Joyce Meyer - I Dare You: Embrace Life with Passion

Copyright 2007 Joyce Meyer

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Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from The Amplified Bible. Copyright 1954, 1962, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

Scriptures noted NIV are taken from The Holy Bible: New International Version. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.

Scriptures noted The Message are taken from The Message: The New Testament in Contemporary English. Copyright 1993 by Eugene H. Peterson.

Faith Words

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First eBook Edition: September 2007

ISBN: 978-0-446-40200-2

Passionate Pursuits

God loves with a great love the man whose heart is bursting with a passion for the IMPOSSIBLE.

William Booth

A lot of people are talking about purpose these days. Its an important topicknowing and understanding our purpose is essential to knowing and understanding what it is God wants to do with us. When we understand our purpose, we have a road map in front of us thats a useful and necessary guide. However, if purpose is our journey and destination, then passion is the fuel thats going to get us there and its vital for us to keep that fuel in well-stocked supply.

Life without purpose and passion is a life not worth living. We all need a reason to get up every day and we need to find the passionthe spark that keeps us motivated and moving. We need to be enthusiastic! Too many of us walk around with long faces looking and feeling indifferent, bored, or just plain worn-out. But the human heart was made for passion, for strong desire to reach for something beyond ourselves. We need to be able to celebrate each day of our lives, no matter the circumstances.

We get up; we go to work; we take care of the kids; we go to church; we come home; we go to bed and start it all over again tomorrow. Were losing both our passion and our purpose, and were passing that lack of enthusiasm to our kids. Sure, maybe a vacation or a big win from a favorite sports team might rouse us out of our slumber for a little bit, but pretty soon, were back to having no real enthusiasm about life.

We are here to enjoy God and do His will.

Over the centuries millions of people have asked, What am I here for? What is my purpose? Theres a simple answer for this, but not everyone is willing to accept it. We are here to enjoy God and do His will. We were created for His pleasure. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. Therefore, He must also be everything in between. This is a lot for some folks to accept. They want to know what God is going to do for them, but they should be asking what God is going to do through them.

Thats something Paul thought about every day. Look at how many times he uses these words:

I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me....

ROMANS 15:18 (NIV)

But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed....

2 TIMOTHY 4:17 (NIV)

But whatever I am now, it is all because God poured out his special favor on meand not without results. For I have worked harder than all the other apostles; yet it was not I but God who was working through me by his grace.

1 CORINTHIANS 15:10 (NLT)

We are born, we live, and we die. We cannot do anything about being born or about dying, but we can do a lot about how we live. Paul understood that. So did Peter. He was an eager disciple who made a lot of mistakes in his ministry and as one of Christs followers, and yet God used him because he was willing to step out boldly when Jesus called. Peter was filled with zeal, passion, and enthusiasm.

Taking responsibility for how we live is a brave thing. It takes courage to accept life as it comes to us and it also takes courage to be determined to make the most we can out of it. Life is too short to waste it by always erring on the cautious side or playing it safe instead of pursuing all you can be. Its time to take action and make your life count: step out of the boat and start working toward leaving a legacy when you are gone.

Passion Is More Than a Feeling

When most people think about passion, they may think about sex or bursts of emotion that come and go. They see passion as unstable, maybe unsatisfying and even unnecessary, and as a result, they typically respond to life and signs of enthusiasm this way: Lets not get worked up about this.... Lets just take one day at a time and see what happens.... I dont let things get to me one way or another.

When we feel less, we risk less. Im here to tell you, though, the passion Im talking aboutenthusiastic enthusiasmis not a feeling that comes and goes or a mood you wait to have in order to act on something. Passion is the way you approach life.

Look how God uses passion. Everything He does is done with a purpose, and He does it passionately. He does it with His whole heart. We are to love God with our whole hearts, and do all we do with enthusiasm and drive. No halfhearted effort on our part will ever please God, nor will it produce true joy in our lives.

There is an innate desire deep inside each of us to reach for goals that seem unreachable. Im talking about those hopes and dreams we all have; some are lying just below the surface, but some have been so deeply buried for so long it will take time to dig them out. Its our nature to have something to be moving toward at all times. We all need something to strive for, to work toward, and to dream about. We need a reason to get out of bed in the morning, and one that is greater than merely existing for another day. I believe we all have a deep desire to be daring, to get out of the box and live on the edge. If someone asked us, we would readily acknowledge we want life to be exciting, but some of us have gotten too comfortable and coy sitting on our respective couches of life. We need a challenge, but only a few of us ever dare to follow our hearts. I have decided to be one of the few. Will you join me? Will you dare to be different? Will you dare to live life like you mean it?

Will you dare to live life like you mean it?

Like some of you, I spent many years not enjoying lifes journey. I fought with life, always wishing to have something different than what I had. I finally learned that life is more about the journey than the destination and I made a commitment to enjoy it all. I thank God He taught me to face life boldly, knowing He is with me and that I can do whatever I need to do with Him by my side, and I can do it with joy. I now know I have a purpose, God has a plan and I have decided to live out my days with passion and enthusiasm. I believe this book will have a profound effect on you. It will add a quality to your life that may have been missing, and Im praying God will show you the purpose and the passion He wants you to have.

Our Greatest Example of Passion

As Christians, when we talk about passion, many of us will think of the passion plays weve seen at Easter and, of course, the 2004 film, The Passion of the Christ, which depicts the last twelve hours of Jesus life on earth.