frozen

FROZEN, by Randall D. Kittle

Yesterday was another “wonderful” winter day in Northern Illinois. It was -6°F with 22 mph winds (which gave us a wind chill below -30°F). But what made this frigid day even worse was that it happened to be trash day — I had to take my garbage cans out to the curb and then drive over to my parent’s and take out theirs. As I pulled up to my next stop, I decided to call to make sure they were open and I’d be able to get in once I’d sprinted to the door. I pulled out my phone and pushed the power button only to see the screen flash on for a second and then slowly fade from gray to black. I had left it in my unzipped, outer coat pocket and it had frozen up … literally. The cold temperatures made it unable to stay on … unable to make calls. It become useless because of the cold environment to which I had exposed it.

That is the enemies’ mission in these days. He wants to use the cold, harsh circumstances of life to freeze us so our spiritual walk will be halted and limited. Then, like my phone, we will no longer able to do what we should be able to for God or His kingdom. Remember the word “frozen” not only means: “ice-covered, very cold, frosted, number, solid, or hard,” it can also mean: “stop, stand still, go rigid, become motionless, become set, limited, confined, held down.”

How to Tell if Your Heart is Frozen
Ask yourself the following questions:

Is there a decrease in your personal devotion to Jesus? Do you spend less time in prayer and have diminished passion for God’s Word? While you used to identify with Paul when he wrote, “More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ” (Philippians 3:8), do you find yourself merely going through the motions of worship and Bible reading instead of having a heart of true devotion?

Is there a decrease in your passion for spiritual work? Do you feel as excited about ministry as you used to (winning the lost, serving in the church, etc.). Galatians 6:9 tells us “Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary.” Are you standing firm, or have you lost heart and grown weary?

Have you lowered your standards of holiness or fallen back into old habits? Are you allowing things in your life or your family that you would have considered unthinkable when your heart was on fire for God? Do you now remember and hold a grudge when you used to forgive from the heart instantly? Where once you used to make inroads into the devil’s kingdom is he now making inroads into you?

How to Thaw a Frozen Heart
If it looks like you’re experiencing a little “spiritual frostbite,” there are two things to remember. First, don’t blame people, problems, or point fingers. The answer begins with you. What did you do, allow, stop doing, or embrace that dropped the temperature of your heart?

Secondly, we’ve got to recover our lost fire, our zeal. If I misplace my keys, the best way to find them is to retrace my steps to where I had them last. The Scriptures put it this way, “Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place — unless you repent” (Revelation 2:5). Think back to when you were on fire … what happened? Where were you when you made your first misstep? Repent of anything that comes to mind that might have derailed you and start pursuing God anew with a fresh zeal. Remember, it’s almost impossible to freeze something that’s set on fire! Begin to live life with a burning passion for God! My hope for every one of us is that we will never again become frozen in our spiritual journey, and if we do, that we will quickly become thawed. After all, according to 1 Peter 2:9 were called not to be God’s frozen people … but His chosen people.