Do you feel like your faith has dwindled down over time?
Are you tired of being lukewarm in your faith?
For so, so long, I was a lukewarm Christian, but didn’t want to admit it. It just sounded like a bad label to place on Christians, who were complacent about their faith.
I rarely read my Bible and prayed to God. I called myself a Christian, but didn’t actually have a personal relationship with God.
There were seasons in my life when I would be on fire for God and other seasons when I would be lukewarm.
One of the reasons why I actually started this blog was because I was so tired of being lukewarm that I decided to re-dedicate my life to Christ. I wanted to share everything I was learning about my faith and just go all in.
So if you can relate and you’re wondering how to stop being a lukewarm Christian, I hope this blog post will help.
Honestly, the fact that you’re reading this post says a lot about how ready you are to grow in your faith.
God is good and He is already working in your heart without you even knowing it.
Let’s jump into how to stop being a lukewarm Christian.
What does lukewarm christian mean?
First of all, maybe you’ve heard of the term lukewarm, but you aren’t really sure what it means. Let’s define it.
Lukewarm, based on the dictionary, means “lacking conviction : half-hearted.”
From a biblical perspective, a lukewarm Christian is one who is half-hearted in their relationship with God.
The person may call themselves a Christian, but do they actually have a personal relationship with God? Are they actively pursuing a relationship with God?
A lukewarm Christian might feel indifferent towards faith, maybe even a bit apathetic.
Like I mentioned, I was lukewarm in my faith for a prolonged season of my life. I wasn’t consistently actively reading my Bible or praying to God. I called myself a Christian and was going to church, but deep down, I felt so spiritually dry.
how does god view lukewarm?
“I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.”
Revelation 3:15-16
The context of this verse is Jesus addressing the Laodicean church, which is lukewarm – “neither cold nor hot.” Jesus actually states that he would prefer they were “either cold or hot.” Why?
A church that is “hot” and “on fire” for Christ is most likely committed to faith and spiritual matters. On the other hand, a church that is “cold” has the potential to change and find Christ.
But a lukewarm church knows of Christ and does not deny its faith, but it also does not actively engage in a relationship with Him.
This also applies to us as Christians.
A lukewarm Christian maybe has knowledge of the Bible and of God, but does not do anything to pursue a relationship with Him. God would rather you be hot or cold rather than lukewarm.
So how do we step out of this lukewarm season? How do we actually pursue a relationship with God?
Here are five ways to stop being a lukewarm Christian and step into your holy girl era (hence the blog name)!
5 ways to stop being a lukewarm christian
1. admit and confess where you are at
Before you can move forward practically with recommitting your relationship with Christ, you need to fully admit where you’re at.
Confession is the first step to grow closer to God. Why?
Because when we are lukewarm, often times, we won’t even acknowledge our current state of faith. We don’t necessarily see it as a problem. Or maybe we do, but we don’t do anything about it.
So we need to confess to God and be honest about where our faith is at.
We’re acknowledging that we actually need the Holy Spirit to intervene in our stagnant faith and work in our hearts.
"God, I confess that I've been lukewarm for so long. I confess that I feel indifferent towards you. I confess that I haven't been turning to you when I should've been. I want a relationship with you, and I don't want to be lukewarm anymore."
Ask Him to humble your heart and let the Holy Spirit intervene and work in you.
2. get into the word
How do we face a lukewarm faith? We acknowledge our shortcomings and turn to Christ.
We need the Truth to seep into our stagnant state of faith. How do we do that? By getting into the Word and allowing God to speak into us.
Let me be real with you real quick, though.
Maybe you expect to feel different or renewed immediately after recommitting your faith to Christ. I don’t doubt that the Holy Spirit can change us and work within us.
You might not feel anything as you read His Word. You might wonder, “What’s wrong with me? Shouldn’t I feel some type of way when I’m reading the Bible?”
Then, you start to feel discouraged because you’re not feeling closer to God.
Feelings can sometimes be so fickle, deceitful, and misleading. When we rely on our feelings too much, we allow the lies of the enemy to seep in and steal our peace and joy.
So sisters, I encourage you to not be discouraged if you don’t feel any different.
I like to imagine a relationship with God as a relationship with a best friend.
Maybe for a while, you didn’t really keep in contact with your friend, so you both lose touch.
Over the years, you realize you miss your best friend and want to rekindle a relationship. It’s been a while, so the first few hangouts feel a bit awkward, unfamiliar, and slow.
As time goes, you start to learn more about your friend and what she’s been up to. You grow closer and start to share a rekindled, beautiful relationship with each other.
Just like it takes time to rekindle a relationship with an old friend, it will take time to grow closer to God.
“The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.”
Psalm 145:18
When you feel discouraged, keep calling out to God.
Get to know Him through His Word and don’t rely on your feelings to grow closer to God.
Rely on the Truth and what He says about you!
“You will keep in perfect peace
Isaiah 26:3
those whose minds are steadfast,
because they trust in you.”
3. guard your heart and mind
As we continue to seek and grow closer to God, it’s crucial to guard your heart and mind.
You need to be weary about what you let into your heart and mind.
If you’re someone who is easily influenced by those around you or what you listen to, you need to be cautious about these things.
In order for me to really take my faith seriously, I had to filter what movies/TV shows I was watching and what music I was listening to.
The Holy Spirit would convict me when I was listening to secular music that had a lot of profanity or weren’t glorifying to God. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I also had to be mindful of the Korean dramas I was watching.
I’m a sucker for anything romantic comedy, but I realized that I was painting such a distorted view of love vs reality in my mind. I also was using k-dramas to distract myself instead of spending more time with God.
Long story short, I’m being more mindful of how much I consume and what I’m consuming online.
So I encourage you to take a look at the areas of your life that need more “guarding.”
If we want a relationship with God, we need to protect our hearts from allowing sin to freely enter in. We need to stop letting doors be open, when they’re meant to be closed as well.
Where is the Holy Spirit convicting you? I know this is tough, but ask God to remove the things in your hearts that you are not pleasing to Him.
Through confession, it is only through His strength that He can change your heart and mind.
“Above all else, guard your heart,
Proverbs 4:23
for everything you do flows from it.”
4. seek god in your everyday
If you want to stop being a lukewarm Christian, you need to seek God in your everyday!
You might be wondering what this even means, but what I love about this is that God will reveal himself differently to everyone!
But it is your job to draw close to Him and seek His presence.
Here are some ideas to seek God in your everyday:
- Go on a 15 minute prayer walk and be outdoors in His Creation
- Have a mini worship session with just you and Him
- Pray before you exercise
- Listen to a Christian podcast on your commute
- Talk to Him when you’re in the shower
There are so many small ways we can seek God in our daily lives without even realizing it.
It’s so tempting to scroll on TikTok or Instagram, instead of seeking God. I’m not trying to shame you or guilt-trip you.
I’m literally calling myself out as I write this, haha.
I want to be clear that this Christian walk of life isn’t performance-based. When you make it about how much you’re doing for God, you’re only putting pressure on yourself when God doesn’t expect anything from us.
There is grace for our imperfections and our flaws – praise God!
We are forgiven for our sins and we don’t have to strive for perfection in this life. He literally sent His Son to die on the cross for us, even though we did nothing but sin and hurt Him!
So even if you don’t necessarily seek God in your everyday, that doesn’t make you any less than or not good enough.
Does that mean we do nothing or take advantage of God’s grace? Nope!
If you truly wanted to get to know someone, you’ll naturally want to reach out and spend time with that person. That’s the same way it should be with God. Yes, there is grace, AND there is also love.
One way to show love is to spend quality time with the person.
How would you like to spend quality time with God? Take some time to create a list of ways you can spend quality time with God in your day-to-day.
5. get plugged into a community
Whether it’s a small group or a Christian friend, getting plugged into a Christian community can impact your spiritual growth.
When you’re surrounded by other Christian believers who also seek to know God, it’s a beautiful thing!
Finding quality Christian friendships can be difficult and it might take some time to get plugged into a community. But I encourage you to pray and ask God to bring these quality friendships into your life.
Whether it’d be brothers and sisters in Christ, He will provide for you if you ask. On the other hand, be proactive in seeking out these friendships.
If you see someone that you want to get closer to, reach out to grab a meal with that person. Sometimes, we want other people to initiate conversations or the relationship.
However, if we really are “hungry” for a Christian community, then don’t let fear stop you from pursuing a relationship with people!
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