Have You Become Lukewarm?

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Romans 8:38-39 

Do you remember when you decided to pray and stand for marriage restoration? Like most people, you probably felt a great sense of hope. You may have thought you could identify with the testimonies you heard about restored marriages. You finally realized – there is hope for my marriage.

You felt like you were willing to do whatever it took to restore your marriage. You attended Bible studies, and you spent time in the Word, you spent time in prayer, and you spent time remembering the good things about your spouse. You realized your spouse had been deceived and blinded by the enemy. God may have convicted you about areas where you had even failed in your marriage.

We hear from people regularly who are so excited as they begin their standing journey. They feel energized and ready to stand firm battling the enemy for their marriage!

This scripture in Ephesians reminds us of the spiritual battle we are facing.

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.  Ephesians 6:12 

Where are you today? Has your relationship with Christ become lukewarm? Has that same temperature spilled over into your stand? Yes, you may say you’re praying for restoration, but does your daily life reflect that?

A person who is not lukewarm in their Christian walk desires to spend time with the Lord. It is a priority in their life, not something that happens when time permits. They want God’s will for their marriage. They spend time in prayer with the Lord, allowing time not only to give their requests but also to spend time listening to the voice of the Lord.

It is easy to become lukewarm in your stand. Some may reach that point quickly, while others reach that point after a long stand. A lukewarm stander may have stopped praying for their spouse’s salvation. They can no longer remember the good times in their marriage. They took off their wedding ring and may have even started exploring other dating options.

Where are you in your stand? Are you lukewarm or on fire for God? Are you prepped for battle and fighting the enemy, or are you tired and hoping God will release you from this stand?

In the Christian film, The War Room, there is a scene where the older prayer warrior, Miss Clara, is having coffee with a young wife she is attempting to mentor. Miss Clara immediately sees that this young woman has become lukewarm in her Christian walk. As she prepares her coffee, she pours her friend a cup of lukewarm coffee which immediately gets spit out. Do you get the point? Scripture even talks about this.

So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.  Revelation 3:16 

I would challenge you to evaluate your relationship with Christ. Let me ask some questions we can all use to assess our walk.

• Are you lukewarm or on fire for Jesus?
• Do you trust that the Lord has your best interest in mind?
• Do you think He is powerful enough to bring your spouse home?
• Are you spending time with the Lord routinely?

It is easy to get comfortable with a relationship and become lax in our time together. The same can be said of our relationship with Jesus. If I am not careful and purposeful, I can find that the busyness of life has taken over, and I have not made time with my Creator a priority.

I realize that so many of you are in quiet stands, where you are praying for a spouse you may not have regular contact with. I know the days can turn into months and years, and you may have forgotten who and what you are standing for.

Allow me to remind you. You are standing for your covenant spouse. That one flesh mate that you stood beside and made a vow to. You may know your spouse doesn’t have a personal relationship with Jesus. In that case, you are standing in the gap and praying for their salvation. If you won’t care enough to pray for their salvation, who will?

Maybe you need to remind yourself what your life was like when you were in love, before the problems set in. Look through your wedding album. Pull out those old love notes you may have exchanged. Make a list of things that you admire about your spouse. That list may be hard to come up with, but I am sure you can remember some of the reasons you fell in love.

I pray that you are not lukewarm in your stand or, more importantly, in your walk with Christ. If you are, spend some time in prayer today. Tell the Lord you want that fellowship back with Him. He will honor that request.

God bless,