Listen to the Blogcast!
A spoken-word version of this week’s post
A Passionate Pursuit: Rekindling Your Fire for the Presence of God
There are seasons in our walk with God when the passion we once felt so naturally seems harder to access. The excitement that once drew us into prayer, worship, or quiet moments with Him can begin to feel distant, and if we are not careful, we may quietly assume that something has gone wrong in the relationship.
But often, the story is more nuanced than that.
Sometimes life becomes loud. Responsibilities increase, distractions multiply, disappointments settle into the heart, and over time our attention slowly shifts. We may not intentionally walk away from God, but little by little our focus becomes scattered across so many other things that our awareness of His nearness begins to dim. The fire itself may not be gone…we may simply have stopped tending to it.
At the same time, there are also moments when the Holy Spirit begins leading us differently than before. What once felt alive and effortless in our pursuit of God may suddenly feel dry or unfamiliar, not because He has abandoned us, but because relationship with Him was never meant to become formulaic.
This is important to understand.
There is a difference between revisiting what God has shown you and becoming dependent on old methods of encounter. God often deepens revelation over time, inviting us back into things He has spoken before so we can see more clearly and receive more fully than we did the first time. But if we become attached to recreating a specific feeling, rhythm, or method, we can miss the fresh invitation He is extending in the present moment.
Because God is alive! And living relationship requires responsiveness.
Sometimes the distance we feel is not because His presence has left, but because something in us has stopped turning toward Him. Other times, He may simply be drawing us into a deeper way of engaging with Him than we have known before. Either way, His invitation remains. He is still near, still speaking, still revealing Himself, and still drawing us closer than we have yet gone with Him.
And the beautiful thing about the Holy Spirit is that He knows exactly how to awaken desire again when our hearts become willing to respond.
The Holy Spirit Knows How to Lead You Into More
One of the most beautiful things about relationship with God is that it is alive.
The Holy Spirit does not lead us through rigid formulas or fixed methods of encounter. He leads us relationally, personally, and intentionally, always drawing us deeper into communion with the Father in ways that keep the relationship living and active rather than routine.
This is something I have had to learn continually in my own walk with Him.
There have been seasons where certain forms of engagement with God felt deeply alive, where revelation seemed to unfold effortlessly during time spent with Him. Then suddenly, what once felt full of life would feel quiet, and at first I would think something was wrong. I would try harder, revisit the same approach, or assume I simply was not pressing in enough.
But over time, I began to realize that the Holy Spirit was not withdrawing from me—He was leading me differently.
Sometimes He would draw me into worship instead of journaling. Other times into praying and singing in tongues, meditation on Scripture, or simply sitting with Him without an agenda at all. The more I walked with Him, the more I realized that relationship with God was never meant to become mechanical. He is far too alive, far too relational, and far too creative to be reduced to a formula.
And honestly, that is part of what makes the journey with Him so beautiful.
There is a holy sense of discovery in walking with God. He knows how to draw your heart, how to awaken your spirit, and how to lead you into deeper places at the right time. What worked in one season may still carry value and revelation, but the Holy Spirit also knows how to open new pathways of encounter that keep us dependent on relationship rather than routine.
This is why responsiveness matters so deeply.
Sometimes the invitation is not to strive harder, but to pause long enough to recognize where He is moving. Instead of forcing yourself back into an old rhythm, you begin asking different questions: What is open right now? What are You inviting me into today? What is on Your heart?
And when you begin to follow that gentle leading, something starts to awaken again.
Because the fire of God does not grow through repetition alone.
It grows through nearness, responsiveness, and living relationship with the One who is still speaking.
Hunger Is Often an Invitation, Not a Failure
One of the easiest mistakes to make in our walk with God is assuming that spiritual hunger means something is wrong.
When we feel dissatisfied, dry, or aware that there must be more, we can quickly interpret that longing as failure. We think we should already feel full, already feel mature, already feel consistent. But many times, the ache itself is not evidence that God is far away—it is evidence that He is drawing us deeper.
Hunger is often an invitation.
In Psalm 34:8, David writes,
“Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good…”
There is something profound in that language, because once you truly taste something good, it awakens desire for more. And this is often how God begins relationship with us. He allows us to encounter His presence in ways that are deeply personal, alive, and unforgettable, not to tease us emotionally, but to awaken our awareness of what is available in Him.
I remember this clearly in my own journey. In the beginning, it often felt as though revelation came so easily. Encounters with God felt immediate, powerful, and almost overwhelming in the best way. There was a freshness to everything, and honestly, I used to think of it almost like beginner’s luck. It felt like every time I turned toward Him, something beautiful happened.
But over time, I began to realize that God was not just giving me experiences—He was drawing me into growth.
What begins as milk eventually has to deepen into something stronger. God knows how to give us glimpses of His heart that awaken wonder and pursuit within us, but He also knows how to mature us so that we can carry greater depth, greater understanding, and greater intimacy over time. Relationship with Him is not meant to remain shallow or surface-level. It moves from glory to glory, from one unfolding revelation into another.
And that process changes us.
The beautiful thing is that hunger does not disappear as you grow—it deepens. What begins as curiosity eventually deepens into desire. What begins as fascination becomes love. And the more you encounter Him, the more you realize there is still infinitely more of Him to know!
That realization is not discouraging…it is part of the invitation.
Because spiritual hunger, when surrendered to the Holy Spirit, becomes the very thing that keeps drawing you closer instead of causing you to pull away.
The Presence of God Was Never Meant to Become Routine
One of the subtle things that can happen in our relationship with God is that what once felt alive and relational can slowly begin to feel familiar in a different way. Not necessarily wrong…just predictable. We find rhythms that deeply impacted us in one season, and without realizing it, we begin depending on the rhythm itself rather than remaining responsive to the relationship.
It usually begins innocently. God meets us powerfully in a particular place—through journaling, worship, prayer walks, silence, Scripture meditation, praying in tongues, visions and dreams, or some other form of encounter—and because that space became meaningful to us, we naturally return to it again and again. There is nothing wrong with revisiting places where God has spoken. In fact, many times He deepens revelation there and shows us more than we understood the first time.
But problems begin when we stop looking for HIM and start depending on the METHOD.
I have seen this in my own life many times. There were seasons where I felt certain I had finally figured out the “best” way to engage with God. Maybe revelation was flowing strongly through journaling, so I assumed that was the pathway. Then suddenly I would sit down to journal and everything would feel quiet. At first, I would think I was doing something wrong or that I just needed to push harder, but over time I began to realize that the Holy Spirit was often inviting me somewhere else.
Sometimes He wanted worship instead of writing. Sometimes silence instead of striving. Sometimes prayer, singing, meditation, or simply resting in His presence without trying to produce anything at all.
And honestly, I love that about Him now.
God is too alive to be reduced to a formula!
Relationship with Him was never meant to become mechanical or predictable. There is a holy sense of discovery woven into pursuit because He wants us attentive to Him, not merely committed to habits that once carried life. The goal is not to recreate a past encounter exactly as it happened before, but to remain open to however He desires to reveal Himself in the present moment.
That requires surrender.
It means being willing to release your own expectations of what the encounter should look like and allowing the Holy Spirit to lead instead. Not rigid repetition…but living responsiveness to the God who is always inviting us further in.
Passion Is Rekindled Through Surrender, Not Striving
One of the things I have learned over time is that passion for God cannot be sustained through pressure.
You can force yourself into routines, extend your quiet time, or try to recreate moments that once felt powerful, but none of those things can manufacture living fire. At some point, striving begins to exhaust the very heart that is longing to come alive again, which is why surrender matters so deeply in relationship with God.
There have been many times when I came to spend time with Him already excited about a particular subject, revelation, or experience I wanted to explore. Sometimes it was something He had been showing me recently, something I had read in Scripture, a question about His Kingdom realm, or an area where I felt Him drawing me into deeper understanding. In my mind, I thought I knew where our time together was going.
And yet, over and over again, I have found that the most meaningful encounters often happened when I stopped trying to direct the experience and allowed the Holy Spirit to lead instead.
What I thought would become a conversation about one thing would suddenly open into something completely different—something deeper, wiser, and often far more beautiful than what I originally came for. There were times I entered engagement with God expecting to explore a particular revelation or understanding, only to find the Holy Spirit drawing my attention somewhere else entirely. Sometimes He would begin showing me visions or pictures that carried an entirely different message than what I expected. Other times, what started as one line of exploration would unfold into revelation about my own heart, my journey, or something He wanted to teach me that I did not even know to ask about.
The more I walked with Him, the more I realized that relationship with God was never meant to be controlled or predictable. It is living, dynamic, and deeply relational, and the Holy Spirit knows exactly how to lead us into what we truly need in each moment, even when it differs from what we expected. That is part of what keeps the relationship alive. There is a holy sense of discovery woven into walking with God because He is not asking us to memorize a formula for encounter—He is inviting us to follow Him.
This is why surrender rekindles passion.
Striving tries to control the encounter, but surrender creates room for discovery. It keeps the relationship alive because it allows God to lead instead of reducing communion to routine. And many times, it is in those unexpected moments—when we release our own agenda and simply follow where He is moving—that the fire begins to awaken again naturally.
You cannot manufacture fire, but you can draw near to the One who burns. Hebrews 12:29 says,
“For our God is a consuming fire.”
The closer we come to Him, the more His nature begins to awaken something within us. Passion is not sustained by trying harder to feel something emotional; it is sustained through nearness to the living God.
And the beautiful thing is that He is not asking you to perfect the pursuit before coming close. He is simply inviting you deeper into relationship with Him.
The Fire Responds to Nearness
One of the most amazing things about walking with God is realizing that there is always more of Him to discover!
No matter how deeply you have encountered Him, no matter how many revelations you have received or seasons you have walked through with Him, there is still more life, more beauty, more wisdom, and more of His heart waiting to be uncovered. Relationship with God does not become smaller as you mature—it becomes deeper, richer, and more alive.
This is part of why relationship with God never becomes stagnant for those who continue pursuing Him. The closer you walk with Him, the more awareness begins to awaken within you. Scripture starts opening in ways it never did before. His voice becomes more recognizable. Moments with Him begin carrying greater depth and tenderness, and what once felt distant slowly becomes deeply personal through relationship and experience with Him…and it keeps unfolding.
Second Corinthians 3:18 says,
“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory…”
That phrase from glory to glory has become deeply meaningful to me because it reminds me that life with God is not stagnant. He is constantly inviting us further in, revealing new dimensions of His nature and drawing us into greater intimacy over time.
What begins as curiosity eventually becomes desire. What begins as desire deepens into pursuit. And pursuit, over time, becomes delight!
This is why I never want people to think that passion for God is only for the beginning stages of faith. Some of the most beautiful encounters with Him happen after years of walking with Him, because maturity creates capacity. There are things God lovingly allows us to taste early on simply to awaken hunger within us, but as we continue walking with Him, He strengthens us to carry greater depth, greater revelation, and deeper dimensions of communion than we could have understood before. And honestly, that is part of the adventure!
The journey with God is not meant to become repetitive or lifeless. It is living relationship with the Creator of all things, and there is no end to the beauty, wonder, wisdom, and love that can be discovered in Him. The more you draw near, the more alive your spirit becomes, because you were created for communion with Him.
James 4:8 says,
“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.”
There is something deeply comforting about that invitation because it reminds us that pursuit is never one-sided. As we turn our hearts toward Him, we discover again and again that He has been drawing us all along.
God is not withholding Himself from you…He is inviting you closer. And the fire you are longing for may simply begin with turning toward Him again.
🔴 A Prayer to Rekindle Desire
Holy Spirit, awaken my heart again to the beauty of Your presence. Where distraction, routine, disappointment, or striving have dimmed my awareness of You, draw me close again. Teach me how to follow Your leading with freshness, surrender, and wonder instead of formulas or pressure.
Rekindle within me a living hunger for God—not out of fear, obligation, or performance, but out of love and desire for deeper communion with You. Open my eyes to see, my ears to hear, and my heart to recognize where You are moving in this season.
Father, thank You that You are still speaking, still revealing, and still inviting me further into relationship with You. Let my pursuit of You become alive again, and let the fire of Your presence burn brightly within me as I continue walking with You from glory to glory.
Amen.
Reflect & Activate
Take a quiet moment with the Lord as you reflect on these. Let the Holy Spirit gently reveal what resonates most deeply within your own journey with Him.
Have there been places where your relationship with God became more routine than relational?
What might the Holy Spirit be inviting you into in this season that differs from previous ways you connected with Him?
Is there an area where surrendering your expectations could create room for deeper encounter and discovery with God?
Allow these questions to lead you back into wonder, not pressure. God is not asking you to force passion—He is inviting you into deeper nearness with Him.
