How to Extinguish Excuses

Scriptures: Jeremiah 29:13, Psalms 27:8

So many people make excuses instead of focusing on growing their fire for God. One thing you must understand is that excuses extinguish your fire; they are like firefighters that put out your flame. If you want to burn for God, learn to overcome excuses. The apostle Paul, a prisoner for Christ, survived a storm and a shipwreck in Acts 28:1-3. However, when he finally reached the island shore, rain was pouring down. In Paul’s case, with the help of the locals, they started to build a bonfire. Notice that the rain and the cold didn’t stop them. Their goal was to build a fire, which was their only means of getting warm in the dark, chilly weather. 

You might be thinking, “I get it, but you don’t understand my situation. I have been through a terrible storm. I’m not sure if I have the strength to build a fire again.” Remember, you can’t build a fire as long as you are making excuses. The storm is not your problem; your excuses are. Excuses are self-imposed roadblocks that keep you from growing in Christ. It’s so much easier to make excuses than to work up the energy to make a fire. When you believe in your excuses, you invite a firefighter into your life, and excuses will extinguish your flame. 

Perhaps your excuse might not be a storm but a success. You’re not bleeding; you’re simply too busy. You are not hurting; you’re actually pretty satisfied. You might fully believe that you don’t need to build a fire because your life is comfortable. Remember that a blessing is not only a reward but also a test. Jesus shared a powerful story about a king who invited guests to the wedding feast, “But they all with one accord began to make excuses” (Luke 14:18). Their excuses for not coming weren’t problems or sins, but the “blessings” of their prosperity they were too busy managing. 

The rich young ruler’s excuse for not following Jesus was that of having too much money; it wasn’t a miserable circumstance he was enduring. Whatever the excuse—storm or success—it must be challenged and overcome. You can only burn for God to the extent that you are able to overcome excuses. Living on fire for God is not a result of a personality trait or something you were born with; it’s your ability to eliminate excuses. If you overcome excuses, you will want to build a fire. 

Let’s Pray:
Lord, I come before You, acknowledging that I have allowed excuses to put out the fire You placed within me. Help me to overcome the storms and successes that have become obstacles in my walk with You. Give me the strength to build a fire in my heart, no matter the circumstances. I choose today to eliminate excuses and pursue You with all my heart. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Scriptures: Luke 10:40-42, John 15:5

Busyness is another excuse for smothering the fire. Martha’s busyness with serving her guests distracted her from sitting at the feet of Jesus and hearing His words (Luke 10:40-42). The apostles had to pull back from serving tables when their ministry exploded and retreat to prayer and the ministry of the Word (Acts 6:4). Sin brings us guilt and then becomes a reason why we don’t go to God, but busyness makes us feel like we are doing something important for God so He can bless us.Anytime ministry for the Lord gets in the way of ministry to the Lord, we are in dangerous territory. For us, our labor for the Lord becomes more important than our love for Him. Work becomes our identity. We become human doings instead of human beings. 

And we can fall into the trap of running faster than God’s grace can sustain us. We live our lives being overwhelmed instead of living out of the overflow, and our families get the scraps while we try to give everything to ministry, falsely comforting ourselves that God will take care of our family as long as we are on the ministry treadmill, running non-stop. Busyness steals our fire, and it does not add to our productivity.Remember, we are only branches; our abounding comes from our abiding in the vine, Jesus (John 15:5). Our success doesn’t come from our efforts but from our abiding in Him by walking in the Spirit. Busyness reduces us to machines that only perform work and never rest. Even if we do produce results, we risk losing our fire. 

We must be cautious not to allow the devil to use busyness as an excuse to extinguish our fire. Even though it may seem that we are doing things for God, we must ensure that we are not neglecting our relationship with Him. Our identity is found in Christ, not in what we do. Let us prioritize our time with God, abiding in Him, so that we may bear fruit and keep our fire burning. 

Let’s Pray:
Father, forgive me for allowing busyness to overshadow my relationship with You. Help me to find my identity in You alone, not in the work I do. Teach me to abide in You, to prioritize my time with You, and to let everything else flow from that place of intimacy. Restore my fire and passion for You, that I may bear fruit that remains. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Scriptures: Psalms 42:11, Isaiah 40:31, Psalms 71:5

Another excuse that people often use to not build up their fire is disappointment. What they had hoped for, believed for, fasted for, and prayed for didn’t happen. Such unmet expectations become a breeding ground for offense (a “fence”) with God, which extinguishes their spiritual flame. It’s like water poured out on their fire. Solomon said, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when the desire comes, it is a tree of life.” (Proverbs 13:12). 

The two disciples who were walking on the road to Emmaus felt that way too. They were so disappointed at the outcome of all the events the weekend Jesus died. They said, “But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel” (Luke 24:21). Their Messianic hopes had been stirred, but the dream of a liberated Israel died with Jesus. Everyone who has walked with the Lord has experienced this at some time or another. No matter how much faith you have and how much you fast and pray, some things just don’t go the way you hope. Other things take longer to develop than you had planned for. Instead of building a fire, some people build an offense against God. 

Mary, Martha, and Lazarus were Jesus’ friends. However, in John 11, when Lazarus got sick, Jesus didn’t run quickly to heal Him. I’m pretty sure the sisters thought that since they were such close friends, they would get special treatment. Isn’t that one of the benefits of close friendship? But Jesus came late. It was so late that Lazarus had already died; they had held his funeral four days earlier. That sure didn’t meet the sisters’ expectations, nor was it an answer to their prayers. 

How many times have we found ourselves in the same place? We work at developing a closer relationship with the Lord, which then fuels our faith that all our prayers will be answered. And then, whenever prayer doesn’t get answered, it throws us off balance. We wonder, “What’s the point of all my praying, fasting, giving, and serving?” Don’t get me wrong, we don’t serve God to get something from Him, but it still hits home when life gets tough and it seems like He is ignoring us. 

Mary and Martha were asking for the healing of their brother, but they didn’t get a healing. Instead, they got a resurrection. Jesus didn’t meet their expectations; He exceeded them. I know that not every story will have a happy ending like this on this side of heaven. But we must rest assured in God’s character that He is good even when everything around us is not. 

I encourage you to go hard after God. Seek Him through prayer and fasting until those excuses that are hindering you from going deeper are fully extinguished.

Let’s Pray:
Lord, I confess that disappointment and unmet expectations have, at times, extinguished my fire for You. Help me to trust in Your goodness, even when things don’t go as I had hoped. Teach me to build a fire in the midst of disappointment, knowing that You can exceed my expectations. Restore my hope and reignite my passion for You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.