I heard a great teaching recently that I had to pass on. Why is it that sometimes we feel so dry spiritually? We remember the times of joy and refreshment and wonder what happened? Where did God go?

He’s still there, but He’s changing you. Think of your spirit like a sponge. When it absorbs all it can, there’s no more room for anything else. You need to dry out a bit so God can refill you with new revelation. You’ll be able to absorb more after a time of quiet.

I think it sometimes gets hard to hear God when He wants us to come closer. We’ve learned what we needed to on the level we’re at. Now He wants us to step up higher, closer to His throne. We have to press in more and listen with our heart for the gentle encouraging He gives us.

Don’t allow the enemy to lie about the quiet times. He wants you to think you’ve done something wrong, that God is mad at you. No, no, no, no! Rebuke that lie and don’t believe it. God is and will always be madly in love with you. Let those times of quiet do the work its meant to and you’ll find God in great, new, and wonderful ways.

Your goal for the day should be to live 1 Corinthians 13. Go there now and read it. If God is everything in your life and you can live in love, then there’s nothing that God won’t do for you. Can you do it? You’d better, because that is what Jesus called us to do. It’s not an option.  We don’t get to cop-out because of personality issues.

Love is the foundation for everything in the kingdom. Love like God loves, not the world. Love in worldly terms is selfish. It’s about how I feel. Love in God’s terms is giving. It’s about how other’s feel. It would be a good idea to read 1 Corinthians 13 every day. Memorize it. Get it into your spirit. Know where your weaknesses are and ask God to help.

Pursue love. (1Cor 14:1) Chase it down. Be who you are called to be in the kingdom. If you can live in radical love, you can change the world. You can call down heaven and heaven will come. Love completely, totally, sold-out. Stop judging. Stop complaining. Stop waiting for what’s yours.

The kingdom of God is backward. You get everything you need when you give. Love through the hurt. Let the peace of God cover up the rough spots. You can never go wrong when you love. It may not be received well, but God sees.

Let the love begin and see what happens next.

I Corinthians 13 makes is very clear that if love is not our motivation for everything, then all our efforts are in vain. Even if signs and wonders follow after us, we can still have the wrong attitude. Love must come first — before wisdom, before giving, before sacrifice. Why are we giving? Because we love the person in need. Why are we meeting with other believers? Because we love them.

What if you don’t? It’s a fair question, because love for other people outside our intimate circle does not come naturally. We may feel concern, but that’s not the same as love. What if that tank is really, truly dry? We go to God.

We’re told to pursue love. (I Cor 14:1), We’re told that because God knows that it’s not natural for us. And it’s not easy to attain. That’s why we have to pursue it. Pursuit implies that we have a moving target. We have to keep going after it. Once we grab a hold of it, we get a little bit. Keep pursuing. Get more.

All of the aspect of God are available to us, but they don’t just download completely when we ask. We have to want it and keep wanting it. Pursue love until you get it. Until all your motivations are driving by a desire to bless and love. Pursue more. Let love change your life. Let it open doors to heaven that you never even knew about. It’s the foundation of the kingdom, the very essence of everything that we do.

We all have a gift and calling from God. Some of us have figured that out and some of us haven’t. What if you have? What if you know you want to write, or sing, or play guitar in a worship band? Maybe it’s because you love doing it, or maybe you’ve been given a prophetic word that you’re called to do that. Awesome! That’s a great place to start. Now be excellent.

Take the time to develop the gift in you.

Just because you know that you’re called to be a writer doesn’t make you a great writer. It doesn’t even make you a good writer. You still need to learn how to write. But God gave you the story? That’s good, but you still need to learn how to write. No one’s life will be changed by a great story told badly. Take writing classes, go to writer’s conferences, join a local writer’s group. Write a lot. Everyday. Read good writers. (I want to be diplomatic here. Just because someone is a Christian writer doesn’t make them a good writer.) Read books that everyone recognizes as being good. You’ll learn things.

You’re a singer? For heaven’s sake, take a voice class. Learn how to sing well. Learn breath control and projection. Learn to sing in harmony. Sing a lot. Everyday. You play guitar? Learn to read music. Sheet music. Listen to great music that stirs the soul.

The church is famous for mediocre talent and God deserves better than that. Yes, it’s spiritual to learn your craft. You already have a Master’s degree in it? Then let God take you further. Once you develop the basics, He has an instrument to really use. Let Him take you as high as you want to go with Him.

What? You say that it doesn’t matter as long as your heart is into it? Because God will bless what you do if your efforts are for Him? To some extent that is true, while you’re learning. It ceases to be true when you show that you’re not interested in getting any better.

Being gifted does not resolve you from your need to develop your craft. Now you have work to do. Let’s stop being ok with ok. Let’s start pressing into excellence and show the world what gifting really is.