"We're not waiting on a move of God; we are a move of God." — Pastor Steven Furtick

Growing up in the Christian church, I have always been surrounded by people who have been vibrant about their faith. Of course, I have also seen believers who claim faith but are very dead (or wounded) in their actions. Sadly, it seems to be a trend for Christians to say they "believe" and be on fire for a few months, but soon after die down. Even other Christians will look at those who have a burning faith and say that they know they are a new believer because of how on fire for God they are. My question is, "Why is it those who are new believers that seem to be so on fire for God?" And "Why aren't believers who have been experiencing the unity of Christ more passionate about their faith?" In a world with many religions, we talk about other faiths as sacred. When will we realize that our faith is sacred? And when will we start living out a sacred faith?

The very definition of sacred implies religion. Beyond that, it implies respect. A sacred faith is a faith that demands respect. Not in the way that the government demands our taxes, but in the way that the very nature of what we serve deserves our respect. Our full attention. This is extremely contrary to our culture. Surrounded by entertainment coated with distractions, Americans never seem to focus on one thing. Whether it is work or hobbies, leisure or labor, our minds jump from subject to subject. The issue is, we view our faith as another category to focus on. Faith is not work or hobbies, leisure or labor, faith is work and hobbies. See? Our religion should be all of these things. Everything we do should not only be through the lens of our faith, it should be filtered through it! Christians will argue that it is not practical to live a life solely focused on our faith. There are things we must do that don't have much to do with what happens within the church walls. The problem with that argument is that church is not contained within four walls. It breaks down all barriers. And to those who are looking for practicality, few things about religion are "practical". We serve a God we have not seen and do things that are hard to carry through because of our faith. If you are looking for a faith that is practical to your everyday life, you are living your faith wrong. Religion is not for us. It is not about us. It is not contingent on is. It is all about God.

So why do "old believers" have a harder time living a life of faith? If the Bible talks us to not attach ourselves to this earth, why do we continuously invest in earthly passions? With distractions surrounding us, it's so easy to forget the very reason why we were created, the very reason we have come to faith: to worship an almighty God. The almighty God! It is easy to say as a believer that we are not investing ourselves in things of earth, yet the average American family has more than one television, multiple gaming systems, dozens of fiction books, board games, closets full of clothes, more shoes than they can wear in a month, and let's mention Netflix. I haven't even touched Wi-Fi related topics—computers, cell phones, tablets, iPods. Leisure is the biggest part of the American lifestyle. I warn you, Christians, leisure leads to laziness. Being lazy does not recharge the spirit and soul. Too much leisure can be detrimental to the body. While most believers claim they do not put pride in their possessions, we all have them. At some point or another, they will hinder our walk with God. And what does the Bible say in Matthew 5:29? Oh, yes. If your right eye offends you, cut it out. Remove your hand if it better helps you serve God. Oh, but surely the Bible wasn't telling me to actually cut my hand off to better serve God.

But what if it was? What if God wanted us to do everything in our power to better serve Him? If this life is about Him, shouldn't we do everything to serve Him?

I think that is why a Christian loses their fiery faith. Salvation brings us to a place where we can be closer to God. The veil was torn so we could confront our God. Come to Him personally. It happens slowly. Slowly, a Christian will add things into their life that will pull their attention away from God. What starts as an hour of leisure quickly turns into a life of leisure. But what part of the Christian walk is supposed to be a comfortable one? God called me to serve Him in every area of my life, so I must. If I am trying to model my life after that of Jesus, I will not be comfortable.

So often, Christians talk about how they want to see God do amazing things. They pray for Him to move in their hearts, move in their homes, move in the church, move in the country, move on earth. The reality is, God did not create us to be timid. He created us to move. Pastor Steven Furtick put it perfect in a spoken word "Evidence" from Elevation Worship's album "Here As In Heaven" stating, "We're not waiting on a move of God; we are a move of God." As the Church of God, we so often wait for Him to move, but we are supposed to move ourselves. When we hinder ourselves, we are hindering the movement of God. We have a responsibility to move. To cut off our right hand at times. If there is a reason why a Christian loses the fire to their faith, it is failing to move. The church needs to take up the responsibility to realize that we are a movement of God.

In the simple words of Pastor Furtick,

"Move. Now."