“But if I say, ‘I will not mention him or speak any more in his name,’ his word is in my heart like a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed I cannot” (Jer. 20:9).
Jeremiah had the edge. The Word of God was like fire in his bones. He couldn’t keep his mouth shut. He just had to tell people about God!
When you have the edge you have fire. You have a word that’s burning in your heart and you say, “I can’t keep this to myself. It’s like a fire raging inside of me.”
Paul’s attitude was, I’ve got to preach this thing! If I don’t, I won’t be able to live with myself. It’s real! It’s alive! Paul had a fire that burned in his bones. It was a deep, overwhelming conviction. To not minister the Gospel was agony to Paul. When you have the edge, you have a tremendous conviction in your heart and your mind that you must do all you can do to see people saved.
A lot of people have good teaching but no real fire – and that disturbs me. One of the worst insults is when someone comes up to me after a service and says, “That was a real neat sermon.” I don’t want anyone telling me I had a neat sermon. I want my sermons to be full of fire.
I want to see people’s lives transformed by the power of Almighty God. I want them so stunned that they forgot that they were on earth. I want them transported to where they’re not even able to speak, because they just had an encounter with God. If they’re coherent enough to know that it was a neat teaching, then I must not have had the edge.
Do you have that kind of conviction every time you share the Gospel?
Does fire burn in your bones to share Jesus with your friends?
If you can’t say yes to those questions, my challenge to you is to purpose in your heart to have this kind of conviction. “IF I DON’T SPEAK THIS, I’LL DIE! I’VE GOT TO. IT’S SO REAL. IT’S SO RIGHT! Woe to me, if I don’t.”
If you don’t have this kind of conviction, cry out to God. Go after the edge! Approach your day with the same zeal Paul had everyday: “If I don’t stand up for Jesus today, if I don’t live what I believe, it will eat me alive on the inside! I have go to share the truth!”
Preaching does not necessarily mean getting in front of a bunch a people and telling them about Jesus. “Preaching” could be talking to someone near your locker about how God loves them. You can preach with your life, your actions, and your words. Everything that you do should be a reflection of your heart toward God.
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Ron Luce was the co-founder and president of Teen Mania Ministries from 1986-2015. Ron and his wife Katie dreamed to raise young people who would change the world.
Ron received his bachelor's degree in Psychology and Theology from Oral Roberts University and his master's in Counseling Psychology from the University of Tulsa, along with an honorary doctorate from Jerry Falwell of Liberty University. He is a sought-after speaker who has traveled to more than 60 countries and has made numerous media appearances, such as Dr. James Dobson's Focus on the Family radio broadcast, CNN, The O'Reilly Factor, ABC Nightline, The 700 Club, Trinity Broadcasting Network, and the Sean Hannity Show. Ron has also written 35 books for teens, youth pastors, and parents and continues to speak at leaders' conferences helping parents and pastors understand the plight of today's youth and showing them how all of us can be part of the solution.
Ron and Katie currently live in Garden Valley, Texas, with their son Cameron. They have two daughters, Hannah and Charity.