5 Ways to Move From Lukewarm to Fiery Faith

We found ourselves poolside, in the middle of July, when my oldest two started “play fighting” (a phrase I like to use to describe what happens when my boys start out playing, but then it suddenly turns extremely violent). I got a front row seat to witness this “play fight” and observe (what I believe to be) the battle Christians deal with between staying stuck in lukewarm faith or moving to a much warmer climate towards fiery faith. Eli was tickling a bit too rough and Emmett wasn’t fully convinced if he should continue with the assaults or exit the situation. Instead of choosing the latter, Emmett proceeded to shout for help as cries of laughter and pain echoed across the pool. As I lay in the pool lounge chairs watching this little fiasco take shape (and pretending that those kids weren’t mine), I could see Emmett’s internal battle. He was having so much fun wrestling with his older brother that he didn’t want to miss out on the fun by walking away. I mean, can you blame the guy? Who wants to jump in the pool and swim alone when you have a brother to wrestle with on the sidelines? Even though this tickle war turned into a punching fest real quick, Emmett refused to remove himself from the situation, because it was so painfully fun. There was too much to miss out on by simply walking away.

I was reminded that living our life with lukewarm faith, in a lot of ways, looks the same. You know what I mean by lukewarm faith, right? That go to church on Sunday (when it’s convenient), but Monday through Saturday look like a completely different life? Or that one foot in-one foot out type faith? Maybe that “ohh I don’t really wanna go ‘all in’ with Jesus, because I’m afraid of what I’m going to miss out on” type faith?! This is lukewarm faith - where you’re not cold, but you’re not hot either. You’re not fully convinced going “all-in” on following Jesus is worth it, so you stay lukewarm - where everyone knows you. You’re afraid of what God is going to ask you to give up to follow Him, so that prevents you from taking the step. The faux freedom the world deceives you with is all too fun compared to the real freedom that’s yours for the taking if you’d only do an about face. It’s the kind of faith where you know God, but you perceive Him to be more like a genie or a big bad guy instead of a loving Father. Lukewarm faith is a dangerous place to fall on the faith scale and metabolizes into an internal battle that wages war on our families, our marriages, our friendships, and our lives if left stagnant for too long.

While I sat, watching my guys take playful jabs at each other, all the while screaming for me to come help them; I realized I was the same way while I lived in my own state of lukewarm faith. I would cry out to God to help me, but made no effort whatsoever to leave the situation. Even though I cried (prayed) for help, it was like an endless sin cycle I couldn’t escape from because the fact of the matter was: My heart posture wasn’t changed. If I’m being honest, there was still a piece of me that didn’t want to leave the world behind and follow Jesus wholeheartedly. I kind of liked the way I was living but, at the same time, I knew it wasn’t sustainable. I had heard about “abundant life” and how Jesus came so we could have it (John 10:10), but I didn’t really believe that surrendering my way of “painfully fun” living to follow Jesus and His way could bring about “abundance”. It seemed so counter-intuitive to me. Man was I wrong.

Stepping away from the lukewarm faith the devil wants you to stay stuck at, and stepping towards an ALL IN, FULL FLEDGED, HEART ON FIRE type faith, has the ability to change...dare I say it...the entire trajectory of your genealogy. There will be an exchange made if you want this ‘fiery’ type faith, though. He will ask you to give up some things to follow Him. Just like Simon Peter and Andrew had to do on the shores of the Sea of Galilee when they immediately dropped their fishing nets to follow Jesus (Matthew 18:20). They had to drop and leave their way of making a living, their comfort zone, and what they’d always known - in order to follow Jesus. You, no doubt, will need to do the same to a certain extent. He might ask you to step away from some social groups and/or friends that might be inhibiting your relationship with Him. This will hurt at first, but it won’t harm. He may even ask you to move to a different city and take on a different job in order to remove the faux identity you’ve hid behind to step into the identity of who He created you to be. This may feel super uncomfortable because you’re fear of change has always kept you living life a certain way, but it’s also subdued your growth therefore keeping you stagnant in this “lukewarm” type faith. He might even ask you to give up a favorite past time that’s “fun” but extremely damaging. This will feel like everything but fun at first. You’ll get fomo real quick as you watch your friends continue it, and you’ll wonder if it’s worth it as you scroll through everyone’s highlight reels on social media. This is what surrender is; it’s choosing His way instead of your way. And after you’ve consistently held fast to giving up your way for His, you’ll find abundant life on the other side.

The peace you feel - the kind that surpasses understanding (Phillipians 4:7), the love you experience - the type that casts out all fear (1 John 4:18), the joy that seeps into every aspect of your life no matter the circumstances, the renewed hope you’ll have despite what life throws at you, and the regenerated sense of purpose you’ll feel when you realize you are living the life He created you to live is all so worth stepping away from that lukewarm-going through the motion- nonsense towards an on-freakin’-fire type faith for Jesus Christ. Dropping whatever net(s) you’ve been holding onto to follow Him is worth the risk of saying goodbye to the “fun” and hello to the abundant life waiting for you to live here on earth, and the eternal life you’ll experience in Heaven.

A change in heart posture is produced when you humbly surrender your way of living for His. It’s when you can honestly recognize, and come to terms with, how bad you need a Savior. It’s found when you acknowledge the fact that your way isn’t working anymore, and it never has. If you want this type of faith, and you’re tired of living life one foot in, one foot out...it’s time to DROP THE NET and FOLLOW JESUS. Here are some ways I can suggest to begin…

5 ways to go from lukewarm to fiery faith

1. Go to your closet, bedroom, bathroom - somewhere where you can close a door - and have an honest conversation with God. Prayer is a dialogue, not a monologue. Sit in silence for a little bit and focus your mind on Him. Genuinely ask Him what areas of your life need to change, what you need to get rid of, and/or what you need to pick up in order to follow Him wholeheartedly. Ask Him to show you your heart and how to change it. Expect an answer. Write down what He brings to your mind. Pray on these things continually.
2. Carve out some time with Him daily. Time that you can continue doing #1 and time that you can read your Bible. You do have time, you may just have to make it. This in and of itself is a form of surrender. You’ll be surprised how reading the Bible will reveal so much about yourself. The cool thing about the Bible is it acts like a mirror. It will show you who you really are. It will also show you who our God is. You’ll find He’s not a genie OR a big bad guy. He’s loving, just, merciful, sovereign, omniscient, unchanging, and I could keep going...The word of God is alive, and it has the power to transform you. Your eyes might glaze over like mine did, and you might fall asleep a couple of words in, but stay consistent and repetitive and watch what happens. Before you know it, the words will jump off the page at you, and you won’t be able to go a day without picking up the Good Book. There’s a lot of different versions out there. Pick one that you can understand and start there. I really like the NLT and NIV. The New King James is also great.
3. Get plugged into a local church and make a commitment to go. Being surrounded by a community of like minded believers is one of the most important things you could do to develop your faith walk. I’m not sure what perception you may have of “church”, but here’s what church isn’t: A place where perfectly put together people gather and judge everyone else. I’m sorry if that’s what you’ve experienced, but I’m here to tell you, that is not church, and that is NOT Jesus. Church is a hospital for the sick - where people go who need healing. And guess what? We ALL need healing. None of us have it all figured out, and if anyone tells you they do - run...run away fast. Some of my deepest, real, and most profound friendships have blossomed from church. There’s a lot of really great churches out there. Find one and GO!
4. Find a bible study group that meets (either in the church that you’ve found or at a satellite location), and get involved! Getting involved in a bible study is a great resource for my own faith walk. I’ve found that meeting in a smaller group is a chance to get real with people who believe what you believe. It’s also a place where you can be authentic and find encouragement from others who have most likely gone through the battles you’re going through. I started out by having to make myself go. I would have much rather dedicated that time to getting things done, but what was getting done at bible study was far more important than what I could have done around the house, etc. My heart was changing - slowly but surely.
5. Pay attention to who you are surrounding yourself with. The people who you are allowing to speak into your life is a BIG DEAL (which is why #3 and #4 exist above). This also may be revealed in #1 for you. God will bring people into your life to help you with this journey. Let him! Don’t resist it. Just watch how He brings the right people at the right time. It’s pretty incredible.

I hope this encouraged you. Please know that dropping your net(s) isn’t a one time thing. While we live on this side of Heaven - in a fallen world, we will constantly battle the temptation to go back to that lukewarm state of faith. It may look a little different than it did before, but the battles will still wage. I think what you’ll find, though, is that once you have tasted the real freedom that following Jesus Christ feels like - you won’t want to go back. If I could leave you with one piece of advice it would be this: Moving from lukewarm faith to fiery faith doesn’t always happen overnight. It isn’t designed to. God desires a consistent, and a repetitive, relationship with you. He wants it so bad that He sent His only son to die for it (John 3:16). So keep going. Even when you don’t understand, even when it’s hard, and even when you’re not seeing transformation - KEEP GOING. You will. I saw a great quote one time, but I have no idea who said it. I liked it so much that I slapped it on my volleyball team’s practice shirts when I coached. I’ve found it to be so true in anything you set out to do. Here’s what it said: “If you want what you’ve never had, you must do what you’ve never done”.

Is abundant life what you seek? Is hearing the voice of God what you desire? Is stepping into the life God created you to live, on purpose and for a purpose, something you want to find? Is the One who knew you from your mother's womb who you are searching for? Then get going. Let the change in your family’s faith trajectory start with YOU. Take the steps necessary to move from lukewarm faith to FIERY faith. Jesus is patiently waiting, and I'm praying for us.