lukewarm to lit on fire

Buckle up, besties. We're back in our Bibles. Welcome or welcome back to the podcast. My name is Dana and I'm your host. This is Gospel To Go, the bite-sized Bible study you can take with you anywhere. I'm so excited that you're here. If you did try to tune in last week, you may have noticed I was a little bit MIA, which is kind of normal for me because you know I got a lot going on. There's a lot going on. There's no excuses. There's no excuses. But just in case you don't know, I'm planning a wedding. We're about four months out now, which is insane. I just have a lot going on. I work a full-time job and I'm trying to make content creation like my thing. Okay. So anywho, we were a little behind last week and I felt really bad, but I did know that there was a special podcast going up with my friend April. So she hosts a podcast called the Astrid Pod and it's insane. It's so, so good. And I was honored to be a part of that podcast and invited to film an episode with her in December and it went live February 10th. So as you know, that was the middle of last week. Um, and so, well, this week that we just had, and so I knew that that episode was going off. So I was like, this might be a good week to just like take a little break. And I knew that you guys wouldn't go, you know, completely, be completely let astray because there was the podcast that went up this week with April. So in case you missed that, I will put that in the show notes below, um, because I did repost a lot about it on my Instagram. But in case you don't follow me on Instagram, you may not have known that that went up. So there is another podcast for you to listen to that I was a guest on and I'm excited for you to listen to it. It is very, very good. And when I listened to it back, it actually made me cry because it's been so long, like, you know, two, a little over two months since we have filmed it. And I kind of forgot about the questions and like, you know, little like tidbits here and there and commentary and like the way that I answered the questions, you can just kind of, it's like interesting for me to hear that back because I feel like I can hear the Holy Spirit talking through me and it's really special. So anyways, I will leave that link below. If you guys want to check that out, I encourage you to do so, especially if you were missing a podcast last week. All that to say. So that's one really good piece of exciting news. And then I have one other piece of exciting news before we get into today's episode, which I'm sure you'll know by clicking on the episode today, we're going to be talking about being lukewarm in our faith. and I'll kind of get into that here in a second. But what I wanted to tell you, the second fun, exciting update that I have for you is that today I created a substack. Now, if you don't know what a substack is, neither did I until maybe 13 hours ago. And I was like, you know what? I'm going to try this thing out. And it's a little scary. It's a little scary. I feel kind of like a grandma trying to navigate Facebook for the first time ever. It's almost like if Twitter, Tumblr, and like a blog had a baby, you can like do notes, which is basically like tweets. So there's like a, you know, there's like that feed. And then you can obviously follow along with different creators and you subscribe to them. So you can either choose a free version or a paid, you know, a monthly paid version for each of your, you know, sub stack subscription. So whoever it that you choose to follow or subscribe to on Substack. And so obviously there's tiers here. So there's a free version and a paid version and I'm figuring it out. I'm trying to figure it out, but I did create, um, obviously I have the free version. If you guys want to subscribe and follow along, I love that. And I would love you so much. I already love you so much, so it's okay. But I have the two different, um, like tiers. So the monthly plan price is 5.99 a month because the cheapest they allowed me to make it was $5. I really wanted to make it like $2.49. I don't know. But anyways, it's like, you know, whatever. But it's the whole point of me saying this is there's a paid version and a free version. In the free version, you're going to get faith filled encouragement sent straight to your inbox. So you'll get emails and trust me, I'm not in the business to flood anyone's inbox. Okay. We get enough spam emails constantly all the time. Trust me. So it'll come like directly from like, it will say Dana's sub stack, I think. And so it'll have like the article title. So you'll know exactly what you're like seeing when you click into it. And I feel like that'll be fun because I want to do them every Monday. So you'll have like something fun and like, just like some encouragement to start the week. And it'll feel personal for me, which I'm excited about. Um, and then there'll be some other like things thrown in there. Like I'll have like articles and stuff that will go live. Obviously I'll write here and there. I actually love to write. If you guys know me, you know I love to yap. I literally have a TikTok, Instagram, a podcast. I freaking love talking. And so I feel like whenever I have a thought that I don't have time to pull over and make a video or maybe I'm at work and I'm like, oh, I need to remember to make a video on that later. This will be such an easier way to get these thoughts out to you guys without having to get ready and make a video. So I feel like it's going to be really fun. Um, if you're a paid subscriber, you're going to get weekly deep dive Bible studies that are exclusive to Substack. So these will be like full blown in-depth Bible studies that you're not going to hear on Instagram or TikTok. This is going to be specifically for Substack. I'm thinking that they're going to be written. I don't know yet. Maybe there'll be videos, but I feel like the whole point is for me to do more writing and like really slow down and this to be like an actual, like I feel like if I make videos it's just gonna it's just gonna be like another tiktok or instagram you know what I mean so we'll do weekly deep dive bible studies and then also there will be a monthly downloadable bible study pdf with a reflection and journaling page like for you to actually like interact with and like download and actually like take time to do like a bible study read the chapter you know what I mean um and then I'm also gonna do live bible studies if you're a paid subscriber, you'll get access to those. And then there'll be like recording saved as well, which will be really fun. So just like a little fun tidbit, if you're wanting more, like that is definitely where you can find me outside of the podcast. If you're not already, make sure to follow me on TikTok and Instagram as well. I will leave those linked down below in the show notes. Okay. Without further ado, because I feel like I've just gave a five minute sales pitch and I actually hate that because I do that all day in my sales job. Like I don't want to like sit here and like give this whole spiel on why you should follow me on Substack when I have one post. We're going to get into the episode, okay? Yes. Yay. So today we are talking about being lukewarm. We're going to talk a little bit about what lukewarm actually looks like, like what that is when you're actually lukewarm. Like I feel like so many people are confused by what that means. We're going to do a little bit of scripture to back it up as well. And then maybe like why we drift into lukewarmness and the danger of being lukewarm. But I want to like end you guys off with just like some good news and getting practical. How do we get back into it if it's something that we have straight away from? I want to be on fire for God. Maybe you've been there before and you want to get back, or maybe you never have been on fire for God and you're trying to learn how to. This is the perfect episode for you guys. Before we start, I always like to pray. If you are in the car, obviously don't do this, but if you're somewhere safe, bow your head, close your eyes, and I invite you to pray with me. Lord God, thank you so much for bringing me together with my friend on the other end of this podcast I ask that you come over us me specifically as I try to preach and teach about being lukewarm Lord there are so many friends out there that feel like they could do better, myself included, and want to learn more about you and want to praise you and want to be on fire for you, God. And I pray that something through this podcast today sparks that fire within them. I pray that today through the scripture or the podcast, or maybe something that happens throughout the day, you reveal yourself to my friend on the other side today, Lord, and you continue to guide them and help them grow. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen. All right, you guys. So being lukewarm. So here's the thing. Being lukewarm is not like being an atheist. I feel like I kind of used to think that. I felt like lukewarm people weren't sure about God. I guess that's a better way to put it. I thought that being lukewarm meant that you were just on the fence. You didn't really know if you believed in God. You didn't really know much about Him. But being lukewarm is actually like this podcast should be a wake-up call to a lot of us to be like, oh, wow, maybe you were kind of lukewarm. And there isn't anything... I want to be clear that I'm not calling anyone like sinners. I am not saying that any of you guys are not good. Like, you know, I would never say that. It's not that you're not good enough. It's that I kind of just want it to feel like a wake up call. I want to just kind of plant a seed and then maybe spark some interest. And maybe if you feel like this is you, then you'll have something to take away. Okay. That is my hope. So you're not totally on fire. Okay. You're not totally on fire for God. You're just comfortable. And if I'm being honest, you guys know I've been there. basically almost my entire life, okay, until last summer. So like 28-ish years. I want to start you off with some scripture. It's Revelation chapter 3, verses 15 through 16. You've probably heard it before. I'm going to read it to you. I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot, because you are lukewarm. I am about to spit you out of my mouth. Can I read it again? I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot, because you are lukewarm. I am about to spit you out of my mouth. Think about, I think John wrote Revelation. I could be actually so wrong, but I want to read Revelation. I've been wanting to skip to that. I'm in a first Corinthians right now, as you guys know, if you've been following along on the podcast, but, um, I really want to do a Revelation Bible study as well. So that is probably going to be our next, uh, our next book in case you're wondering. However, this is such a good piece of scripture because it really paints the picture for us as like, think of something that's lukewarm, your shower. How about your coffee? You know, when you like set your coffee down and you go and do your makeup really quick and you come back to it and it is just like lukewarm, it's not cold. Okay. You don't have like a fun iced latte and you don't have a nice steaming pot of coffee that just came out the burner. Like you're just, it's just lukewarm. And it says, I'm about to spit you out of my mouth because why would you ever want something that's lukewarm? It just isn't good. It's stale. It doesn't taste good. It's not warm. It doesn't feel good. Okay. And the verse used to like, I wouldn't say the verse scared me. I feel like the verse kind of just, I just felt bleh about it, which is kind of ironic because that's what it's like to be lukewarm. It convicts me now. Like when I hear that verse, I'm like humbly reminded, like you better get yourself in check because God is not, being lukewarm is not, it's just not going to cut it. I feel like that is the best way for me to put it. Lukewarm faith, this is why it's a little bit dangerous. It doesn't look rebellious. Okay. It just looks normal. It looks normal to the world. Do you know whatever I think about, like whenever I think about like being back my lukewarm era, this is what I think about. This is how I picture that version of Dana, Dana BC acting. I used God's name in vain. I still actually struggle with this a lot. Danny, for whatever reason, my fiance, for those of you that don't know, Danny has this habit of just going like, Jesus. Normally it's not when he's mad. It's almost like when someone says something and you're like, okay. That was kind of uncalled before. Like, oh, I can't believe he just said that. He always goes, Jesus. And I always used to think it was just funny or cute. Cause like, it's just something that I've noticed his parents do. It's like something that he picked up and he probably doesn't even know that I used to think, I just thought that that was like so cute. He'd always be laughing when he said it. And, um, I, so I have a hard time, honestly, like dropping that because I feel like I've said it for so much of my life and I feel like I'm surrounded by it now because Danny says it so often that I'm really trying to work on that. But when I say I would use God's name in vain, I would JFC all the time. Do you guys know what I mean by that? I was dropping the F-bomb in the middle of our Lord's name. When I was mad, when I was frustrated, when I was annoyed, when I was angry, I was straight up cursing the Lord's name. But when I was cursing his name, did I still believe in him? Yes. Do you understand what I'm saying? Like I still fall. I still can't really, I don't really know if I can say I followed him. I believed in him. I prayed. I guess that's it. I went to church on Christmas and Easter. Okay. So I called myself a Christian into the world. Like I was a good person. Like, I don't think ever in my life I've been like an evil person or like really like bullied someone or, or like it was known. Like, I feel like I've always been known as a very like outgoing, friendly person, I would think. And so I don't feel like there was ever a time where I was blatantly evil to the world, but I was using his name in vain, even though I believed in him. I was making jokes about him or I would laugh when other people say things about Christianity or make, I don't know if make fun of it's the right word, but you guys know when people are just like, oh, well, God decided to reign on my parade this morning or whatever, they say, like, I feel like nowadays I'm really, I'm so much more encouraged to respond with like maybe scripture or like words of encouragement. And back then I used to just be like, oh, yep, God must hate me. Like this is going on in my life. Like just like, and just kind of like joke and join in. Right. Even though I knew that I believed in him, I was using him. Like I was just talking about him poorly. And when people would, would, um, blast, what's the word? Like when people would just like curse him in public or talk poorly about him, I never stood up for him. And you know what? That makes me really sad because Jesus sticks up for us. And if Jesus were with us, I mean, Jesus is always with us, but if he was tangible standing right next to me in this room right now, and somebody was coming after me, he would stick up for me. And I was never sticking up for him for 28 years. Okay. Like these are things that are funny to the world but they not funny to me now So being lukewarm actually looks like loving God but loving comfort more Some of these things might sound very familiar So and don freak out Don freak out It totally fine. Okay. We're totally fine. Take a deep breath. It's very normal. This is very normal, which is why I want to address it. We love God. We believe in him. We pray to him, but we love comfort more. We are very comfortable in our sin. We're having sex before marriage. Yes, that episode is coming, don't worry. A lot of you guys had good feedback on that last week. I told you I kind of wanted to open up about just like relationships and kind of like dive into that and what that's looking like in my life. I just need a little more like time. I need like permission from Danny, honestly, before I dive into that. Cause I feel like that's both of our lives. And I just don't know if he's ready for me to talk about that. Um, which is fair. So sex before marriage. It looks like using his name in vain. It looks like stealing, cheating, lusting, um, lying. It's comfortable. Like it's the world has made it so normal. So yeah, we believe in God, but like, I want to pick and choose what I believe. I want to pick and choose, you know, what I like, what I let God have control over. No, it's not how it works. And you're probably thinking, cause this is what I used to think. Well, I'm not that crazy. Like, well, I don't want to go like full blown, like Jesus freak. I don't want to, you know, go full, like balls to the walls. Sorry. I shouldn't be using that. Um, I like, you know, you're just like, I just don't want to be like whole like head first, but here's the thing, guys, you like have to be, to be on fire for the Lord. You have to give, you don't get to be one foot in one foot out. You don't, you really don't. It's a relationship. Would you ever be like that to your boyfriend, your fiance, your husband, your best friend, your mom, your sister. Think about everyone you have a relationship with. You can't be, you probably are in a relationship right now. Maybe it's a friendship or a neighbor or like a family member who's one foot in one foot out. Why did I say neighbor? But why? Like, I don't know. Maybe you have a good relationship with your neighbor. You're never one foot in one foot out. Like you don't respect. Think about if somebody was like that in your relationship, they only called you when they wanted to hang out. And again, we probably have friends like this. They only call you when they need something. They only call you on their timeline. Think about how God, Oh, this is a good, this would be a good TikTok or a good subsec post. I feel the fire lighting within me right now, as I'm saying this, because this isn't even in my script, but this is a good one guys. Like how would you feel if the boy that you loved was one foot in one foot out of the relationship. Maybe we've all been there. He's like, yeah, I'll hang out with you when I want. I'll respond to you whenever I feel like it. I'll ask you for things when I, you know, I'll demand things from you when I need them on my timeline. You're going to hang out with my friends when I say like, and then he's also like, I don't know the other time, like half the week, he's just like MIA. He's not even responding to he's not talking to you how would you feel that's how God feels when we are lukewarm okay maybe we say we trust him but we never open our bible we post a verse on our stories or in our instagram captions or instagram bios but we don't live it out that is my biggest pet peeve ever that's my literally my biggest pet peeve ever we wear a cross necklace but we like don't even talk to God okay you're literally do you understand like what you are wearing on your chest the cross of Jesus Christ died for you and your sins on died for you he literally died for you that's how much he loves you and you're just like wearing it like a fashion statement wanting blessings but you don't want to surrender do you guys ever hear um this is actually something that I think I want to do an entire podcast episode on are you asking God to bless your sin are you asking god to get you to work safely and that you hit all the green lights but you're speeding are you asking god to ace your test but you've cheated your way through or you've just quickly like written some notes on the back of your palm but you're praying praying praying that god gets you through it but you're cheating are you having sex before marriage and you really want a baby but you're not committed to a man and a man's not committed to you and you're praying that you can have a baby or maybe praying that you don't have a baby. Maybe you're praying that you don't get pregnant, but you're having sex before marriage. You're sinning. And I'm not, I'm not here. Hold on. Listen, I feel like I'm getting a little bit like, I'm getting a little like, like what's the word? I keep wanting to say like agitated. Like, I feel like I'm coming off kind of mean. I, I, again, these are, do you guys know like all three things that I just mentioned, I do. I've done. Like all three things that I just mentioned to you. I've cheated. I've lied. I've spent, I've had sex before marriage. I've done these things. So please know, like I'm talking to you. Like we are just like big sis, little sis sitting on the couch together, like drinking a smoothie and chit chatting it up. Um, you're wanting conviction without change. Lukewarm is spiritually casual. It's when Jesus is part of our life, but he's not lord of it. You're not letting him rule over it. Why do we drift into lukewarmness? Culture and society makes half in, half out Christianity very, very, very, very normal. And it's easy. I think it's easy and it's very normal and it's very, not popular, but it's very normal, you guys, okay, to feel half in, half out. And again, I think it's because society basically makes that the norm. Busyness feels productive, discipline feels extreme, and conviction feels uncomfortable. Conviction feels uncomfortable, okay? But comfort was never the goal. The goal was intimacy. God wants to have a relationship with you. The scariest part isn't that we're sinning loudly. Do you know what I mean by that? Like I mentioned this a little bit earlier in the episode. It's not evident to everyone that you're lukewarm. You're not called an atheist. You're not known as like a sinner or a bad person, but it's that we don't feel urgency. There's no hunger. There's no fire. There's no desperation for God. You should literally feel like desperate in the best way for God. Like you, I have made it now a, a priority that when I get into bed, when I crawl into bed before I turn on my TV, it's just a habit that I've now created. Like I talked to God for like literally a minimum of, um, oh my gosh, I can't speak a minimum of one minute, like a minimum of one minute. I just talked to him and like, I find myself smiling. I find myself like this morning I was blasting Holy Spirit Come by Patrick Mayberry, my absolute favorite worship song in the car on the way to work. And I am like giddy. I'm giddy. Like God wants the relationship with him. You should feel, you should feel like so like desperate is not the right word. You should just feel so pulled to him. You should want it. You should want it. Okay. Okay, we're just, we're spiritually neutral. We're just bleh when you're lukewarm, okay? And neutrality is dangerous because it feels safe. It feels safe But guys we have to get uncomfortable So I feel like I just spewed you 20 minutes of negativity Let talk about the good news There hope obviously Obviously there always hope in Jesus He doesn't expose lukewarmness to shame us. And again, guys, that is not why I am like talking about lukewarmness. It is not to shame you. It's not to shame me. It's not to talk negatively. I am talking about it to wake us up, like myself included. I kind of went through a rut a couple of weeks ago where I was just like, oh, like I do not want to read my Bible. I do not want to make my videos. I don't want to talk about it. I feel kind of like, you know, it's easy to fall back into it. It's easy to go into those like waves, those ups and downs. And so if you are in that season, I am talking to you right now. Um, right after those verses and revelation that I read to you 15 through 16, he says, those whom I love, I rebuke and discipline conviction is love. Conviction is love. If you feel a tug while listening to this, that is with grace conviction. Okay. And here's the thing. Like I want to talk about how to get that fire back because I feel like people talk about being lukewarm all the time, but no one is actually telling us or teaching us how to get out of that lukewarm area era. So if this is you have no fear, we're going to make a game plan. We're going to make a game plan. I don't know why game plan just made me think of this, but I saw a tick tock yesterday that made me cackle and I literally saved it immediately. I was like, oh, absolutely. It said every time a demon gets under your skin or successfully like makes you upset, annoyed or angry, there is like a demon somewhere getting a promotion because they've successfully accomplished their assignment. And I was like, yup, yup. Next time I feel anger, frustration, annoyance, like I'm going to pray immediately because I feel like, like I'm not trying to give a demon a promotion. What? Absolutely not. Okay. Here's how we're going to get the fire. Here's how we're going to get the fire back. Sorry. Going off track a little bit. We're going to repent honestly. So repent, ask for forgiveness, be honest about it. And remember repentance is not repentance. If you're not going to change it. Okay. How about that lukewarm boyfriend coming to you and saying, sorry for cheating on you. I'm sorry. I won't do it again. But then he turns around and he does it again. Okay. Then you're not sorry. So same thing with repentance. Repent honestly. Obviously we're going to fall into sin here and there. Like I'm not saying it's got to be perfection, but like, you know, if you're being honest or not, check your heart posture. Okay. I trust you guys. You know, your heart. Number two, we're going to ask God for hunger. Ask him, pray for him. You know, what's so cool is like, we're literally trying to be on fire for God. How cool is it that we can ask God to give us the strength to be on fire for him? Like you can't walk, like, what if you're falling out of love with your boyfriend and you like, you can't walk up to your boyfriend and be like, I really like, please give me the strength to love you again. Like you can't do that, but you can with God because God's amazing. God is so cool. Number three, open your Bible daily. Open it daily, even when it feels dry, even when it feels hard, even if you're like, I'm going to read literally one verse, five words today. That's it. Set the widget on your lock screen with the Haven app or the YouVersion Bible app. Set a widget where it gives you a Bible verse. Read your Bible daily. Number four, remove what numbs your spirit. What is it that's literally making you feel bleh? What is it that's not giving you any sort of life, TikTok or Instagram that you are scrolling on for four hours before you fall asleep. Like, what is that giving you? If it is not being like, if it is not changing you, the way that you are in your faith or the way that you treat your friends and your family, there's no need for it. They're truly like, I, you know, we're good. I get, we have it for entertainment truly, but like, I feel like we just need to be more careful about what we're inviting in because if it's numbing your spirit or is giving, it's like tainting your spirit, almost like it's making you want to commit sin or feel or think negatively, like we don't want it, remove it. Okay. And number five, last but not least, we're going to invite accountability. You want to take accountability for what it is that you need to change. Let God in, let him convict you, let him talk to you. Okay. Pray about it. And remember that fire doesn't often return overnight. Like you're not probably going to wake up tomorrow and just like suddenly be on fire, but obedience reignites it. So be obedient, be obedient to what it is that God is trying to talk to you about or convict you of or remove from your life. And I promise you, I promise you, you're going to love it. You're going to feel so much better. I just want to share like a couple more personal moments with you guys, because this is like important to me when I get to kind of just like have a chitchat with you and be vulnerable. There are so many seasons that I've been in where I've felt spiritually passive. okay like checking you know like a time when faith felt like i was just checking a checkbox like going to church on christmas and easter and just getting through it like not actually listening to the sermons not actually listening to the homilies not listening to what the priest actually has to say or what gospels he's reading i've always identified as a catholic and a christian sure but i was never truly surrendered i was never truly like god i'm giving it to you and that is where the difference comes into play. That is what makes it powerful. Like I have gotten in the habit, not only of like when I crawl into bed, just being like practicing gratitude and having a short conversation with God, but on the way to work, like blasting my worship music and talking over it, talking to God, rebuking anything negative or evil that's going to come to me throughout the day because it's all around us. And it is like making such a difference in my day. But in order to do that, you have to be obedient and you have to be, you have to surrender and it's hard. It's very, very hard. And it comes with practice. Like I've been at this for what, eight months and it took me so long to get comfortable to even like sing in my car to worship music or talk to God out loud. It feels uncomfortable at first, but that's okay. That's okay. Like do it, do it. And you're going to feel so giddy after. And I can't wait for that because it's such a cool feeling. Okay. Um, guys, I have to end this off because we're nearing 30 minutes and I know you guys like the shorter podcast, but basically I just wanted to say, if you're listening and you're realizing that you've been lukewarm, please, please don't panic. Do not spiral. Just remember that God is not asking for perfection. You guys, he's asking for your heart. Okay. Your whole heart surrender to him. And if you are ready to move from comfortable Christianity to fully surrendered faith, I promise you are in the right place. I hope you guys, if this is your first podcast episode that you're listening to of me, welcome. Um, I know I already said that, but I encourage you to check out some of my other podcasts. I think we are on now episode 12 or 13, which is crazy. And, um, I just love this. I love being able to like yap to you guys. And so if you guys ever have any more ideas for, um, like podcast episodes or topics, I would absolutely love to hear them. Please DM me on Instagram. That is where I check most of my DMS. Um, I really don't ever check my tech talk DM. So if you've been trying to DM me on there, try Instagram, I try to get through them like once a week. So, um, that's that, but I, all that to say, I really do love chatting with you guys and like being able to build that community. And I appreciate you guys because without you, I wouldn't be where I am today and I wouldn't have this community. So, um, just remember, I love you so much. Jesus loves you. All of my, um, links to social media and all that other stuff, my Bible, my study Bible will be linked down below as always. And just remember, like I said, Jesus loves you so much and I'll see you next week. Have a fantastic week.