Not Perfect, Just Passionate!

"God is not looking for perfect women.  He is looking for passionate women.  He wants us to be passionate to have a relationship that is passionate with him."  - Priscilla Shirer

As I began my morning study at 6:45am on this beautiful Monday I decided to first do a little reading of the Word on my own.  Don't ask why but I landed in the book of Amos - yes, that is actually a book in the Old Testament.  As in most of the Old Testament prophecies Amos had a message to give to a group of people who had apparently decided to turn some of their attentions to false idols and gods.   Amos 5:22-23 says, " Even though you offer up to Me burnt offerings and your grain oferings, I will not accept them; And I will not look at the peace offerings of your fatlings.  Take away from Me the noise of your songs; I will not even listen to the sound of your harps."  Okay, If you are like me you are probably thinking right now, "where the heck is this going?"  Just stick with me for a few more paragraphs!  This gets good, I promise! 

This week our homework is primarily centered upon being Anointed.  One of the first points of our video session last week was that God is looking for passionate people, not perfect people to accomplish the plans He has for our generation.  Several times Priscilla has mentioned that we tend to sometimes get caught up in the what we are doing and not the who we are doing it for.  This is where Amos 5:22-23 comes in...the Israelites had turned some of their attention to false idols.   Notice they did not turn all of their attention away as they were still participating in offerings and sacrifices to the Lord, they were worshiping a spending time in praise to God, earlier in the chapter it is noted that they were even holding their religious festivals and solmn assemblies.  But at some point in the journey to the promise of Jesus Christ they turned their focus to other things.   A lot of times we will read over stories of idols and false gods because in our culture we do not call things as they are - too much T.V. or computer time, materialism, love of a spouse or child - IDOLS. 

Sometimes being passionate means being undignified, making decisions that most women around us won't make -  being calm in a moment of frustration, leaving a conversation that is not profitable to the hearers, waking up an hour before the husband or kids to spend time in the Word, and the list goes on.  We can not be like those in Amos who were willing to pick up false idols and turn our affections and passions on things that will not profit the Kingdom of God in the future.   Even if we are in a position of ministry at our churchthat very ministry can be the idol that the Lord is waiting for us to lay at the altar.   I love how Priscilla put it, "...we must have the anointing to accomplish His plans for us.  Without it, everything we do will only be a shell of activity that will leave us breathless from a series of frustrated efforts, amounting to little.  With God's anointing we can face life's circumstances with courage, joy and inner peace."  If you are finding yourself  breathless, frustrated, your efforts amounting to little, and lacking an inner peace, consider that you may be operating this way because you are holding onto a false idol.  This false idol might not be a god of Egypt but rather, an idol of workaholism or alcoholism, maybe a little perfectionism in there; maybe the shopping idol, "Oh if I just go buy myself a new dress I will feel better."  Whatever it is that takes the place of the supernatural Spirit of God in your life, consider it an idol and put it down and take up a passion for your relationship with Him. 

Today, ask yourself what in your life keeps you from becoming passionate in your walk with Jesus.   It is because of Him we do not have to live as the people during Amos' time.   He died on the cross so that we would escape God's wrath and being accepted regardless of our failures or desire to take up false idols.  He loves us so much that He just wants us to love Him with a passion that supercedes any other love we've ever known!