelation 3:15 "I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot."

Revelation 3:15 "I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot."

Revelation 3:15 "I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot."

Revelation 3:15 "I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot."

Revelation 3:15 "I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot."

Revelation 3:15 "I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot."

Revelation 3:15 "I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot."

Revelation 3:15 "I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot."

Revelation 3:15 "I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot."

Revelation 3:15

"I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot."