sf993 - Spiritual Passion Thieves 2 Of (Numbers 11 15)

Numbers 11:15; 1 Kings 19:4; Jonah 4:3

Introduction

The Scriptures above are three prayers, prayed by three men of God, Moses, Elijah, and Jonah.  Each of the three asked God to kill them, they had lost their spiritual passion.

Spiritual passion is loving God with all your being, pleasing Him with all you do, and glorifying with all your might.

We are tri-part being, spirit, soul, and body.

In regeneration our spirit is transformed immediately, our soul is slowly transformed (mind, will, and emotions); our body will not be transformed until the resurrection.

Although they are distinct they are also interrelated.

God spoke to Moses directly (Exodus 33:11), he had a passion for God.

Elijah was a great prophet, man of prayer, bold in his obedience and proclamation.

Jonah, (2 Kings 14:25) had a passion for God, he was a prophet.

1A.      Detecting the Spiritual Passion Thieves

1B.      In the body

Each of these men were worn out physically.

Moses had spent 40 years with 2 million whining Israelites (Numbers 11:11-14)

Ø      Trying to function in a constant state of fatigue will drain us of our spiritual passion.

Elijah had experienced a great revelation of God’s power and presence.

Ø      He had ran 30 miles. 

Ø      He had very little food.

Jonah had spent three days in the belly of a whale.

Ø      Without any rest he went immediately to Nineveh.

Ø      He walked across the city approximately the size of Philadelphia preaching for three days.

2B.      In the soul

Moses had a people problem

Ø      He took his eyes off God and focused on the people. (Numbers 11:11; Exodus 18:13)

Ø      Focusing on people and not the Lord will drain us of our spiritual passion.

Elijah had a pity problem (1 Kings 19:10)

Ø      Self-pity is the step before discouragement.

Jonah had a pout problem

Ø      He was unhappy with God’s ways.

2A.      Dealing with the Spiritual Passion Thieves

1B.      In the body

Moses re-organized and delegated (Numbers 11:16-17)

Ø      A need or a request does not constitute a call from God.

Elijah rested and the Lord fed him (1 Kings 19:5-6)

Jonah, God provided relief from the heat. (Jonah 4:5-6)

2B.      In the soul

Moses put his focus back on God (Numbers 11:23-25)

Elijah regained his vision and sense of mission.

Jonah, God gave him an object lesson with a gourd and a worm that helped him see life from heaven’s perspective.