Passion Problem

Over the years I have seen many people come to serve the Lord, known many who have been “lifelong” believers, and seen people serve with all of their hearts. Unfortunately, I have also seen some claiming Christians who have had a severe heart problem, many would call this some pretty good acting…

No one truly wants to go to Hell, unfortunately, some don’t want to be sold out for Jesus either. They want to “believe in Him” for the sake of receiving salvation and attempting to avoid going to Hell and attempting to believe just enough to hold onto the promise of Heaven but don’t want to follow the instructions, commands, and example that Jesus provided for us. Hard to believe right? No not really, not in the world we live in today.

Most of the problem we see in the church of America today is not a profession problem, it’s a passion problem resulting from spiritual heart failure. If not in real life, at least on TV, you have seen someone who is in some type of heart failure (physically /medically) needing Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation or better known as CPR.

While heart problems and failure is a serious medical conditions, I believe that spiritual heart failure is also a very serious condition. This condition brings many warnings, and risks, and plagues us all. A spiritual heart condition may show up in different people in different ways.

So, what are some of the signs of spiritual heart failure? Here are a few examples:

1. A missing, weak, or shallow prayer life. As human beings, we need oxygen to breathe. Genesis 2 provides a closer look: “The LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature” (2:7). Irregular breathing is a problem, brings discomfort to our bodies, and potentially leads to more serious conditions. As Christians, we need a strong and stable prayer life. Irregular prayer is not breathing in the oxygen of God’s word, reflects selfish independence from Him, and can cause greater distress.
2. Poor appetite and inadequate diet. We all need proper nourishment to grow physically as well as spiritually. Someone who has a spiritual heart problem may have an appetite problem, they don’t desire or hunger and thirst for God’s word and teachings.
3. Attendance in weekly worship becomes optional and/or irregular. As we were formed by the hands of the creator himself, we were designed for the purpose of worship. He sought us out and turned our hearts from worshiping idols to worshiping Him as the true and living God. Weekly worship with other believers is critical to who we are and to our spiritual health.
4. A person who sows discord among the brethren. Proverbs 6:19 lists this among the six things that God hates and labels the seventh mentioned here as an abomination to Him. Someone who is quick to cause issues, quick to be a gossip, quick to be a willing listener to gossip, and spreads issues among the body of Christ is a prime example of someone with a spiritual heart problem. If you say, “I know I shouldn’t say this”, “don’t tell them I told you”, “I may offend someone when I say this” or a laundry list of other things… you may have a spiritual heart problem. Ultimately, the standard for acceptable speech is that which “edifies the body of Christ” (Eph. 4:29).
5. A proud look. Another one of the six things God hates is a “proud look” (Proverbs 6:17). Someone who is always me, me, me may display this proud look. Saying things like this is my class, and I did this, and I did that and forgetting the unity of the body of Christ but looking for self-praise and glory is someone who demonstrates pride and boasts in their own self-righteousness. Don’t fail to remember that it in fact was this pride that got Satan in trouble and kicked out of Heaven.

Well, while there are many signs, it’s important to know any blatant disobedience of God’s Holy Word can be perceived as a sign of spiritual heart failure.  From this list of five examples of spiritual heart failure, you can see how spiritual heart failure is a serious problem and can cause a lot of harm to the overall spiritual health of a person and the body of Christ as a whole. Someone with this condition must seek immediate care from the “Great Physician” and allow their hearts to be transformed. Just like how someone experiencing heart failure may need CPR, someone who experiencing spiritual heart failure may to need CPR (C – Confess, P – Pray, R – Repent).

Psalm 139:23-24
“Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting” (NKJV).

When we are truly in Love with Jesus, we desire to follow Him. This defines us as “Christians” that we are people who believe in Jesus Christ and follow His teachings. Anyone can say or claim to “believe in Jesus”. The Bible says that in fact even the “demons believe and tremble” (James 2:19 NKJV) and then in the very next verse goes on to say, “O foolish man, that faith without works is dead” (James 2:20 NKJV). Unfortunately, there are far too many “posers” in the churches today. While they say out of their mouths that they “believe” their heart and their actions reflect a different reality and in return, they risk missing Heaven trying to “fake it until they make it”. Truly, the problem is not profession, the problem is passion. It’s a Spiritual Heart Condition.

“Search me, O God, and know my heart” …

Today, I ask that you call out to God, humble yourself and ask Him to search your heart, to clean it up, and to transform you. My prayer is that you would not simply be a “poser” but that you would sell out to Him today and let your life, your heart, your words, and your actions reflect Jesus.

Blessings,
Pastor Jonathan W. Pannell