“Not long ago I spoke to a group of Christian women about the importance of keeping prayer and time with God a high priority, even if that means that we must get less sleep or skip certain social and leisure activities to do so. Many responded enthusiastically to this reminder, but some balked. One woman remarked, ‘Sometimes we just need to let go of these “unrealistic spiritual expectations” and take a nap!’

Many Christian today have this attitude. anytime someone starts talking about having tireless spiritual passion and pursuing Christ with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, we are tempted to reason, Oh, that’s completely unrealistic. No one can be that passionate about Christ at all times. If we try, we’ll only end up putting unhealthy pressure upon ourselves and getting exhausted. It can’t be done.

…In a culture that promotes busyness and self-indulgence, many of us have adopted a lackadaisical mind-set toward our relationship with Christ. few of us possess any lasting spiritual passion. And we don’t pursue it, because we don’t think it is possible to find it.

In Romans 12:11 Paul said, ‘Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord’ )(NIV), I have often read that verse and wondered, How is it possible to never lose my zeal for God and to always keep my spiritual fervor? Certainly it is possible, or God would not have put it in the Bible.

When I think of set-apart Christian women who have live out this command, I remember the lives of many heroic women…whose example of relentless, unwavering spiritual passion never ceases to amaze and inspire me…When I study the lives of these women who pursed Jesus Christ amid some of the greatest difficulties and trials imaginable, I realize I have no excuse for spiritual slothfulness.

…It is only when we choose to live by the ‘too busy not to pray’ principle that we will experience a thriving walk with Christ and, thus, a life that really works.”

-Leslie Ludy, “The Set Apart Woman”