As I look across the United States, and think of what I know of the Church, I see many glaring issues. But the major issue, I’d say, is a lack of total devotion – a lack of genuine zeal, genuine dedication, genuine love.

Jesus is not the center of their lives. Sunday church service is about the beginning and end of their spiritual devotion to the Lord Jesus Christ. Their wealth, their pursuit of wealth, the things, pleasures, and cares of the world, have more of their attention, their time, then the Lord Jesus Christ.

Why do so many shout, “Revival, revival!” you may wonder? Because, spiritually speaking, the Church in the United States, at least the visible part, is spiritually dead. There is no life within it. In response, many churches have turned to a more worldly approach to drawing people in.

This is merely a response to the lukewarmness of the rather traditional church system. I am not advocating for a revival of this religious system, but a revival within the hearts of Christians across the U.S.

The key is this: the pursuit of wealth and the cares of the world have blinded most in this country, making them lukewarm, unfazed and disinterested in Jesus Christ. It is not the “evil, wicked world” causing the Church so many problems.

But rather than focus on negativity, on what is wrong, I will offer a solution, in the hopes that maybe a few will take this path, and follow Jesus with their whole heart, soul, and mind.

Total Devotion: A Lifestyle

What I feel we are all called to do, yet few are willing to, is to live in a state of total and complete devotion to the Lord Jesus Christ, and His ways, and His Kingdom.

Focus on Jesus. Love Jesus. Worship Jesus. “Pray without ceasing.” Come into contact with the Holy One, Jesus Christ, and stay there. Live a life of prayer, meditation, bible reading, and good works.

Walk in a genuine relationship with Jesus, not merely outward show, but develop a friendship, a companionship, a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.

Don’t just merely attend church. Push yourself to pray more. Pray every moment you can. Don’t just settle for 5 minutes of prayer a day. To get into the deeper realms of our relationship with Jesus, we must go further than that.

It is not so much the time spent, but the heart’s devotion of love. Rejoice in Jesus. Be thankful for Jesus. Love, adore, and worship Jesus. Enjoy showing affection to Jesus.

The reason I say, don’t just settle for 5 minutes of prayer a day, is this: don’t ever settle for anything. To grow muscle when one lifts weights, one must constantly add more weight.

Seek, through meditation, deeper and deeper methods and manners of prayer. Push yourself to pray more wonderfully. Push yourself to pray more faithfully. Pray often. If you pray 5 minutes a day, work to pray 10. Once you pray 10 minutes a day, work to pray 15. Keep pushing yourself.

Improve your prayer life. A simple prayer is this, “Lord Jesus, I love You.” Pray to show love, to show affection, to the Lord Jesus. Work to outdo yourself.

The deeper places of revelation, the deeper places of love, the deeper places of spiritual blessing, are only accessed through vibrant relationships with the Lord Jesus Christ.

Our relationship with Jesus, that is what this is all about. Pursue that.

Put Jesus First

Put Jesus first in your life, in your prayer life. Seek His face. Be like the monks and mystics of old, seek hard after Jesus. Put Him before everything. Slip away from your busy life to be with Him.

Put Jesus before wealth, or money, or entertainment. Put Jesus before the things of this world. Cling to Him, as if you would cling to the one you love. Cling to Him, and do not let Him go.

You must get thirsty for Jesus. Thirst for Him, seek Him hard. Chase after Him. Work up to the point where you can pray hours to Jesus. This is the way to true spiritual blessing.

Without relationship with Jesus, it is hard for a Christian to accomplish much of anything. The way to true blessing in the Lord is to grow in our relationships with the Lord Jesus Christ.

Prayers of Love, Prayers of Adoration

When I say to pray often, pray much, and pray heavily, I do not mean to make requests. I mean to Minister to the Lord. I mean to show Him love, show Him kindness, show Him affection, through words.

Use words of love, words of affection, words of adoration, words of praise, words of worship. Learn the vocabulary. These kind of prayers, if used with a loving heart, through a large amount of time, will draw oneself much closer to the Lord Jesus than you might realize.

Ask for very little, but pray often. Also, worship is not merely music. Worship is giving the Lord verbal praise for who He is. Worship is telling the Lord how holy He is. Worship is telling the Lord how righteous He is. Worship is telling the Lord how glorious He is. Worship is telling the Lord He is the Gracious God. And so forth.

Worship has been watered down to a form of music. True worship can include music, but do not limit worship to only when music is playing. Go hard after Jesus. Pursue Him, chase Him, chase hard after Him.

Death to the World, Death to Self

You must die to the ways of this world. Give up on the dreams of being rich on this earth. That is not of God. Give up on the dreams of being famous on this earth. That is also not of God.

“Woe unto the rich,” the Lord Jesus said. “Do not store up your treasures on earth,” Jesus also said. Obey Him. Put Him before this stinky world. Put Jesus before the desire of wealth. In fact, crucify the desire for wealth. Seek Him above money. Seek Him above possessions.

Pray to have Him and Him alone. He must become your all in all. He is either everything, or He is nothing. Take no half measures. Jesus does not follow us as we walk our own way through this life. Jesus tells us to follow Him. It is a walk with Him.

It is not about wealth. Wealth is meaningless. It is about something much more wonderful than wealth. We are talking about having a fulfilling relationship with Jesus Christ, that will set the child of God who achieves this a part from the rest.

Love Jesus. Love Jesus above all else. Jesus plus nothing else. Jesus is enough. Let Jesus be enough in your life. Put Him before all things. Chase Him hard, forget the world and its lusts, its cares, its desires, its dreams.

Forget “the American dream.” Forget it. Pursue Jesus. Chase hard after Jesus. Chase Him as a hunter would a deer. Chase Him as a thirsty man in the desert seeks an oasis.

Pray. Pray more! Pray with heart, pray with love. Pray with knowledge, but pray to bless Jesus’ soul. Pray not for wealth. Pray in such a way as to show Jesus that you love Him.

Let Jesus become the Lord of your entire life. Put Him first. Read the New Testament daily. Seek to obey as many commandments as possible. Pray and read your bible. Worship Jesus through words of love, read your bible and obey it, and seek hard after Jesus.

This is the way to vast spiritual success. I promise you, I know what I’m talking about.

God bless you!