Stuck

This week is my week to introduce the question to our group the SBS. Here is the pre cursor to my question:

Jesus says He would rather you be hot or cold than lukewarm. He despises a lukewarm Christian; He wants to spit them out of His mouth. When you first become a Christian you are “fired up” so to speak. Then during your sanctification process we become stagnant for whatever reason. Stuck if you will. I can think of many reasons why we become stuck, but what do you do to get unstuck, and how do you get to the next plateau in your Christian walk? The real crux of this question is a heart check for us all. Are we stuck in the middle right now? It makes me think of a book I read clled Your God Is Too Safe, that talks about being in that place, or in between might be a better way to state it. What do you do to get out of the mire and muck and stagnation of your walk with Christ and increase your sanctification?

So here is the question:

How do we get past the stagnant point between salvation and sanctification?

My Answer:

One, is we have to cut out the distractions in our life that interfere with our "Jesus Time" by that I don't mean to join a commune and lock your self in a room and pray and read your bible 24/7. What I mean, is that there are probably things we could re-evaluate and tweak a little. For me it could be TV or the computer. Between the two, I probably spend an average of 4 hours a day engrossed in one or the other. What if I spent a quarter of that time in prayer, or in my bible?

Two: We have to see Jesus for who He really is. If we sit down and shut up for awhile and just meditate on who Jesus really is, we should fall over backwards in our chairs! We have (or at least I have) become so comfortable and complacent about Jesus that He becomes just another name we throw out there. We need to recapture the awe and reverence of who He really is. How about for starters, the creator of everything! We get to have a dialogue and conversation with this Jesus...and He listens, and He cares!! Do you grasp that?!!

Three: involve yourself. Surround yourself with other Christians who are fired up! For example, if you want to get good at skiing, you surround yourself with people who are passionate about skiing, who are good at it, practice all the time, devote themselves to getting better at it. You wouldn't or shouldn't expect to get better if you go once a month, or go with someone who is just starting out.

In conclusion the best way to get "unstuck" and move forward is to realize who Jesus is, and what He has done for you. If that doesn't get you unstuck and motivated, you better check your pulse. Your "christian" pulse.