the thermostat

I was alone praying in one of the rooms in church when i realised that i had switched off the air-conditioner by mistake a few minutes before when it got too cold with only me in the room. I had meant to raise the temperature.

When the air-conditioner isn't running, there's no maintaining the temperature in the room, and the air in the room becomes stuffy instead. So because of my "thoughtless" action... i ended up feeling warm...

As i got up to turn on the air-conditioner, and also raise the temperature to a more comfortable level, this spiritual truth was dropped in my heart:

We cannot depend on our past prayers and stale manna (manna here referring to the word of God becoming alive in our lives) to keep us going in our relationship with God, and growing in the things of God.

Jude 20 (AMP)
But you, beloved, build yourselves up [founded] on your most holy faith [make progress, rise like an edifice higher and higher], praying in the Holy Spirit;

We have to "keep the temperature up" in our walk with God, and one important way to do it is to pray in the Holy Spirit often. It's like charging ourselves up, encouraging ourselves to keep on going in the midst of difficult circumstances, or
even just in our daily lives.

Rev 3:15-16 (NJKV)
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.

It takes consistency to maintain status quo; it takes intensity to make progress and rise higher and higher as stated in the amplified version of Jude 20.

We don't want just to maintain what we have by being consistent though that's a good basic step. We want to grow, and impact lives around us, and that takes more out of us. But you know what, i've found it easy because God gives us grace - His unmerited, undeserved favour and blessing; His strength and ability - and really, He is my source and my strength. I just have to remain in Him.

Be intense in order to affect the world around us for Him -
Intensely seeking Him
Intensely reading His Word
Intensely worshiping Him

Being lukewarm or having a nonchalant attitude regarding the things of God does not take us anywhere or help us do anything - in fact the Lord HATES it!

Turn the heat up a couple of notches and watch what happens in your life and in the lives of those around you.