Motivation. In a single word comes the advancement of a litany of books about the subject. Americans are addicted to being “Motivated.” It is the basis for conferences, conventions and in part, power drinks. Yet with all of this, we are doing less with more. We have more resources; more tools, more helps than at any time in history. Even still the cross-section of polling depicts a lack of movement and initiative. People are stagnate and empty.
This was not always the case. One hundred years ago our country achieved more with less. Statistics even show that with all the new innovations we are less happy and less content. New ideas seem stifled. Experiences are muddled in the mire of images. Even the movie industry is struggling to find the next big hit. Blockbusters are now predictable sequels because we are “thrilled out” and cannot find something new.
The Church is a lagging indicator, but still caught in the same stream of Motivation/Inspiration. After 2000 years of preaching, the Church is fighting for attention and space. Speeches from pulpits are common, but the Anointing is rare. Sermons are many, but the move of the Spirit is waning. With little doubt and great lament it is clear that the prophetic Word has fallen on hard times.
Inspiration/motivation has become the Christian drug. To be inspired is now seen as being “filled.” Yet, Paul said that he did not come to inspire. I came not with inciting words of man’s wisdom. But I came in the power of the demonstration of the Holy Ghost. 2 Cor. 2:4 Paul was not there to simply motivate or inspire the crowd, and though he was clearly capable of expounding with philosophy and argumentation, he knew that another presentation would not suffice. Demonstration was the key. It’s not a speech waiting to be reviewed by the crowd. It’s not a talk to give goosebumps and warm the heart. Only a demonstration of the Spirit can break the chains; the anointing, breaking the yoke. Inspiration is fleeting. It’s a whisper away from a faint memory. It’s a mist on the arid desert sand. Inspiration cannot produce the Living Water that satisfies the thirsty soul. At its core, inspiration can only produce the need for more of the same, and to be sure, Motivation, which once propelled us to act, has become it’s own answer.
Motivation benefits the “hearers only” which in turn produces a congregation of self-righteous people who admire themselves for having been inspired. Consequently, these moments of inspiration all come with an expiration date. It’s like an addiction with high’s and lows and then high’s again. Motivation becomes the fix. It’s an infusion into the senses that sparks a thought, but quickly dissipates into the great unknown.
This is why we must ACT. There’s a reason why we don’t call it the Book of Motivation or the Book of Inspiration. It’s called the Book of Acts of the Apostles. It’s more than what they said; it is what they did. We must be busy doing the work of the Kingdom. Now is the time to arise and work while it is day. We don’t need a new revelation, we need a move of the Spirit that confirms the truth we already know. I’m praying for an outpouring that comes from the faith and movement of the people who know the Lord and who are filled with the power of the Holy Ghost. Miracles, signs, and wonders must follow them that believe (Mark 16).
We have been commissioned to reach out our hands like Peter in Acts 3 and lift up the lame when we see them. God will do the rest if we will leave the seat of motivation and walk on the street of the supernatural. This is our season to Act and put our faith into works so that the Spirit will reach, restore, and revive the lost.
Pastor Jeffrey Harpole