All across our country, the cold air has brought with it varied forms of weather. Many have never experienced temperatures and precipitation like this in the deep south. In Mobile, Alabama, they broke their record for snowfall. They received 7.5 inches. In Pensacola, Florida, the beaches were white but not from the sand. It was snow! The South has been unusually cold this winter. When it’s cold like this, it reminds me of how our spiritual lives can become cold.
When we are spiritually cold, we are not concerned with reading God’s word or praying. After a while, the coldness makes you numb to the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit. The colder you allow yourself to become, the less likely you are to respond to the preaching of the word. You know that as a Christian, you should go to church; therefore, you learn to go through the motions and convince yourself you are ok. You become apathetic. Other things become more important to you than your walk with God.
In Matthew 24:12, Jesus teaches us how it will be at the end of time on this earth. He says because iniquity, which is wickedness, is abounding in our world our love will grow cold for God and others. For the person still going through the motions of going to church, fellowshipping with other Christians, and refraining from immoral activities, it will be a slow decline. It may be so slow you don’t notice until you get to the point you don’t care. When the temperature drops, it happens one degree at a time. When you allow yourself to get to this point in your life, all it takes to freeze you where you are is one situation that hurts you, and you are ready to quit.
Matthew 24:12 “And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.”
The way to overcome this frigid temperature of the soul is to examine yourself. In II Corinthians 13:5, Paul tells us to examine ourselves to see if we are in the faith. In the church in Corinth, many had allowed themselves to be deceived. We like them, need to examine what we are doing and how we are responding to God against His word. We must not pick and choose what we will believe. We must understand that all of God’s word is given to us to help us grow and become more like Jesus. It instructs us in righteousness, reproves us, and corrects us. It is very profitable to determine our doctrine. Doctrine is the teaching of God’s word. Our doctrine should be based on scripture that sets our beliefs and principles, and those guide our faith and practices as believers.
II Corinthians 13:5 “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?”
II Timothy 3:16 “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:”
What are some red flags to help me see that I am growing cold?
1. Your desire to read God’s word and pray has lessened, and you make excuses for missing time with God. While they may be legitimately fulfilling for your time with honorable things, if you want to grow and be on fire for the Lord, you must find the time to pray and study.
2. When you notice things you have done wrong, but instead of repenting, you seek to justify your actions.
3. You enjoy the praise of men and feel upset or angry when others don’t notice your good deeds or accomplishments.
4. You are more concerned about your happiness than you are about the happiness of others.
5. You feel good about the failures of your enemies.
6. In essence, you are all about yourself.
If we intend to make it to Heaven, we need to prayerfully ask for forgiveness and turn away from our attitudes and actions that allowed us to move away from God and become cold. Only through humbling ourselves and repenting can we thaw a cold heart. Jesus said in Revelation 3:3, “Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.”
If you can look back and see a time when you were more on fire for the Lord than you are now, then you are on the road to an apathetic, cold heart. Becoming cold and apathetic does not happen overnight. It is a process that gradually moves your spiritual temperature down one degree at a time. What is your temperature now? Now is always the best time to change the direction of your thermostat.
