In my experience as a youth minister for over 14 years, I found out four things that always
killed my fire. Number one, it was offense. Any time I got offended at somebody I lost my fire.
People leave the churches because of offense, actually 99% of people that leave the churches
today, leave because of offense. And for those of us who think yea, it's about church do something,
and change it, so that people stop leaving the church because of offense. Actually in one
meeting Jesus had 75 of his key leaders leave him. If you think that if the church will get perfect
less people will leave the church because of offense, if the church will get perfect more;
people will leave because of the offense because they could not live up to their perfectionism.
Offense is unavoidable. We can only stop causing offenses, but we cannot ever stop having offenses.
You will be offended. An offense is the devils trap, to cause your fire to die out. It's
just a devil's trap that's all it is. If you look today, somebody offended you tomorrow.
You can unknowingly, you can offend somebody, and it's the devil's trap to kill your fire,
that's all it is. A second thing that I've seen in, in, my ministry and, and, personally in my life,
for what kills the fire, is disappointment. It's when you dream, you believe, you fast, you pray, and
it doesn't happen. You prayed for somebody who wanted... you believed that they're going to be
healed. You had a word from God you knew it, and nothing happened. And, next thing that happen, is that
become like a water that goes on your fire. And it's very important. I want you to see this. When
you get offended, honestly, Jesus doesn't really go after you and tries to butter you up. When
the guys got offended, Jesus didn't go up to them say "hey guys let me explain, I didn't mean you
to eat my flesh I meant communion". Jesus didn't do that. But when guys left him, left Jerusalem
walked to city of Emmaus, He walked beside them. Encourage them with preachers, until their hearts
caught on fire again. Anytime you disappointment Jesus will walk behind you and remind you of his word.
So your heart will catch fire again. And the third thing that kills our fire is, honestly,
busyness. It's when we become so busy that we don't have time, to spend time with the Lord. We
don't have time to even make it to church. And please understand, intimacy makes you fruitful,
not busy. Busyness could be a result of intimacy. But busyness itself does not make you successful.
Only intimacy with God makes you successfuL. If you are too busy to pray you are too busy.
If you are too busy to be with God you are too busy. And this is what I know about busy people,
you actually don't make more money you make less. Because you break God's rule. God ordered for
us to rest on Saturday. If you say but I'm going to work three jobs, four jobs and mark this, you will
not make more money, because God blesses order, And you're out of order. God blesses order, not
out of order. I mentioned how Chick-Fil-A decided not to open its fast-food restaurant chain on
Sundays. And people said, "did you know that on Sundays all the fast-food restaurants make the
most money," And the main guy of Chick-Fil-A he says "I know but God said and people should take
a rest at least one day" and he says, and "I'm gonna choose the most busiest day to rest." Average fast
food restaurant makes 1 million dollars a year. Chick-Fil-A makes 5. Why because when you...but it
doesn't make sense, nothing what God makes sense. but when you follow the order God blesses you.
Same thing when you give it seems like like you're gonna lose money, and somehow you
have enough. When you hold on to that, it seems like it's never enough. Business is good, if it
comes out of your fruitfulness, and it doesn't affect your intimacy with God. But the moment
you see use..your..your..your file is dying out, your fire is dying out, cut back on some things.
Catch your breath, relax you're still gonna die. Why work so hard that you you you you waste your..
you ruin your health to get more money, and then you spend your money to get your health back. Why
don't you just keep both at the same time? Because this is not just about relationship
with God. This is about your health being. This is about your kids. Knowing who you are. It's about
your family, this is about your spouse, this is about everyone everything being intact. And the
last one is materialism. It's materialism is not when you have stuff it's when the stuff has you.
I have this Apple watch I have this watch this watch doesn't
have me. There's at any moment this watch can be yours. Not today, LOL.
The most freeing thing for my relationship with God has been is when I can hold things
without holding on to them. When God has the right to take anything out
of my hand and I have the privilege to take anything out of his pocket.