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Have you lost your zest for God? 5 steps to get it back….

By Nicola & O’Neal Copeland

The book of Haggai retells the story of the Jews returning to Jerusalem from Babylon (after 70 years in exile) to rebuild the temple to honour God. The returnees enthusiastically laid the foundation to the new temple with great excitement. Then the worked stopped. For sixteen years not a stone was added to the temple and it lay in ruins while God’s people became preoccupied with acquiring material possessions. 

Like the people in Haggai’s day, some of us have lost the passion and zest that we once had when we were newly baptised or new to the faith. We have become preoccupied with wealth; fine living; and material goods at the expense of God’s work and our own spiritual development.  If this is you, here are five steps to help you get your zest back and reconnect with God:

1. Acknowledge you have a problem

Realising that we are spiritually deficient and not aligned to doing God’s will is the first step in recognizing our spiritual failings. In Jeremiah chapter 3 God invited the nation to reconcile with him by confessing and abandoning their sins.  There is a prize to pay for continued disobedience and unfortunately, the people of Judah didn’t heed this message and were eventually taken into captivity. Similarly, today, we should not presume that we can disobey God and get away with it. Nor should we want to as God is the only one who is selflessly on our side. It is therefore important that we seek repentance before God and invite him to spiritually restore us.

2. Pray 

Prayer is one of the most powerful blessings we have at our disposal. It gives us the ability to directly communicate with God and through our prayers we can ask God to guide and direct us. Daniel chapter 9 provides an excellent example of how we can improve our relationship with God through prayer. Daniel talked with God no matter what and this regular communication was likely central to the character he developed. Prayer does not convince or coerce God to give us what we want. It acknowledges our situation, admits our needs for his help and connects us to Him. 

3. Take time to stay connected to God’s word 

The bible is the blueprint to how we should live. It is God’s written instructions, which we should all read and follow to gain spiritual understanding and knowledge. 2 Timothy 3:16 say“all scripture is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness”.  

The Bible gives us encouragement, guidance, comfort and most importantly the message of salvation and hope. Without taking the time to study God’s word we cannot truly expect to have a meaningful life or relationship with God.

4. Seek wise and reliable advice

Making the right decisions can be a difficult, especially when we feel rushed or pressured. Sometimes it can be hard to know if you’re doing the right thing, and in these times, we often seek counsel from our friends or family.  Proverbs 1:5 & 19:20 states that sound advice is essential to wisdom and listening to words of wisdom can be beneficial throughout our lives. The Book of Proverbs also emphasises the need to make wise decisions and surround ourselves with people who can provide sound guidance to enable spiritual growth and effective decision making. 

5. Share your story with others

We should never underestimate the power of our testimonies. Our individual stories of how God has transformed our lives are unique and have the power to touch people in spectacular ways when we share them.  God’s word instructs us to share our story. 1 Peter 3:15 says “we should always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope you have. But do this with gentleness and respect”.  Sharing our testimony is not only a form of witnessing but also a way for us to personally glorify and praise God for transforming our lives. If we invite the presence of the holy spirit into our lives, then our testimonies along with our actions should portray the character of Christ with whoever we come into contact with. So do God’s will and share your testimony with someone today. 

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Comments(2)

  1. Patrick A Bennett says:

    Hi Nicola & O’Neal,
    Great sense of encouragement and direction to souls who desire a zestful spiritual kick-start. Will pass it on to my friends and family.

  2. Trish Hummel says:

    Sent this to myself. Will definitely be sharing this. Thank you.