How to Remain Strengthened as You Serve God

Excerpt

By prioritising your spiritual fervour, prayer, consistent fasting, and forgiveness, you can maintain the strength and joy needed to serve God faithfully.

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I walked up and down tirelessly, and finally, I sat to write this article in the evening. I felt so tired and would have liked to go to bed, but it was God’s will for me to do it. As spouses, children, parents, students, and workers, we occasionally lose strength in our daily activities. For this reason, we rest on weekends and holidays. However, the Christian loses strength differently. How? By losing flame (spiritual fervour) or the joy in the Lord. This spiritual fire or joy of the Lord is required to do exploits in kingdom business, hence, the agenda for today’s article. We are looking at how to remain strengthened as we serve God.

#1 Your Spiritual fervour is vital for lasting in ministry

When you read Romans 12:11 (NIV), it says,

“Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.”

What does this spiritual fervour mean? Spiritual fervour is easier to describe than define. It is the intense and passionate feeling you have in your spirit for the things of the Spirit, that is, the things of God. That is what kept Paul moving, writing letters even when bound in prison. A person as such has the fire burning continually in them.

Usually, the people in Christ who begin to feel mild guilt toward entertaining sin have a fireless Christianity. If that strength were still there, there would be no way they would entertain sin. They start doing that when they grow weary. They lose their fervour, don’t go to God daily for divine fellowship again, and start drifting slowly, which shouldn’t be so.

In Leviticus 1:7, the Bible says that the sons of the priest (Aaron) are to put fire on the altar and arrange wood on the fire. That was an everyday routine in the temple. Today, it’s just like we fellowshipping with God every day. That’s a top-notch secret to remain strengthened in Christ.

#2 Be prayerful

Colossians 4:2 tells us that we should devote ourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. Why? Because prayer is a necessity in each believer’s life. Do you want to remain strengthened as you serve God? Then you must be intentional about your prayer life. Talk to God every day, and ask Him for the strength to fulfil your calling. If you ask, it shall be given to you in accordance with His will (see Matthew 7:7, James 4:3-4).

A person who prays a lot is a person who gets answers from God a lot. He tarries in prayer, and God answers him. Even in extreme busyness, the believer should pray. David was a king. Right? He was busy but never too busy for God. He always made time to speak with God. If a coal remains in fire, it gets lit up on fire and burns throughout its lifespan. But when it is taken out from the fire, it gradually loses its fire and becomes charcoal or turns into ashes. God is the source of your fire in Him. Stay with Him in prayer.

God, in His infinite wisdom, knows how forgiveness in the heart of the unbeliever becomes a burden they carry around every time and drains them. Forgive those who hurt you and pray for them if you want the strength to serve God.

#3 Fast consistently

Fasting is another great spiritual exercise to keep doing if you want to remain strengthened as you serve God. But fasting without prayer and Word is not fasting; it’s starvation. How does depriving your body of food (which also comes with denying the body of fleshly pleasures) give you strengthen you? Through fasting, you’ll become alert to the things of the Spirit. As the Spirit subdues over your flesh, the body becomes weaker and the Spirit stronger. Once the Spirit is stronger, you will do extraordinary things as you serve God for some time. So fasting consistently helps to remain strengthened in your spirit.

Read more: Four Prerequisites To Effective Fasting For Christians

#4 Forgive quickly

Ever heard of the phrase “the joy of the LORD is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10, ESV)? How can you have joy in harbouring a wrong a brother or sister has done you? The more you remind yourself of it, the more it pains you. The more it weakens you. Matthew 5:23-24 (KJV) says,

“Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.”

Forgiveness is a prerequisite for prayer. God, in His infinite wisdom, knows how forgiveness in the heart of the unbeliever becomes a burden they carry around every time and drains them. Forgive those who hurt you and pray for them if you want the strength to serve God.

In summary, you can maintain the strength and joy needed to serve God faithfully by prioritising your spiritual fervour, prayer, consistent fasting, and forgiveness. Remember, even when you feel tired, God’s strength is ever-present for you if you seek it. So keep the fire burning brightly, stay connected to Him through prayer, and face your challenges with a forgiving heart.  As you do this, you will find that your service to God is not a burden but a source of continual strength and renewal.

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