All of your Heart

Story:

Hero: Jesus

Goal: To reignite my passion for Jesus and rediscover the true meaning of her faith.

Conflict: Kyle’s once fervent passion for Jesus has dwindled over the years. Caught up in the fast-paced life, I found myself prioritizing my career, social life, and material possessions over my relationship with God. I attended church for work, checked off all the boxes, but did not feel connected to God.

Resolution: Determined to rediscover my faith, I decided to be passionate about my faith. I decided that my worship needed to be passionate. My faith ignited when my worship was passionately dedicated to him, not about how I felt.

My Faith/Worship Story

Ten years ago when I felt my faith was passionless. I was working at a church, attending services, but something was missing.

My passion for God was gone, and I was left feeling spiritually lost.

I couldn't help but overthink everything and questioned the strength of my faith.

The Struggle:

I had mistaken passion for Jesus as merely a personality trait, something inherent rather than a conscious decision. It hit me hard that my once fervent passion for God had diminished, and I knew I needed to do something about it.

My worship had become routine, not an expression of passionate dedication to the Almighty.

The Revelation:

Then, one day, a revelation came upon me. I realized that passion was not just an emotion;

it was something I could choose to embrace and nurture, a fire I could rekindle within myself.

I turned to the Bible, seeking guidance and inspiration to rekindle the flame that had dimmed within my heart.

The Decision:

Determined to regain my passion for Jesus, I decided to take an active role in nurturing my faith. I began to recognize that worship should be about devotion to God, not just how I felt in the moment.

I understood that my faith needed to be more than just a Sunday job; it needed to be the very essence of my life.

The Transformation:

With this newfound determination, I started to approach worship differently. It was no longer about passively going through the motions; it was about wholeheartedly dedicating my praise to God.

I sought to worship with passion, not merely relying on fleeting emotions but anchoring myself in the eternal truth of God's love and grace.

The Ignition of Faith:

And something remarkable happened. As I passionately dedicated my worship to God, work through feelings, my faith was reignited.

Through worship, my passion started to grow.

I realized that true passion for God is not dependent on our circumstances or emotions, but it is a conscious decision to love and serve Him with all my heart.

It’s possible for you to become more passionate for God too!

Today, I want to help you find your passion and keep it.

Look at the person to your left and tell them that you’re ready to be passionate.

Romans 12:11 (NLT)

“11 Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically.”

Romans 12:11 TPT

11 Be enthusiastic to serve the Lord, keeping your passion toward him boiling hot!

We have to stay passionate

Passion can fade or leak

Passion Definition

Strong and barely controllable emotion.

Bible: Passion Definition

Wholehearted devotion, love, and commitment to God and His teachings.

It is a driving force that inspires believers to live a life of righteousness, selflessness, and love for others.

Passion & Christianity

Christianity was never meant to be quiet or tamed or passive

Christianity is active, full of faith, full of fire, it’s moving forward

The Kingdom of God advances forcefully & the violent take it by force

Passion has nothing to do with your personality.

Opposite of passion is apathy, indifference complacency.

Proverbs 1:32 NLT

“32 For simpletons turn away from me—to death. Fools are destroyed by their own complacency.”

Complacency is destructive and destroys potential

Complacency destroys opportunity…whatever, who cares, indifferent

Complacency destroys relationships – marriages, friendships

Complacency in your spiritual life – Doesn’t happen over night – become apathetic, lazy…stopped caring.

Paul said to Timothy you have to fan the flame inside you…

Stir yourself up

We have to stay full of passion and passionate in our worship towards God

Passion for Notre Dame

In September, I’m going to watch my Notre Dame Fighting Irish play the Ohio State Buckeyes in South Bend, Indiana.

I just found out that Notre Dame is going to be wearing their green alternate uniforms. They haven’t wore them in years and they only pull them out for big games.

It’s going to be beautiful. There are going to be ninety thousand fans wearing green.

I’m going to wear my Notre Dame jersey, a Notre Dame hat, and anything else notre dame that I have.

I’m going to drive 300 miles there, spend a few days with some church leader friends who also love Notre Dame (God’s favorite football team), and drive 300 miles back.

I’m going to get there hours early to walk through the beautiful campus where I proposed to Anna.

During the game, I’m probably not going to sit down at all.

I’m going to buy things. (don’t tell Anna)

I’m going to yell

I’m going to clap

I’m going to sing the fight song.

I’m going to stay until the end to run on the field.

It’s going to be amazing.

Can we be passionate like that about God? Church?

It’s okay culturally to be passionate about our favorite football team.

If I get passionate like that about Jesus, then people will make you pump the brakes.

It’s okay to show up two hours early for a football game.

It’s a sign of passion to show up an hour early for a prayer service that will change your life.

It’s okay to yell and scream for our favorite football team.

It’s a sign of passion to sing and raise our hands for the one who saved our life.

It’s okay to spend money on game tickets, gas, and food.

It’s a sign of passion to give 10% of our income back to God.

Let’s be involved in fun things and go to football games, and watch our kids, but

Let’s put our passion for Jesus in front of our other passions.

Are we too cool for worship?

Is our personality holding us back from worship?

We need to throw aside some of that indifference, that apathy…

Get a little crazy for Jesus get a little zealous

I want to worship God passionately.

Seven Ways to Worship God

a. Singing

1 Chronicles 16:23 (NLT)

“23 Let the whole earth sing to the Lord! Each day proclaim the good news that he saves.”

b. Instruments

1 Chronicles 15:16 (NLT)

“16 David also ordered the Levite leaders to appoint a choir of Levites who were singers and musicians to sing joyful songs to the accompaniment of harps, lyres, and cymbals.”

c. Shouting

1 Samuel 4:5-6 (NLT)

“5 When all the Israelites saw the Ark of the Covenant (the place where God dwelled until he started dwelling in our heart) of the Lord coming into the camp, their shout of joy was so loud it made the ground shake! 6 “What’s going on?” the Philistines asked. “What’s all the shouting about in the Hebrew camp?” When they were told it was because the Ark of the Lord had arrived,”

d. Clapping

Isaiah 55:12 (NLT)

“12 You will live in joy and peace. The mountains and hills will burst into song, and the trees of the field will clap their hands!”

e. Raising Hands

Nehemiah 8:6 (NLT)

“6 Then Ezra praised the Lord, the great God, and all the people chanted, “Amen! Amen!” as they lifted their hands. Then they bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.”

f. Dancing

Exodus 15:20 (NLT)

“20 Then Miriam the prophet, Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine and led all the women as they played their tambourines and danced.”

g. Bowing

1 Chronicles 29:20 (NLT)

“20 Then David said to the whole assembly, “Give praise to the Lord your God!” And the entire assembly praised the Lord, the God of their ancestors, and they bowed low and knelt before the Lord and the king.”

Are you ready to go all-in with all of your heart?

All Of Your Heart

1. I want what God wants.

If we’re going to love God passionately we have to go all the way

This is where the rubber meets the road…

Sanctification (churchy word)

means growing in our Godliness & becoming more like him

True sanctification takes place in the heart

There is this wrestling between what I want & what God wants

I want to go out to eat for every meal.

God knows I don’t have the money for that.

It’s great when things line up but it’s hard when what I want is different than what God wants…

Or what God wants is what I do not want

Let me encourage you,

the struggle means you’re alive & that you’re trying to pursue God

Don’t get discouraged when you’re struggling

but remember the struggle is real

DO NOT READ - JUST FOR REFERENCE

The Passion Translation Chapter 7

21 Through my experience of this principle, I discover that even when I want to do good, evil is ready to sabotage me. 22 Truly, deep within my true identity, I love to do what pleases God. 23 But I discern another power operating in my humanity, waging a war against the moral principles of my conscience and bringing me into captivity as a prisoner to the “law” of sin—this unwelcome intruder in my humanity. 24 What an agonizing situation I am in! So who has the power to rescue this miserable man from the unwelcome intruder of sin and death? 25 I give all my thanks to God, for his mighty power has finally provided a way out through our Lord Jesus, the Anointed One! So if left to myself, the flesh is aligned with the law of sin, but now my renewed mind is fixed on and submitted to God’s righteous principles.

The end of Romans 7 Paul is in a massive conflict

What I don’t want to do is the thing I do, ends it here…

Goes into Romans 8:1

Romans 8:1 (TPT)

So now the case is closed. There remains no accusing voice of condemnation against those who are joined in life-union with Jesus, the Anointed One.

If I’m going to surrender everything to God and serve him passionately, I have to give him everything that my heart is attached to.

Everything takes place in the heart.

Who you are on the inside is the indicator of your passion.

It all takes place in the heart – Who you are on the inside

(Question to answer: What is the heart according to the Bible?)

Your heart is the indicator of what you’re feeling, thinking and experiencing.

Proverbs 4:23 (NLT)

“23 Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.”

Guard your heart from things going in.

Guard your heart from things coming out.

Fight for your heart. Otherwise junk can get in that you don’t want to get in.

2. I want to feel what God feels.

Matthew 9:36 (NLT) “36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.”

We have to be careful with this because feelings can lead us astray

Some feel one way in the morning & one way at night

Some need to give yourselves permission to FEEL

Some people are so expressive at the game, or hanging with friends

Then we get to church and become serious & stoic

Somehow we’ve been taught to keep the joy outside

Story: I remember being young in church & people just always seemed mad What is the problem?

I think we ought to be able to enjoy church, laugh and have fun

Jesus is our greatest example & let me show you how he expressed emotion

We read through out his life his different stories expressing himself

Mark 3:5 (NLT)

“5 He looked around at them angrily and was deeply saddened by their hard hearts. Then he said to the man, “Hold out your hand.” So the man held out his hand, and it was restored!”

Luke 10:21 (NLT)

“21 At that same time Jesus was filled with the joy of the Holy Spirit, and he said, “O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding these things from those who think themselves wise and clever, and for revealing them to the childlike. Yes, Father, it pleased you to do it this way.”

Four thoughts you have to burn into your thinking

1. I am accepted by God – Stop trying to earn his approval

2. I am forgiven – When God forgives you he remembers them no more

3. God has a purpose for your life – I don’t care what your challenges are

4. My future is in His hands – Fear is a trap & a great tool of the enemy

The Journey Continues:

My journey of rediscovering faith did not end there. Instead, it was just the beginning. My passion for Jesus continued to grow stronger as I immersed myself in the Scriptures, in prayer, and in serving others. The more I dedicated myself to passionately pursuing God, the more His presence filled my life with joy, peace, and purpose.

Conclusion:

If you find yourself in a similar place today, where your faith feels weak and passion is fading, I encourage you to look to Jesus.

Remember that passion for Jesus is not just a personality trait but a conscious decision we make every day.

Let us choose to be passionate about our faith, to worship God with all our hearts, regardless of how we feel.

When we do so, we will find that the flame of our faith will burn brightly again, guiding us on a transformative journey of love, grace, and purpose.

May we all become passionate disciples of Christ, shining His light in the world.